Job Description
Policy and Commissioning Officer - Perth PKC11152
£42,683 - £45,536 Fixed Term (until 31/3/2025)
Pullar House, 35 Kinnoull St, Perth, PH1 5GD
Do you have a background in social care or health, with an interest and practical skills in policy/strategy development, co-production/co-design and community engagement?
We are particularly interested in hearing from anyone with policy development, service delivery and co-production experience in the areas of Mental Health and Wellbeing.
This post is for a fixed term period until March 2025.
You will have an interest in bringing about change alongside a range of stakeholders, as well as the ability and desire to acquire and maintain specialist knowledge of a policy area/s. Strategy development areas across the Team include Mental Health & Wellbeing, Unpaid Carers, Older People/Ageing Well, Learning Disabilities, Autism, Physical Disabilities and Sight Loss & Hearing Loss.
The successful candidate will be joining an established team who cover strategy development, commissioning, contract management and community engagement for a wide range of service areas. Together we strive to ensure we make best use of resources, deliver better outcomes for people who use services, unpaid carers and support communities to recognise their assets and become stronger. Co-production is central to this role.
We work in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders to develop shared solutions and sustainable services that lead to improvements in health and social care outcomes for people. You will be required to champion and embed a culture of co-production and engagement throughout the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) localities and teams to ensure those who use services, unpaid carers, key professionals, and local communities are involved in all aspects of strategic and service development, the review, planning, development and delivery. Working with others you will be able to demonstrate how these views have shaped the work of the HSCP.
It is essential that you can develop strong working relationships with key stakeholders, with local communities being at the heart.
Requirements
Experience of working in adult social care, health services or third sector care and support, with a focus on mental health and wellbeing. Experience of delivering either adult social care and support policy or health services policy and strategic improvement initiatives.
Experience of initiating, developing and implementing projects and being accountable for project delivery within defined deadlines.
A track record of successful project/programme management aimed at delivery of effective commissioning arrangements, service improvement programmes and/or strategies. Experience of leading service user engagement and co-production programmes. Experience in developing, writing and embedding strategies Experience of initiating and working within partnership arrangements with multiple and varied stakeholders
Knowledge and understanding of relevant health and social care strategic policy, guidance and legislation, and their impact on adult social care services. Knowledge of current tools and best practice in project management, co-production and community engagement to support current and future commissioning and service delivery. An understanding of the diverse range of communities and their needs across Perth and Kinross. Have a high level of knowledge and understanding of health equality, social inclusion and sustainability.
Proven ability to work as part of a team and to be self–directed. Ideally, experience of managing and developing staff. Experience of monitoring and reporting on project, service or staffing budgets, to ensure sound financial management.
Responsibilities
Main areas of responsibility:
Lead on the co-production of HSCP integrated strategies for Mental Health and Wellbeing, involving key partners. Develop knowledge of services, policies, and research alongside an understanding of people’s and communities lived experience of specific policy area/s to influence service improvements.
Develop specialist knowledge, both national and local, to support the Strategic Leads for Mental Health and Wellbeing, ensuring agreed actions are delivered.
Promote and embed the strategy/s across the HSCP using a project management approach. Develop and implement methods of monitoring the progress and effectiveness of the strategy in practice, including citizen feedback, existing quality assurance and reporting processes. Provide regular updates on strategy development to Senior Management, Locality Teams, Service Providers, and communities, across governance structures.
Support the delivery of co-production activity such as community engagement activities, specialist workshops and advisory groups to provide regular opportunities for people to shape the planning, development and delivery of services and strategies. Use the information gathered to communicate insights, write reports and verbal updates, representing the views of individuals to stakeholders. Use insights to influence and support future commissioning requirements and support other local authority planning partners to support meaningful service improvement.
Develop guidance for staff to ensure all required policies and procedures related to co-production are developed and embedded. Support and train staff to identify opportunities where co-production, engagement or feedback would be useful when delivering service improvement, transformation or commissioning, and what methods to use.
Work across a range of projects to support community capacity building and/or service improvement initiatives and to embed people and community’s views and feedback. Keep abreast of current and upcoming priorities and identify opportunities to work with a range of partners on engagement and co-production activities.
Line management & staff development responsibility within Community Engagement.
The Individual
You will have a relevant degree or social work/social care/ health qualification at degree level and you must have a valid UK driving licence as this post requires you to travel to a variety of locations across Perth and Kinross.
Please note that interviews will be held on Friday 15th March 2024.
If you would like any more information regarding this vacancy, please contact Rhona Pollok rmlpollok@pkc.gov.uk or call 07920362059.
When applying for this post, please provide current contact details (including e-mail addresses) for two referees, one should be your present or most recent employer. However, if you are an existing employee of Perth & Kinross Council, you are only required to provide reference details for your current employer.
At PKC our values and behaviours influence our work and support us in the delivery of the Perth and Kinross Offer. In your application, and should you be invited to interview, you will be asked to describe situations that support the criteria required in the role and which also demonstrate our values and behaviours. Find out more about PKC and you could soon be joining our team!
Please APPLY ONLINE. Facilities are available at all public libraries in Perth and Kinross. If you have a disability and require reasonable adjustments, please call 01738 475555 to discuss.
As part of our safer recruitment measures, any offer of employment will be subject to the successful completion of mandatory checks including eligibility to work in the UK, Disclosure Scotland or PVG, qualifications, references, and fitness to undertake the post. This may also include an Overseas Criminal Records Check if you have spent time living overseas.
Some jobs may have been traditionally carried out predominately by one gender, but we would encourage you to apply if you meet the requirements, irrespective of your gender.
What we can do for you
If you are successful in a role with Perth & Kinross Council, you will have access to a range of benefits to help your physical, mental and financial wellbeing.
A healthy work life balance is important to us and we provide supportive management and flexible working arrangements to help you achieve a healthy work life balance. You will have access to training and support for continued professional development.
Perth & Kinross Council welcomes applications from former armed forces personnel/reservists. Many of the skills picked up during your military career could be transferred directly into a role with local government.
For more information about working for Perth & Kinross Council and living in one of the most scenic areas of Scotland, look at our Jobs, careers and employment page.
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About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to
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