Assistant Director Improvement

Kirklees Metropolitan Council; Gloucester; Hybrid; GBP 89,000 - 98,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Annual leave 30 days

LGPS

EAP

Occupational health

Employee discount

Cycle to work

Green car scheme

Job summary

Gloucestershire County Council is seeking an Assistant Director for Children’s Improvement and Transformation on a fixed-term basis to lead radical improvement in services for children and families. You will steer countywide programmes, embed a culture of high performance, and drive transformation across SEND reform and related agendas.

The role requires strong political acumen and inclusive leadership across partners.

Qualifications

• Senior leader with expertise in children’s social care, SEND or education services
• Ability to drive sustainable, evidence-based improvement
• Experience leading cross-organisational programmes and complex change

Responsibilities

• Lead countywide programmes to strengthen practice and accelerate improvement across Gloucestershire
• Shaping and delivering the Families First Partnership Programme and wider transformation initiatives (SEND reform, Best Start in Life)
• Empower leaders and multi-disciplinary teams to deliver high performance and better outcomes for children and families

Job description

Following our 2025 Ofsted judgement of Good, Gloucestershire is continuing to invest in children, families, and our workforce as we continue the drive to excellence for our children and implement the ambitious Families First Partnership Programme.

We are now seeking a newAssistant Director for Children’s Improvement and Transformation, on a fixed-term cover basis, who will play a central role in shaping the future of services for children and families across Gloucestershire.

This is an exceptional opportunity for a senior leader with expertise in children’s social care, SEND or education services, and a passion for driving sustainable, evidence based improvement.

You’ll lead countywide programmes that strengthen practice, accelerate our improvement journey, and embed a culture of high performance and continuous learning. Working closely with the Executive Director for Children’s Services and the senior leadership team, you will help us deliver better outcomes, better experiences and better life chances for the children and young people who need us most.

As the strategic lead for improvement and transformation, you’ll bring clarity, ambition and system‑wide leadership to complex change programmes, most notably leading the Families First Partnership Programme and working across our wider transformation programmes contributing to Best Start in Life, SEND Reform and fostering and sufficiency agendas. You will empower leaders and teams, strengthen partnership working, and ensure our services are inspection‑ready, resilient and delivering excellent practice every day.

You would be joining Gloucestershire at an exciting time in our transformation journey with our Families First reforms going live imminently and our work to develop the SEND reform plans embedding at speed. You will lead a multi-disciplinary team focused on supporting Gloucestershire to realise the benefits of these programmes and drive outcomes for children in the county.

This is a role for someone who thrives in complexity, builds strong and trusting relationships, and brings energy, courage and inclusive leadership to a fast-moving environment. If you are motivated by making a tangible difference, committed to fairness and equality, and ready to help shape a service that truly reflects our aspirations for Gloucestershire’s children, we’d love to hear from you.

Reward and Support

For all your hard work, you will receive the following:

• between £88,671 – £97,706 per annum subject to experience
• flexible and agile working
• 30 days annual leave
• family friendly policies and benefits to help support you and your family
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that provides free, confidential, counselling and advice for employees, available 24 hours a day, online and by telephone
• an in-house Occupational Health service
• employee discount scheme
• Cycle to Work scheme (eligibility criteria and t&cs apply)
• Green Car Salary Sacrifice Scheme (eligibility criteria and t&cs apply)

Interviews to be held in person at Shire Hall, Gloucester on 12th and 14th October 2026

If you have any questions about the role please email: [e-mail]

Additional Information

To access the Job Profile for this role, please follow the link below:-

Assistant Director – Improvement

This position is subject to a DBS check.

Gloucestershire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people or vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We want to be an employer of choice, attracting and retaining excellent people to work for us, so that we can best serve all of Gloucestershire’s diverse communities. Our promise to you is that we will provide an inclusive and supportive working environment that enables you to bring your whole self to work and realise your full potential.

It is a legal requirement, under the Immigration Act 2016, that anyone appointed to a ‘customer facing role’ must be able to demonstrate an ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in fluent English.

Hybrid working arrangements are available for the majority of our roles, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice, with a mix of both remote and office working.

Company: Gloucestershire County Council

Salary: £88,671 – £97,706 per annum

Location: Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire

Sector: Corporate Services

Sector: Corporate Management Team

Sector: Health and Social Care

Job Role: Director