Surrey County Council
Alternative Provision Placement Officer
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Salary and Hours
The starting salary for this role is £38,090 per annum, working 36 hours per week.
This is a fixed-term role/secondment until 31st March 2027. This role may also be considered as a secondment opportunity for internal candidates, subject to discussion and agreement with their current line manager.
About the Role
We are hiring an Alternative Provision Placement Officer to join our SEND Education and Preparation for Adulthood Commissioning team, based at Victoria Gate in Woking. You will be joining a committed and supportive team that works collaboratively to improve access to high-quality alternative provision for children and young people across Surrey.
This role is open to hybrid working and, as a team, we split our time between collaborating together in the office and working from home. The ability to travel to venues and educational settings across Surrey is essential to the role.
Our Offer to You
- 26 days’ holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years’ service
- Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
- A generous local government salary related pension
- Up to 5 days of carer’s leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year
- Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
- An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
- Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
- Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping
- A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents.
About The Role
This is a key role within CFL Commissioning, supporting Surrey’s whole-system approach to alternative provision and contributing to improved outcomes for children and young people who may be unable to access education due to exclusion, health needs or other exceptional circumstances.
As an Alternative Provision Placement Officer, you will act as a key gateway for sourcing independent alternative provision through Surrey’s AP DPS framework. You will support the procurement and tender process for providers wishing to join the framework, maintain the directory of off contract provision and coordinate onboarding, safeguarding and quality monitoring checks where required.
You will collate, monitor and review commissioning data on the use of independent alternative provision, helping to strengthen strategic oversight, sufficiency planning and confidence in AP costs. You will also support the coordination of quality assurance activity and work with frontline teams to improve the accuracy and consistency of AP referral and placement data.
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This is a varied and fast-paced role requiring the ability to manage competing demands under pressure to ensure timely alternative provision placements are secured for children who need AP. You will use strong organisational, analytical and communication skills to resolve issues, build effective relationships with providers and partners, and contribute to the delivery of Surrey’s Alternative Curriculum Pathways and Reintegration Support Strategy.
The post is part of Surrey’s AP Gateway, supporting the coordination of AP consultations, provider engagement and placement activity at a time of significant demand. This includes supporting children who have been permanently excluded, children with EOTAS packages, Key Stage Transfer pupils awaiting specialist provision and children who are unable to access school and require AP as part of their education package.
The role also contributes to quality assurance and improved oversight of AP provision by supporting the use of Surrey’s Dynamic Purchasing System, strengthening provider compliance and helping ensure accurate attendance, outcome and placement information is available to inform decision-making.
Shortlisting Criteria
In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours:
- Experience or familiarity with placement brokerage, alternative provision, SEND, education commissioning or another relevant service area.
- Strong organisational and analytical skills, including the ability to collate, interpret and present data to support service planning, reporting and improvement.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to build effective relationships with providers, internal teams, partner organisations and other stakeholders.
- Excellent ICT, systems and data management skills, including confident use of Excel spreadsheets and the ability to manipulate, analyse and present data to improve efficiency in managing and securing timely AP placements for children.
- The ability to manage competing priorities, remain calm under pressure and work collaboratively to resolve issues and support continuous improvement.
Your Application
To apply, we request that you submit a CV and you will be asked the following 4 questions:
- Please describe your experience of working in placement brokerage, alternative provision, SEND, education commissioning or another relevant service area. How have you used this experience to support children, young people, families or providers?
- Please describe how you have used data, systems and Excel spreadsheets to manage alternative provision placements, including manipulating data to improve efficiency and accuracy. How did you communicate with Finance or other relevant teams to support cost monitoring, decision-making and the timely securing of placements for children?
- Please provide an example of when you have worked with a range of stakeholders, such as providers, schools, internal teams or partner organisations, to resolve a complex issue or improve service delivery?
- This is a fast-paced role requiring the ability to manage competing demands under pressure to ensure timely alternative provision placements are secured for children who need AP. Please describe a time when you managed competing priorities to meet key delivery KPIs. How did you prioritise your work, maintain pace and quality, and what was the outcome?
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Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description & Our Life at Surrey handbook to get an insight into working at Surrey.
The job advert closes at 23:59 on 26/08/2026 with interviews planned to follow.
Contact Us
Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment.
Please contact Sophie Taylor by email on sophie.taylor1@surreycc.gov.uk.
Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)
Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to two new unitary councils in April 2027. If you are employed by Surrey on 1st April 2027, your role will transfer with current terms and conditions to one of the new organisations, supporting local devolution and greater powers for our communities.
Join our dynamic team and shape the future of local government. Make a lasting impact with innovative solutions and improved services for our community. Help us build a brighter future for our residents! Please see more information here: Information for applicants on Local Government Reorganisation - Surrey County Council
Our Commitment
We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum shortlisting criteria, as displayed on the advert, we guarantee you an interview.
Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we’re committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs.
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