Brokerage Officer

Job title:

Brokerage Officer

Company

Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames

Job description

About the BoroughThis special place in South West London between the capital and the country has been a Royal borough longer than anywhere else – it is where the first kings of England were crowned.Today it is a vibrant and diverse borough, with a long history and strong cultural and community heritage. Kingston’s riverside location, fantastic retail offer, historic market place and church, parks and gardens all make Kingston town centre the vibrant space it is, and each of our district town centres (Surbiton, New Malden, Tolworth and Chessington) have something unique to offer.Situated in Zone 6, Kingston is among the best-connected town centres in London – with direct train links from Kingston and Surbiton stations to Clapham Junction and London Waterloo, as well as Wimbledon for an interchange with the London Underground and Tramlink.Kingston’s people are innovative and entrepreneurial, and have a strong sense of community pride. The borough has been home to great industry and creativity for many years, reflected in assets such as the Rose Theatre, the International Youth Arts Festival and Kingston University, which boasts more new graduate business start-ups than any other.We have seen tremendous generosity and compassion within our communities, particularly in response to COVID-19, which is a demonstration of Kingston’s key strength. The council offers a strong level of support to vulnerable groups and those who need additional support, which has also increased significantly as a result of the pandemic. Like most places, the average age of our population is rising as more people are living longer, so we are working closely with residents to help them maintain their independence and further improve the cost effectiveness of our service to meet the ongoing rise in demand.Kingston is home to people from diverse and interesting cultures and backgrounds, which helps to create the rich sense of community shared across the borough. In particular, Kingston has a large Sri Lankan Tamil community and is home to more people from Korea than any other part of the UK.About the Role and our Ideal CandidateAbout the roleTo build strong relationships with internal and external partners to enable the sourcing of good quality care whilst achieving best value for money.

• Work with ASC Operational Teams and relevant professionals to prioritize and monitor cases and broker services in a timely and effective manner.
• Set up packages of care that meet the aspirations and needs of the citizen through call off processes from established framework agreements, commissioned services, spot purchase and direct negotiation as appropriate.
• Maintain detailed records and systems for monitoring vacancies, allocations and placements across ASC to ensure utilisation and cost effectiveness is achieved.
• Develop and maintain good working relationships with Providers.
• Ensure contracts and Service Level Agreements are signed returned and implemented appropriately.

About you
Experience of brokerage is desirable, but not essential as full training is available for the right candidate.This is a fast paced environment, so it is essential that you are flexible and adaptable with regards to your workload. You will have good communication skills both verbal and written and be able to communicate clearly, confidently and appropriately with colleagues using the best methods of communication for the task. You will have excellent time management skills and will be able to monitor and prioritise your work.Attention to detail is an essential skill in this role coupled with accurate data recording. You will have an enquiring mind and will q uestion and challenge ways of working, with an understanding of the bigger picture in terms of the corporate context and external environment.You will have strong negotiation and influencing skills and be able to rapidly build good relationships with all our partner agencies, both internal and external. You will have an understanding of the care market and the current challenges.You will have a commitment to securing the best outcomes for all our residents and will demonstrate empathy and cultural sensitivity. You will be a strong team player and will demonstrate Kingston’s STAR values in all you do.About UsThe Adult Social Care Brokerage Team sources packages of care on behalf of the council for adults who have been assessed as having care needs. We provide this service to all the social care teams of Kingston, including the Hospital Team, Mental Health Team and Learning Disability Team.The care we source includes, Day Opportunities, Transport, Supported Living, Care at Home and Placements (residential settings).We are a small but supportive team who are passionate about the service we deliver and the residents we serve.We are currently committed to attend the office in person for 2 days per month, this is the first Thursday of every month and then a rolling day on the third week, – Tuesday to Thursday i.e in January it will be the 14th (a Tuesday) in February it will be 19th ( a Wednesday) etcOur Offer To YouAs an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.In addition we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff supported by our IT infrastructure, Google Chromebooks and Google Apps, which have acted as a key enabler for collaborative and streamlined working. We operate hybrid working, a flexible working model which allows staff to work from a variety of locations and staff are not required to work within the office 5 days a week. It enables staff to achieve a work life balance whilst still meeting the needs of the organisation.Employees have access to a wide range of benefits, some of which include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply)
• Three volunteering days per year in Kingston
• Flexible and agile working arrangements
• Comprehensive learning and development programme
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Zip car scheme
• Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses
• Confidential wellbeing and counselling support
• Subsidised gym membership

Application ProcessPlease apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please ensure you refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application.The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.We are committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) so all personal information that can identify job applicants e.g. name, title etc is completely anonymised during the shortlisting process. Our hiring managers review applications based on the knowledge, skills and experience demonstrated in your application, and how well these match the job profile. Our HR Shared Service with Sutton Council was recently recognised nationally for having the ‘Best Inclusion and Diversity Programme’ at the PPMA Excellence in People Management Awards 2023, something that we’re incredibly proud of.Hiring managers are encouraged to ensure that their interview panel is diverse, and representative of a range of protected characteristics, to help remove unconscious bias and ensure candidates are treated fairly during the selection process. Some characteristics may not be obvious, but our panels are diverse wherever possible. We have a number of measures in place to inform and support our approach, including mandatory EDI and unconscious bias training for all staff, safer recruitment training for diverse panel members, engaging with our staff networks and encouraging allyship. We are fully committed to removing barriers and enhancing the diversity of our workforce.Additional InformationWe are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough. Our aim is to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and staff feel a sense of belonging. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, particularly Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, and disabled candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce.As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to thinking differently about disability and taking action to improve how we recruit, retain and develop disabled people. We guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role.We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.We are an accredited London Living Wage Employer and this means that everyone working at the Royal Borough of Kingston, regardless of whether they are permanent employees or third-party contractors and suppliers receive the London Living Wage. The real Living Wage is higher than the government’s minimum, or National Living Wage, and is an independently calculated hourly rate of pay that is based on the actual cost of living.The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the for right to work guidance.Job Profile

Expected salary

£37068 – 40755 per year

Location

Kingston upon Thames

Job date

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 23:55:36 GMT

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