Job Description

Salary: circa £80,000.

Location: England.

Contract/Hours: Maternity Cover – 8 months with potential for extension up to 1 year. Opportunities for secondment arrangements if required & possible.

Benefits: 29 days annual leave PLUS bank holidays, professional qualifications, excellent training and development opportunities, flexible maternity, adoption, and paternity packages, up to 7% employer contribution pension, discount portal with your favourite brands.

Closing Date: 26th March 2023.

Interviews are scheduled for 31st March 2023.

Diversity, equality, and inclusion

At Action for Children, we’re dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic, and disabled candidates as they are under-represented within Action for Children. We want to take deliberate and purposeful action to ensure equal opportunity to all groups in society and for Action for Children.

Don’t meet every single requirement?

Studies show that women and Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic people are less likely to apply for a job unless they meet every qualification. So, if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with the job description, we’d love you to apply anyway. You might just be the perfect person for this role, or another role within the Action for Children family. 

Vulnerable children in the UK need your help

Wherever you work in the Action for Children family, you’ll be helping to change the lives of the most vulnerable children in the UK.

Last year, we helped more than 670,000 children and families across the UK. From direct work in communities to national campaigning, we are focused on making sure every child has a safe and happy childhood, and the foundations they need to thrive.

Why Action for Children?

Working here is more than a job. Everyone in the Action for Children family is passionate about protecting and supporting children. It’s the sense of purpose that drives us every single day. Because we know that, when we work together, we can make a huge difference to bring lasting improvements to vulnerable children’s lives.

A bit about the role

This role will cover Action for Children’s largest operational service area, England.

Reporting to the National Director for England – Children’s Services, the successful candidate will provide dynamic operational and strategic leadership to Children’s Services in England. To increase market share, whilst ensuring that children and young people remain at the centre of everything that we do.

You will be a key collaborator in our growth ambition, which is to support children into the future, growing our services and building a sustainable balanced portfolio. The overall ambition is to grow our income by up to 50% in England over the next 5 years. ​You will work closely with the National Director for England to deliver those targets of growth.

Our four growth pillars are Family Support, Mental Health, Looked After Children and Children with Disability.

This is a key role for Action for Children and the successful candidate will be instrumental for the growth and drive of Residential Services in England.

How you’ll help to create brighter futures

  • Leading and managing by example, a team of professionals and Operational Directors, senior managers, and functional specialists, embedding an ethos of continuous improvement in performance.
  • Being the key player for income growth, whilst delivering on customer needs and expectations, working within a business model with planned timelines, to maximise market share.
  • Strategically leading and delivering change programmes.
  • Managing a pipeline of new opportunities, ensuring they are structured, sustainable, planned and organised through existing or new models.
  • Formally deputise for and represent the National Director England at key meetings and stakeholder events.

Let’s talk about you

  • Proven success of identifying operational new business streams and converting successful new business driving growth across Residential Services in England.
  • Evidence of forging and building relationships with key internal and external partners.
  • Demonstrable knowledge of social care and the role of the community and voluntary sector within England.
  • A wealth of experience leading and managing a multi-disciplinary workforce to achieve excellent evidence-based outcomes for children, young people, and families.
  • Experience of productive, collaborative working at a senior level, and having the confidence to positively challenge both management and board level colleagues.

Click here to apply.