Job Description

Salary - Grade
GBP 73,266 to 75,696 73266 - PO12
Contract Type
Permanent
Contracted Hours
Full Time - 36 hours per week
DBS Required
Yes
Department
Children & Education
Service
Quality Assurance and Improvement Team
Closing date
23/11/2025

Service Manager - Quality Assurance and Improvement Team

Are you a dynamic and experienced leader passionate about making a difference in the lives of children and young people? The London Borough of Hackney is seeking a highly motivated and skilled Service Manager to lead our Quality Assurance and Improvement Service.



Hackney's Children and Education Directorate offer visionary leadership, a culture of continuous learning and a climate for innovation. We are committed to improving outcomes for our children and families, recognising the impact of discrimination and disadvantage that many of our families experience.

Person specification

In the pivotal role as a Service Manager, you will take a major role in delivering, developing, and monitoring our Service Improvement work, 'Proud to Be' commitments, Quality Assurance Framework, Workforce Development strategy, and complaints/ feedback programme - taking a systemic, trauma-informed, and anti-racist approach to all of your work. Using your leadership expertise to shape our services, you will have considerable management experience, strong knowledge of research, evidence-based approaches, legislation and guidance, and a sound grasp of finances and budget management. Dynamic, innovative, committed, and passionate, you'll bring a comprehensive knowledge and skill base to the challenge of supporting work with vulnerable children and families. Your strong leadership skills will enable you to mobilise the abilities of professionals and colleagues, both in Children and Families Service, in partner agencies, and in other areas of the council, ensuring the very best outcomes for children in Hackney.



As part of our journey to be anti-racist we want our workforce to represent the community we serve and embrace diverse talent and we strongly encourage applications from Black and Global Majority Ethnic backgrounds.

Key Responsibilities:

Provide effective leadership and management of people and resources within the designated service area. Collaborate effectively with senior management, partners, external agencies, and government bodies. Ensure operational management of the Quality Assurance and Improvement Service, maintaining the highest professional standards, embedding our Systemic, Trauma Informed and Anti Racist practice model and meeting statutory requirements. Implementing our Workforce strategy, including overseeing and planning continued professional development for the workforce. Ensure effective implementation and use of Quality Assurance processes across the organisation Prepare and support the organisation for external reviews and policy changes, such as, but not limited to, Ofsted inspections and Families First reforms.

Role requirements

Social Work Professional qualification at degree level or above Significant leadership experience Ability to role model and embed systemic, trauma-informed, and anti-racist practice Excellent track record of multi-agency partnership working Experience of contributing to strategic workforce development Solid understanding of quality assurance approaches and systems to achieve best practice Knowledge and experience of complaints and feedback processes Knowledge and understanding of the impact of trauma and systemic racism, and anti-racist practice.

Special Requirements:

A satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is required.


You must be able and willing to provide senior management telephone cover during evenings and weekends on a rota basis (approx 3 weeks across the year).



As a Council, our most outstanding asset is our staff, who are highly dedicated to serving our residents and committed to our goals as an organisation.


If you want to work in a place where you can represent our values so we achieve the best for our residents, please click on the apply button below.

We operate a fair and open anonymous selection process. Therefore, we do not accept supporting statements or CV's.

To proceed with your application, you will need to create an account and submit your application.

As part of the application process, you will need to complete a number of competency based questions. These questions allow you to demonstrate your suitability for the role and provide examples of your skills, knowledge and experience outlined in the job description.

We understand the benefits of using AI in the workplace. However, if you are thinking of using this tool to submit your application, we ask you to think about what value it will add. AI tools tend to lack the personal touch and authenticity we value in candidates. We encourage you to showcase your unique knowledge and skills using your own voice.

Closing date for applications

:

23 November 2025 (22:59)

Interview date

:

12 December

2025

We are also working towards our vision, which is to be a place for everyone; where residents and staff can be proud; a place that celebrates diversity and where everyone can feel valued, included and involved. In order to achieve this, we look for people who are: Proud; Ambitious; Pioneering; Open; Proactive; Inclusive.



Hackney Council works to eradicate discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.We also recognise that people can be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will also work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class. We also welcome those interested in flexible working. We particularly welcome applications from disabled people, as this group is currently under represented in our workforce.



The Council has a dedicated employment support service (Hackney Works), which offers Hackney residents guidance in relation to applying for jobs. If you are thinking about applying for a job, please contact the Hackney Works team to find out what support is available: hackneyworks@hackney.gov.uk



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