Member Job Opportunity: Action for Children - Operational Director of Childrens Services

Salary: £66,100 per year pro-rata
Location: Cardiff
Contract Type: Permanent Part Time
Closing Date: 17 February 2023

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At Action for Children, we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnicities 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.

Contract/Hours: Part-Time Permanent 17.5 hours a week – Hybrid working with travel to the Wales offices and services as required.

Benefits:

• Basic annual leave of 29 days PLUS bank holidays (pro-rata)
• Up to 5 more days leave for continuous service PLUS the option to buy another 5 days every year!
• Flexible maternity, adoption, and paternity packages.
• Up to 7% employer pension contribution.
• Staff discount portal with your favourite brands.
• Blue Light Card eligibility with 15,000 discounts from national retailers.

Vulnerable children in the UK need your help
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.

At Action for Children, we believe that every child should have a safe and happy childhood. Last year, we helped more than 670,000 children and families across the UK. We work to ensure their voices are heard and we campaign to bring lasting change to their lives.  

About the role
Are you a strong communicator and creative thinker with a flair for innovation who is focused and passionate about changing the lives of children and their families? We have a unique opportunity for an Operational Director of Children's Services to provide leadership and management across Wales. This is an exciting and rewarding role with the opportunity to make a huge personal impact. 

Reporting to the National Director of Wales, you'll lead, develop, and manage a dedicated team of managers who deliver a range of children's services across a specified area. Wales has ambitious plans to grow residential, fostering, criminal exploitation and mental health services whilst ensuring our existing service footprint remains strong and sustainable. This is an exciting opportunity for an inspirational leader who wants to make a difference to the lives of children and young people as part of a passionate and ambitious Wales team.

How you make a difference:

• Lead and manage a portfolio of services that are of high quality, safe and financially viable.
• Directly line manage senior and or professional staff, whilst embedding an ethos of continuous improvement in service performance and delivery.
• Develop and understanding of Action for Children's people and organisational policies and to model application to line reports to ensure effective management of the workforce to address employee relations.
• Provide leadership to line reports (and to ensure this approach is replicated throughout the structure) with the retention, utilisation and application of management data, sourced through internal and external systems.
• Sustain effective relationships with local existing and potential commissioners, partners and stakeholders within a designated area whilst promoting our services.
• Produce reports for varied audiences from data sourced through established systems within agreed standards and timelines.
• Take responsibility for the effective performance of service contracts, including income fulfilment and effective governance through the production of performance reports and management information to line management and relevant committees as required.
• Ensure sustained business growth is delivered in collaboration with all relevant internal and external stakeholders.
• Support with bid / no bid tender decisions and to oversee local tender and grant submissions, implementation and delivery.
• Apply the highest standards of safeguarding through full implementation of the Safeguarding Framework.
• Lead the development, contribute, implement service strategies to improve outcomes for children, young people and families.
• Hold overall responsibility for the budget, and report on and to meet and exceed the margins set.
• Be a spokesperson to the media at events or public engagements on any issue as required and to collaborate with all departments, to ensure that activities and services are communicated appropriately to the general public and commissioners.

What are we looking for from you: 

• Relevant professional qualification in Education, Health, or Social care or significant relevant experience.
• Evidence of substantial experience of working with children, young people and or families gained at a senior managerial level.
• Proven success of leading and managing a multi-disciplined workforce to achieve challenging outcomes for children, young people, and families.
• The availability to travel to various locations in Wales when required, though we are flexible, and this can be discussed further at interview.
• The ability to demonstrate credibility in a senior leadership position.
• The ability to identify and convert new business streams into successful new business.
• Must have working knowledge of Registration and Inspection of Social Care Act (RISCA 2016) and other legislation relevant to Looked After children, Domiciliary Care and early years settings.
• A record of promoting and delivering positive solutions to achieve diversity and equality.
• Must be prepared to undertake a fit person interview with CIW and undertake the role of Responsible Individual.

Please contact Sarah Manderfield, Recruitment Partner on 01923 361743 or email [email protected] if you would like any more information.

Good to know. 

Application Process 
There are five sections to complete: Personal Details, CV, Supporting Statement & Information, Equality & Diversity, Submission & Declaration.  

Talent Pool 
We know talent when we see it. But sometimes we find the right person but not for the right job. We'd love to keep your details for when the right job comes up. Let us know if you'd rather we didn't. 

Full details and application documents here