Service Manager

Service Manager, Children’s Homes Service

Lead with Purpose, Inspire Change and Transform Lives.

Salary: £56,554 - £60,680 plus £2,500 temporary recruitment/retention allowance
Potential earnings up to £63,180 per annum (at top of the grade)

Your Next Chapter Starts Here

Are you a visionary leader with a passion for making a lasting difference in the lives of children and young people? Do you believe in the power of compassionate leadership, high standards, and continuous improvement? If so, we invite you to join us in shaping the future of residential childcare in Durham.

As our Service Manager, you will be at the heart of a service that’s not just about care, it’s about hope, growth, and transformation. You will lead with integrity, inspire excellence, and drive innovation across our Children’s Homes, ensuring every child receives the nurturing, stability, and opportunity they deserve.

The Role

In this pivotal role, you will:

• Provide strategic leadership to our Registered Managers, empowering them to deliver outstanding care.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement, ensuring our services exceed regulatory standards.
• Lead robust audits and impactful projects that drive real change.
• Collaborate across systems to shape a brighter future for children in care.
• You’ll work closely with the Strategic Manager to ensure our homes are not only compliant but are beacons of best practice in children’s residential care. 

What You’ll Bring

We’re looking for someone who brings deep expertise in children’s residential care and regulatory frameworks. A proven track record in quality assurance, service improvement, and change management.

• Is eligible to be registered with Ofsted as the Responsible Individual.
• Holds a Level 5 (or higher) qualification in Leadership and Management or equivalent.
• Can lead with clarity, compassion, and courage.
• This is more than a job, it’s a calling, if you are ready to lead with purpose and be part of a service that’s transforming lives, we’d love to hear from you. 

Our Commitment to Safeguarding

If successful, you will be required to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service Enhanced Disclosure.

Durham County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all employees and volunteers to share this commitment. This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore if successful in your application, an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be sought inclusive of a check of the Children’s Barred List, due to the position working in regulated activity.

Applicants should be aware that the DBS check will disclose both spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings, in line with current legislation and will confirm whether an individual is barred from working with children.

Our Values

Our service is built on the ‘Durham’ values – Dignity, Unity, Responsibility, Heart, Aspiration, and Mindset which are at the heart of everything we do for both our young people and our teams.

Our offer to you

You will benefit from a comprehensive programme of training to support you to develop in your role. As well as access to a wide ranging rewards and benefits offer, take a closer look via Rewards and Benefits

If you are interested in a role with us, please submit your CV to View email address on northeastjobs.org.uk

Removal and Lodgings

Removal, lodging and separation expenses may be available to the successful candidate if at the time of application for appointment their place of residence is outside the administrative area of County Durham and more than 30 miles in a straight line from their new administrative centre, along with several other criteria for eligibility.

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION

We are a proud equal opportunities employer and believe a diverse workforce brings fresh ideas and drives service improvement. We welcome applications from everyone and make employment decisions based on skills and ability. As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively encourage applications from disabled and neurodivergent people and offer support throughout the recruitment process.

If you require assistance when applying for this role, please contact our Recruitment Helpdesk on View phone number on northeastjobs.org.uk , or via email View email address on northeastjobs.org.uk

All correspondence relating to your application will be sent from View email address on northeastjobs.org.uk . Kindly check your spam/junk folder regularly to ensure you don’t miss any updates.

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