Package• A competitive salary

• Generous annual leave entitlement

• Access to an occupational pension scheme

• A range of employee benefits including; healthcare, public transport and gym memberships discount

Job category/typeFull time, Permanent

Have you had a career dedicated to making things better for children and young people? Do you have experience of driving change in difficult times and are looking for the next step?

We need a Head of Service to support our improvement journey. We are looking for an ambitious senior manager with proven experience of successfully managing services for children and families. 

This post provides strategic leadership and oversight of the Independent Reviewing Officers and Conference Chairs and Local Authority Designated Officer function, as well as the quality assurance team and Learning Academy.  The post holder will work with the whole range of children's services in Wakefield Council and across the partnership to drive up standards and influence practice.

As Principal Social Worker in Wakefield, the post holder will also have the opportunity to work creatively across the whole social work workforce to ensure the right conditions to support best practice are in place, as well as building strong regional and national links.

You will directly manage two other Managers within the service area. You will have experience of bringing together internal services, partners and stakeholders, under difficult and challenging circumstances, to improve services and therefore outcomes for children and their families. Leading and developing a range of specialist professionals, including managing Service Managers, you'll play a key role in the strategic planning and transformation of services. You'll be responsible for the delivery of safe and sustainable outcomes through a responsive service. You will have the vision and change management skills to make the necessary process and culture changes to ensure we have robust systems and confident and resilient social workers to deliver best practice social care to our children and families.

At Wakefield, our Children and Young People's Directorate is in the middle of a rapid transformation. We are one of just a handful of local authorities rated inadequate which did not have an Alternative Delivery Model imposed. As such, our improvement ambitions are steep, and so is the challenge. We are making significant improvements at pace so you will need to demonstrate your enthusiastic and energetic approach, with experience of leading change and achieving better outcomes for children.

With us, you will be part of a committed and dynamic management team providing high levels of support and challenge, promoting a learning environment in which good practice can flourish.

Discover more about "why Wakefield" and what we can offer you, including an insightful video, on our dedicated webpage here.

Contact details for an informal discussion: Vicky Schofield, Service Director on 01924 302186.

Closing date: Friday 1st November 2019