Director For Local Delivery – West Essex

Director for Local Delivery - West Essex

Permanent, Full Time

Up to £117,546 Per Annum

Location: Harlow

Working Style: Fixed-base worker

Closing Date: 7th July 2024.

Interviews for this post will be held on the 25th and 26th of July 2024

Essex County Council (ECC) is a large local authority, with an “Outstanding” Ofsted rating.

This is an incredible opportunity for a Director of Children’s Social Care to join an established senior leadership team, reporting directly to the Executive Director of Children & Families. All of our colleagues across Children & Families share a relentless commitment to making a difference to the lives of children and young people. As a determined and resilient leader, you will lead the delivery of high quality, safe frontline children’s social care services across the one of four Essex Quadrants.

We believe in re-defining the way we approach social care, to prioritise flexibility and wellbeing for our dedicated colleagues working on the frontline of Childrens Services. ECC focusses on staff wellbeing, with excellent staff retention and the lowest temporary staff headcount across the whole of the eastern region with just 1% of frontline staff occupied by agency workers.

Working in Essex provides you with the freedom and opportunity to continue the work of shaping the direction of children’s social work as “standing still” is not an option. You will have an immediate impact on the way our teams think and communicate – but you will also have a lasting impact on future generations of Essex residents. From the small detail to the big picture, you will be a guiding force for staff and families alike.

To be successful in the role your influencing skills will be key to delivering complex system-wide cultural change, to achieve a joined-up approach to operational services, creating a clear vison for the future social care workforce which demonstrates innovative, best practice.

You’ll have the ability to lead the development and implementation of strategy in relation to key areas of practice.  With increasing, complex demand and a challenging financial environment, your leadership will be pivotal in the locality, forming strong and influential relationships across the system to deliver commercially viable, integrated services across Social Care which manage risk appropriately and improve outcomes. 

With a deep understanding of the local social and economic challenges, demand and changing demographic, you will work in collaboration with colleagues and partners to interpret this within service plans and within the commissioning intentions of the Director, Strategic Commissioning and Policy.  

You’ll have a professional qualification in social work, with current Social Work England registration along with evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in a relevant professional area gained through significant experience, developing solutions to deliver value for money services.  

Underpinning your leadership and professional strengths you will have strong project management and commercial experience in a complex environment, with a proven track record of using your expertise to deliver strategic objectives and expected outcomes, while managing conflicting priorities. 

Join us to support families, promote resilience, and work towards brighter futures for children and young people in need.

To read more about us please click here: Children & Families

Please take a look at our ‘No Magic’ Children & Families video 

The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wider operational area including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings and to be able to do so in an emergency. Driving licence and car or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential. 

Why Essex? Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest – Basildon and Harlow – are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more about us.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.

We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying. 

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community. 

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email marc.galea@essex.gov.uk