Are you a highly motivated and organized individual looking for a rewarding role in children's social care contract management and quality assurance? We're searching for a skilled Contract Monitoring and Operational Market Management Officer to join the Children’s Commissioning and Sufficiency team within the Social Services and Wellbeing directorate at Bridgend County Borough Council.

• Job Title: Contract Monitoring and Operational Market Management Officer

• Job Type: Full-Time (37 Hours per week)

• Location: CF31 4WB

• Shifts: Monday to Friday

• Duration: Temporary sickness cover until 31/03/2027

Who are you?

• A knowledgeable practitioner with a sound understanding of legislation and guidance relevant to children’s social care, including the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, Regulation and Inspection of Social Care Act 2016, and CIW standards.

• Well-versed in contract monitoring, managing provider performance, or commissioning, particularly within regulated children's services placements such as residential care, fostering, and supported accommodation.

• Highly analytical and skilled in preparing formal correspondence, reports, audits, and quality improvement plans for senior management.

What will you be doing?

• Leading the day-to-day contract monitoring of regulated placements and commissioned services, including independent fostering, residential care, and supported accommodation.

• Developing and maintaining a robust contract monitoring and performance framework to effectively assess service quality against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

• Conducting systematic, proportionate, and evidence-based monitoring reviews utilizing intelligence sources, site visits, and feedback from children and carers.

• Building open, supportive relationships with providers and foster carers to promote collaborative working and identify barriers to local authority or not-for-profit fostering models.

• Tracking and supervising the implementation of provider improvement plans in response to quality, compliance, or regulatory concerns.