SEND Project Lead – AR

Job Description

Job Title:

Children’s Services Transformation / Programme Manager
Directorate:
Children & Families / Social Care / Corporate Transformation
Grade:
Senior Manager / Programme Manager (dependent on structure)

Contract:

Fixed-term / Interim / Permanent (as required)

Location:

Hybrid / Local Authority

To lead and deliver complex transformation and service improvement programmes across Children’s Services, Social Care, Housing and Family Support, ensuring services are safe, legal, sustainable and outcome-focused.

The role is responsible for translating national policy, inspection requirements and local priorities into practical, embedded improvements in service delivery, governance, performance and partnership working, with a strong focus on children, families and vulnerable people.

• Lead the design, planning and delivery of large-scale transformation and improvement programmes within children’s services, social care and related statutory services.
• Manage a portfolio of projects across short-, medium- and long-term time frames, ensuring delivery against agreed milestones, outcomes and benefits.
• Establish and maintain robust programme governance, reporting and assurance arrangements, providing clear updates to senior leaders, boards and elected members.
• Identify, manage and mitigate programme risks, dependencies and issues, ensuring continuity of critical statutory services.

• Lead service reviews, option appraisals and redesign activity to improve quality, performance, efficiency and outcomes for children and families.
• Embed new ways of working into frontline services, ensuring changes are sustainable and aligned with statutory duties and best practice.
• Support services through organisational change, including restructuring, workforce transition and cultural change.
• Drive continuous improvement using data, insight and evidence to inform decision-making and prioritisation.

• Work closely with Children’s Services, Adult Social Care, Housing and Early Help teams to ensure services operate in a safe, legal and compliant way.
• Support improvement activity linked to inspection readiness, safeguarding assurance and statutory compliance.
• Contribute to system-wide reform activity affecting children, families and vulnerable adults, including Local Government Review and service integration.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external partners including health, education, voluntary sector, regional bodies and central government.
• Represent the organisation at local, regional and national forums, contributing to shared learning and best practice.
• Lead engagement with senior stakeholders, practitioners and service users to ensure transformation activity reflects lived experience and operational reality.
• Operate effectively within politically sensitive environments, supporting members and senior leaders with clear advice and evidence.

• Where required, lead or support the transformation of systems and processes to enable effective service delivery, data quality and information sharing.
• Ensure services meet data protection, information governance and regulatory requirements.
• Develop and track benefits realisation plans to demonstrate the impact of transformation activity.

• Provide leadership, line management and professional support to programme and project staff.
• Manage budgets, commissioned activity and external suppliers in line with organisational policies and best value principles.
• Support workforce development, capability building and knowledge sharing across services.

Significant experience leading transformation or improvement programmes within local government or complex public sector environments.

Strong understanding of children’s services, social care and statutory service delivery.

Proven ability to deliver change in politically sensitive and high-risk environments.

Experience establishing and operating programme governance, risk management and…