Service Director Safeguarding & Operations

North East Ambition; Tees Valley; On-site; GBP 60,000 - GBP 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A children's social care organization in Middlesbrough seeks a transformative leader to enhance outcomes for children and young people. This role requires substantial experience in leading safeguarding services and a commitment to child-centered strategies. The candidate will inspire confidence, tackle inequalities, and develop collaborative partnerships to improve social care services. The position involves strategic leadership and a focus on delivering long-term plans for service improvement, ensuring every child has the best opportunities in life.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in leading children's safeguarding services.
• Experience in addressing challenges faced by communities.
• Demonstrated ability to inspire confidence and tackle inequalities.

Responsibilities

• Drive transformational change in children's social care.
• Collaborate with partners and residents to deliver key priorities.
• Strategically lead initiatives and improvement plans for children's services.

Skills

Transformational change leadership

Child-centered approach

Stakeholder collaboration

Strategic planning

Job description

About this role:

This role is central to the safety, wellbeing and future opportunities of children and young people in Middlesbrough. It will require a leader who has a consistently high focus on delivering better outcomes for our children and young people, advancing our partnership approach and addressing areas for improvement at pace. We are looking for a values-driven, committed and compassionate leader who has substantial experience of working in children’s social care and improving systems.

About us:

Our ambition is for Middlesbrough to be a place where we provide every child and young person with the best possible opportunities in life by delivering exceptional family support and social care services that ensure no child is left behind. Middlesbrough is committed to addressing and overcoming the barriers that our communities face, listening to what our children and young people want and need and developing services which will enable them to thrive, not only as children but also into adulthood.

About you:

You will be an experienced leader of transformational change, with a strong track record of leading and developing children’s safeguarding services. You will have experience of supporting communities who face significant challenge and be able to challenge the system around children to ensure that we remain child-centred and solution-focused for them. You will demonstrate valued-led, relational and restorative leadership that prioritises the outcomes of our children and young people and ensures that all members of our teams are fully committed to the same high-quality opportunities. You will provide strategic leadership across children’s services and work closely with the DCS and other members of the children’s services leadership team to deliver long term, strategic plans for the services provided to our children and young people.

You will work collaboratively with partners, residents and colleagues across the Council to deliver key priorities based on our improvement plan, national reforms, statutory guidance and strong practice. You will inspire confidence, tackle inequalities and have a strong track record of children’s social care service delivery. You will demonstrate integrity, self-awareness and a complete commitment to prioritising our children and young people.

How to apply:

If you would like to apply for this role, please upload your CV and covering letter (in 1 document)by clicking Apply Now.

If you would like to have an informal, confidential conversation about the role please contact Annabel Bates, Corporate Director of Children’s Services at [e-mail]

The above post is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.