Full job descriptionPostive Employment is currently recruiting for our client a local government organisation based in Plymouth. They are seeking an experienced and driven change professional to lead delivery of one of its flagship transformation programmes within Children’s Services.
The Family Homes for Children programme brings together multiple workstreams designed to support children and families who are experiencing crisis and may otherwise require residential care support. The organisation is redesigning the way its system supports families through this process, ensuring better outcomes for children while creating a more sustainable care model.
Programme Priorities:
Key objectives include:
*Keeping children safe within their families wherever possible.
*Profiling children currently in residential care and matching them with suitable foster families.
*Supporting foster carers to enable them to care for children with specialist or complex needs.
*Developing local care homes to keep children close to their families, schools, and support networks.
During the current financial year, the programme is expected to deliver savings of approximately £8 million through transformational changes in how services operate and support children and families.
The Role:
The organisation is looking for a catalyst for change — someone who can bring together multiple programme components and help drive operational and cultural transformation across the system.
While the role profile aligns with a traditional Programme Manager position, this opportunity requires more than programme governance and coordination. The successful candidate will actively lead change, influence senior stakeholders, and help shape how services are delivered across Children’s Services.
Working closely with Service Directors, Strategic Directors, and elected stakeholders, you will need to demonstrate:
*Significant experience delivering large-scale transformation programmes within complex organisations.
*Strong knowledge and experience of Children’s Services and related operational environments.
*The credibility and leadership capability to work effectively with senior professionals and partners.
*The ability to embed change across services while maintaining focus on outcomes for children and families.
Key Responsibilities:
*Lead delivery of the Family Homes for Children transformation programme.
*Coordinate and manage multiple interconnected workstreams.
*Drive service redesign and operational improvement initiatives across Children’s Services.
*Develop programme governance, reporting, risk management, and delivery frameworks.
*Engage and influence senior stakeholders and executive leadership teams.
*Ensure programme outcomes deliver both improved support for children and measurable financial benefits.
*Support collaborative working across social care, fostering, commissioning, housing, finance, and partner organisations.
*Monitor progress against strategic objectives, timelines, budgets, and savings targets.
Candidate Requirements:
*Proven programme management and transformation delivery experience.
*Experience working within Children’s Services, safeguarding, fostering, social care, or related public sector environments.
*Strong leadership, stakeholder management, and communication skills.
*Demonstrable experience leading significant organisational change.
*Ability to operate effectively within politically sensitive and complex environments.
*Experience delivering change programmes with financial savings and service improvement objectives.
*Relevant programme or project management qualifications (e.g. MSP, PRINCE2, Agile) are desirable.
*Enhanced DBS certificate.
Working Hours: 37hrs / Monday - Friday
Pay: £700.00 per day
Please note this role is within the scope of IR35.