Brokerage Officer

Overview

Suffolk County Council is looking for a Brokerage Officer to join its team in Ipswich. This is a fixed-term secondment opportunity to cover maternity leave, with the assignment expected to run for up to 12 months. The role is based at Endeavour House, Ipswich, with a hybrid working arrangement and 37 hours per week. Flexible working options are available, and occasional weekend working may be required.

What you’ll do

In this role, you will help improve how care services are arranged and delivered across Suffolk. You’ll work closely with hospital discharge teams, social workers, contracts colleagues, Home First teams, providers and other partners to support safe, timely discharges and improve service flow.

• Coordinate with hospital discharge teams, social care staff, contracts teams and Home First colleagues to help people leave hospital safely and without avoidable delay.
• Contribute to the design and rollout of systems that make service delivery smoother and more efficient.
• Track vacancies and available capacity so that people can access residential and home care options more quickly and make informed choices.
• Examine unresolved care requests, using data and feedback to spot patterns and support service improvements.
• Adapt to changing service needs and provide occasional support on weekends when required.

What you need

You should either hold NVQ Level 4 in Business Administration, or be able to show equivalent relevant experience. The role calls for strong written and numerical ability, solid administration and record-keeping standards, and confidence working with Microsoft Office and digital platforms.

• Experience improving processes or working on procedure reviews.
• Clear, persuasive communication and the ability to negotiate and influence effectively.
• The resilience to work well in a busy, fast-moving environment.
• Good organisation, prioritisation and deadline management.
• A professional approach, respect for confidentiality and commitment to council values.
• Understanding of health and social care environments is desirable.

The team

The Brokerage Team plays a key role in finding care services for people with eligible needs. It acts as a central contact point for social care placements across Suffolk and works with Adult and Community Services, care providers and health partners to arrange support as quickly and effectively as possible.

The team’s purpose is to reduce delays, support independence and protect vulnerable people, while working in line with the council’s Supporting Lives, Connecting Communities and Signs of Safety approaches. You will collaborate with strategic contracts and commissioning teams, social workers and practitioners, health colleagues, Home First teams, partner organisations and care providers across different services.

Application and selection

Applicants are asked to read the Job and Person Profile before applying. The application process requires a supporting statement of no more than 400 words per question, using the provided template, plus a CV without your name and personal details. Without both documents, the application will not move forward.

The supporting statement should cover negotiation with an external partner or provider, a process improvement you introduced, collaboration with multiple stakeholders to achieve a shared goal, and an example of using data or insight to shape a decision or improve a service.

If you are applying for this post as a secondment, you must review the secondment policy first and obtain permission from your current manager before submitting your application. Reasonable adjustments are available for disabled applicants and those with additional support needs.

Closing date and safeguarding

The closing date for applications is 11:30 pm on 5 July 2026. This post is subject to safeguarding expectations, and relevant roles may require DBS checks or police vetting.

About the council

Suffolk County Council describes itself as a modern organisation that offers a wide range of careers and flexible ways of working. It aims to support individual needs, build inclusive teams and encourage people with drive and focus to join and make a positive impact.

Benefits

• Up to 29 days of annual leave on a pro rata basis, plus UK bank holidays and two paid volunteering days.
• Membership of a competitive Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Travel, lifestyle, health and wellbeing benefits.
• Annual pay progression linked to performance, along with a yearly cost-of-living increase.
• Training and support to grow your expertise.
• Access to career development opportunities across the organisation.
• Diverse employee networks.
• Flexible working options, including the right to request flexible working from day one.

Equal opportunities

The council welcomes applications from all communities and especially encourages people from underrepresented groups to apply. It also emphasises authentic applications and asks candidates to use AI responsibly in line with its guidance.

Contact information

For an informal conversation about the role, candidates can contact Zowie Easterbrook by phone at 01473 250868 or by email at zowie.easterbrook@suffolk.gov.uk. Recruitment support can be requested via recruitment@suffolk.gov.uk or 03456 014412.

Additional information

This vacancy was promoted as a Standard Plus Job. The council also notes that more information about benefits, values and equality commitments is available on its careers website.