Senior Placement Officer

Job Title: Senior Placements Officer
Location: Walthamstow
Hours: 7.25 hours per day, 5 days per week (Full-time)
Pay Rate: £18.08 per hour

Contract: Temporary

Job Purpose:

To lead on the commissioning and brokerage of care services for residents with specific social care needs. This role requires expert knowledge of care markets, client groups, and systems to ensure appropriate, timely, and value-for-money services are sourced and arranged. You will also manage and support junior brokerage staff, contributing to the continuous improvement of service delivery and adherence to statutory guidance.

Key Responsibilities:

• Brokerage & Commissioning:
  • Source and arrange suitable care packages and placements that meet individual needs and offer value for money.
  • Use negotiation skills and market knowledge to secure high-quality care solutions in a cost-effective manner.
• Hospital Discharges:
  • Facilitate timely discharges in line with NHSE guidelines (within 3 hours of optimisation).
  • Work closely with health partners to ensure hospital discharge referrals are processed efficiently and within set timeframes.
• Community Referrals:
  • Respond swiftly to community referrals, ensuring care settings are sourced that meet resident needs.
• Team Management & Support:
  • Supervise and support junior staff, providing guidance, mentoring and development where needed.
• Service Development:
  • Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to improve brokerage systems, processes and procedures.
  • Support continuous service improvement, including data monitoring and performance reporting.
• Advice & Complaints Handling:
  • Provide expert advice and support to colleagues, residents, families, and partner agencies.
  • Investigate and respond to complex enquiries or escalated complaints in a professional and timely manner.

Essential Skills & Experience:

• Strong knowledge of adult social care systems, care markets, and client groups
• Demonstrable experience in care brokerage and commissioning
• Understanding of hospital discharge procedures and NHSE requirements
• Effective team leadership and staff support skills
• Excellent negotiation and problem-solving skills
• Ability to manage competing demands and work under pressure
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement abilities

Desirable:

• Previous experience in a local authority or health partnership setting
• Familiarity with relevant social care IT systems (e.g. Mosaic)

Thank you for your interest in this vacancy, which is being advertised by Smart10 Recruitment Group, who are acting as an employment agency / business. Your application will be considered in competition with others and we will contact you within 3 working days if you have been shortlisted.

Smart10 is a multi-award-winning specialist recruitment consultancy focused on the supply of temporary, contract and permanent placements across a select group of business sectors. In order to keep up to date and search for all our active jobs, please visit our website, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram or LinkedIn. Please refer to Smart10’s Privacy