Strategic Manager - Homes for Children

What will you be doing?

 You will provide clear, confident leadership across our Homes for Children, shaping services that deliver consistently excellent outcomes. You’ll:

•    Motivate and support Registered Managers and senior teams to deliver high quality, evidence based residential care

•    Act as the Responsible Individual, ensuring full compliance with Children’s Homes Regulations and Ofsted’s SCCIF framework 

•    Drive continuous improvement through robust quality assurance, performance management and inspection readiness

•    Translate strategic priorities into clear, outcome focused plans that make a real difference to children’s lives

•    Oversee budgets and resources, ensuring services are sustainable, efficient and deliver value for money

•    Chair and contribute to key forums including Quality Assurance Boards and Corporate Parenting Boards

•    Work closely with commissioners, elected members and multi agency partners to strengthen corporate parenting and sufficiency planning

•    Champion the voice of the child, ensuring children and care experienced young adults actively shape the services they receive

•    Lead on the development and mobilisation of new residential provision to meet future needs

•    Step in with resilience and confidence, including participating in out of hours cover when required

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, we encourage you to submit your application as early as possible.

About you

 You’re an experienced senior leader in children’s residential or social care, with the credibility, confidence and values to operate effectively at a strategic level. You bring significant leadership experience across children’s residential services, with a strong track record of driving improvement and delivering positive outcomes.

You have in depth knowledge of safeguarding, risk management and working with cared for children and care experienced young adults

You bring proven experience as, or working closely with, an Ofsted Responsible Individual and have strong regulatory expertise, including Children’s Homes Regulations and inspection frameworks

You’re able to inspire, challenge and support Registered Managers to deliver their best work

You are an excellent communicator, confident presenting reports to senior leaders and elected members

You demonstrate sound financial and commercial awareness, including managing complex budgets

You have a collaborative mindset, thriving in complex systems with multiple partners and stakeholders

With resilience and integrity you lead through challenge while keeping children at the centre of every decision

Most of all, you believe that children in care deserve the very best — and you’re ready to shape services that help them achieve it.

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore subject to an enhanced DBS certificate. It is also a regulated activity and will be subject to a Barred List check

When applying please ensure your supporting statement details how you fulfil the essential criteria set out in the person specification as this will be used for shortlisting. You will need to provide a full employment history including any gaps since leaving full time education

Our benefits

We are committed to continuous improvement, building a skilled, knowledgeable, and flexible workforce alongside promoting innovation and creativity whilst keeping children, young people and families at the heart of all we do.

We really value our workforce and offer you a great benefits package including:

• 28 days annual leave, plus 8 Bank Holidays (pro rata for part time) and an additional 5 days, after 5 years
• Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health pension protection.
• Opportunity to purchase up to 25 days annual leave
• Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
• Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
• Flexible and family working arrangements including enhanced maternity benefits
• A permanent, supportive and inclusive management team where you will be empowered to make good professional decisions
• Extensive Learning & Development and career development opportunities
• Subsidised town centre car parking scheme

About us

At Northamptonshire Children’s Trust, children, young people and families are at the heart of all we do – in every decision we make and every action we take. Our mission is driven by the unwavering commitment to achieving the best outcomes for them.  The Trust is wholly owned and funded but operationally independent from the Councils.

Our workforce are our most valuable asset and are pivotal to making the services and support we offer to children, young people and families who need us to be the absolute best we can be.

We value our colleagues and empower them to be able to do the best job of their lives every single day, working in a culture of support and kindness where achievements are celebrated and creativity is very much welcomed.

At NCT equality, diversity and inclusion are part of us and in everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and thrive in our organisation.  We are a disability confident employer and have a commitment to care leavers who we guarantee an interview if they meet the essential criteria.

Join our dedicated team and be a part of an organisation where your work makes a real difference.