Children’s Services Development Manager

Overview

We’re looking for a forward‑thinking and motivated leader to help shape the future of Children’s Social Care. As our Children’s Services Development Manager, you’ll take a central role in strengthening the quality and effectiveness of our services, ensuring children and families receive the support they deserve.

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who thrives on driving improvement, influencing change and working collaboratively across a complex and rewarding system.

Salary up to £70,300

Take a look at our Children's Social Care Candidate Pack to learn more about working in Children's Services at Buckinghamshire Council.

About the role

In this influential position, you will provide strategic leadership across improvement, quality assurance and performance. Working closely with senior leaders, frontline teams and partners, you’ll help ensure our services remain compliant, responsive and ready for inspection.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading our case audit programme, ensuring activity is well‑planned, compliant and used to drive practice development.
• Providing expert advice on legislation, regulation and policy developments within children’s social care.
• Oversees the learning from our statutory Children Act complaints process and ensuring responses reflect our values and legal duties.
• Producing high‑quality insight, reports and analysis that shape decision‑making and service improvement.

You’ll help create an environment where reflective practice, continuous learning and high standards are the norm. You’ll also represent the service at regional and national forums, ensuring our work remains aligned with best practice across the sector.

About you

You’ll bring a blend of strategic thinking, professional credibility and strong relationship‑building skills. You’ll be confident navigating complex issues and committed to improving outcomes for children.

To succeed, you will need:

• Extensive experience in service improvement, quality assurance or transformation within the public sector.
• A deep understanding of the children’s social care landscape, including statutory responsibilities, inspection frameworks and quality standards.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly and persuasively.
• Strong leadership qualities—able to motivate others, influence effectively and build positive partnerships.

You’ll also be resilient, adaptable and able to manage a varied workload with energy and enthusiasm. A degree‑level education and relevant professional qualification are essential, along with a full driving licence and the ability to engage confidently with the public in spoken English.

Other information

If you would like to find out more about this role, please contact Michelle King at [email protected].

Closing date: Midnight on Thursday 26th March

Interview date: Wednesday 1st April

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent cautions and/or unspent convictions

For further information on how long it takes for cautions and convictions cautions to become spent, please refer to our guide on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (updated 2023) | Nacro

We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/