As a Service Delivery Manager in our children’s residential homes, what matters to you most is achieving the best outcomes for our young people. You will focus all your energies on continuous pursuit of this goal.
You won’t be doing this alone; you will be joining a dedicated team of five senior managers who lead our children’s residential service and support our team of 400 staff across 19 homes. You will draw on your experience and compassion to develop a consistent, outstanding service offer across the homes and ensure the highest standards of safeguarding and care for children and young people.
At Leeds City Council we have a culture of excellence and are committed to caring for children within our own provision. This means we are investing £3.6m in new homes over the next two years, alongside a substantial ongoing refurbishment budget and investment in staff and therapeutic practice and capacity.
We are committed to the ambition of Child Friendly Leeds. We want Leeds to be a city where all children are safe, happy and healthy, do well at school, fulfil their potential and grow up to be active citizens with voice and influence.
Your role
Joining Leeds City Council’s children’s residential service, you’ll be leading a portfolio of provision across our overall community homes estate. We provide care across a range of settings, including for children with complex needs, in our short breaks provision, for children in long-term placements, children preparing to return to family or for independence, and in a secure children’s home.
Your remit as Service Delivery Manager is to:
ensure each home delivers care and safeguarding of the highest standard
drive a culture of continuous improvement and outstanding leadership and management in all settings
develop and implement therapeutic practice models, using PACE principles and delivering DBT and DDP
in collaboration with colleagues at Adel Beck Secure Children’s Home, develop a consistent service ethos that draws on each home’s strengths
ensure that teams work effectively with partners to deliver better outcomes for children across the city
What you will bring to the role
As our Service Delivery Manager your excellent communication and leadership skills will enable you to inspire colleagues at all levels to deliver outstanding care. You will be pragmatic but retain a total focus on outcomes for children at every stage.
You will have:
a Level 5 qualification relevant to residential childcare work
management and leadership experience, with proven ability to deliver outstanding services, direct future strategy and drive continuous improvement
understanding of the regulatory environment and inspection guidelines
experience of forging and driving successful partnerships to achieve shared goals
knowledge of the needs of children and those who care for them, with the ability to communicate good practice and to coach and supervise staff
Whether your background is in children’s residential or other multi-agency work, you will be a team player committed to working in a lively, challenging and hardworking team environment. You will be energetic and warm, able to show humour and retain credibility with a range of audiences and partners.
Benefits of working with us
We pride ourselves on offering the best employee experience, with a genuine commitment to keeping our colleagues safe and well at work. We offer:
a competitive pay progression structure
membership of West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
flexible career paths with tailored personal and professional development
hybrid working arrangements (subject to needs of the role) and a flexitime system
a range of staff benefits to support you, your home and family, boost your wellbeing and make your money go further
How to apply
Before applying please read the job description and employee specification carefully. We will only shortlist candidates who demonstrate in their application that they meet all the essential criteria for the role.
Please complete our online application form in full. You will be invited to upload your CV if you wish, which will prepopulate your contact details, employment history, qualifications and training. However you should check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application.
For an informal conversation please contact Ben Finley on 07715 044858 or by email ben.finley@leeds.gov.uk
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check against the Children’s barred list will be carried out on preferred candidates.
We promote diversity and want a workforce that reflects the population of Leeds and the communities we serve. Leeds City Council is an Inclusive employer, ranked 70 on the Stonewall top 100 employers 2023 list. We are also an Age friendly employer, a Mindful employer and a Disability Confident leader.
All new Leeds City Council appointments are made subject to the satisfactory completion of a six month probationary period.
This role is based in the UK. Employment is conditional on confirmation of the right to work in the UK - either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa. If you do not have the right to work in the UK and the role does not meet eligibility for sponsorship, please consider carefully whether you meet the eligibility to apply.