Opus People Solutions on behalf of West Northampton County Council are recruiting for a Contract and Quality Monitoring officer to join their Commissioning and Quality and Outcomes team on a temporary contract for 6 months, starting ASAP. This role is office based -5 days per week with working hours of 37. You will require a standard DBS for this role.
As a Contract Monitoring Officer, you will be responsible for monitoring commissioned services in terms of their compliance and quality for vulnerable adults, carers and communities across Northamptonshire.
You must have an understanding of the relevant legal, commercial, operational, and social community aspects of service delivery. You need excellent interpersonal skills at all levels. Diplomacy when dealing with service providers in poor performing services and able to work under pressure.

The overall purpose of the post:
To provide a comprensive monitoring and contract management service that focuses upon the quality of support and care within the Council commissioned services for vulnerable adults (both younger adults and older people), carers and communities; to ensure best practice, the safeguarding of individuals and maintain individual health and wellbeing.
To ensure contract compliance, raise quality and standards within commissioned services in accordance with specified contract requirements, service outcomes, national standards and legal requirements.

Main accounestabilities :
1. To take the lead role in effectively monitoring the quality and effectiveness of contracted services. These systems will include quality audits, reviews and improvement plans for services and providers in relation to local and national objectives improving outcomes for the quality of life for service users and customers.
2. To support budget holders in monitoring budget spend including forecasting and market trends, ensuring value for money is achieved through contracted services.
3. To carry out planned or unannounced visits to commissioned services in order to assess the quality of the service provided and to observe and monitor customer/service user satisfaction. This will include site visits and face to face meetings with service users, families, staff and stakeholders.
4. To identify serious and urgent risks within contracted services, and to agree improvement plans where appropriate, or escalate urgently concerns to line managers as appropriate.
5. To fully record all contract monitoring activities, agreed action plans, safeguarding concerns and remedial actions.
6. To take the lead in developing and disseminating good practice across providers through forums and other sources of communication. This may involve liaising with other authorities and agencies.
7. To ensure that all contracted providers provide the Council with information as required in the Council's performance indicators.
8. To contribute to the development of any new procurement or monitoring process carried out by the Commissioning, Quality and outcomes division.

Education and Qualifications
* Educated to A level standard or equivalent experience in commissioning

Experience and Knowledge
* Knowledge of national standards and legislation and current policy relating to support and care services
* Experience of working with providers or quality monitoring of providers
* Experience of working in a commissioning or contracting environment
* Experience of working in an environment related to at least one of the vulnerable groups covered by the Commissioning, Quality and Outcomes function