The client is seeking a Children’s Placements Contract & Quality Officer to influence service quality, value for money, and outcomes for children and young people within a commissioning environment operating under significant financial pressure. The role will involve challenging providers, interpreting data, and driving performance as part of a broader transformation agenda, using benchmarking insights at regional and national levels to help ensure best value is consistently achieved.
Key responsibilities include performance management through analysis of data, provider challenge, and delivery of measurable improvements; contract oversight, including monitoring and compliance to ensure value for money; and quality assurance through designing and implementing robust monitoring frameworks. The role also requires stakeholder engagement to build and maintain strong relationships with providers and partners, alongside strategic input to support commissioning decisions using benchmarking insights.
The client expects candidates to have a proven background in children’s placements with contracts and quality, along with experience of contract management and monitoring across multi-agency contexts, including residential and fostering providers. Strong capability in interpreting data, reports, and performance metrics is essential, as is knowledge of quality assurance and evaluation frameworks. Additional consideration may be given to experience in local authority settings and children’s placements teams.