Assistant Executive Director – Quality, Permanence and Sufficiency

Knowsley Borough Council; Knowsley; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A local council in Knowsley seeks an Assistant Executive Director (Quality, Permanence and Sufficiency) to lead Children’s Services. The role involves setting strategic directions, enhancing service delivery, and driving improvements. Ideal candidates will possess significant senior leadership experience in Children’s Social Care and have a thorough understanding of relevant policies and frameworks. This is a unique opportunity to make a lasting impact on the lives of children and families in the community.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Supportive team environment

Opportunities for professional development

Qualifications

• Significant experience as a senior leader in Children’s Social Care.
• Experience working in a 'Good' Local Authority.
• In-depth understanding of government policies and legislative frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Lead and set the strategic direction of Quality Assurance services.
• Drive the Children’s Services Improvement Agenda.
• Collaborate with the senior leadership team to improve service delivery.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Children's Social Care knowledge

Project management

Education

Relevant degree in social care or related field

Postgraduate qualification in leadership or management

Job description

The Role

Knowsley Council are seeking an exceptional Assistant Executive Director (Quality, Permanence and Sufficiency) to join our Children’s Services team.

The successful candidate will lead and set the strategic direction of our Quality Assurance and Permanence and Sufficiency services, ensuring that high quality support is in place to facilitate the effective and timely delivery of services, for the benefit of our residents, and communities. You will be pivotal to driving forward our Children’s Services Improvement Agenda, working to significantly improve the difference we make to the lives of children and young people who access support from our service and their families.

Working closely with the Executive Director of Children’s Services, the Assistant Executive Director (Transformation, Family Help and Protection) and the wider senior leadership team, you will contribute to a sustainable and enduring turnaround of services; building a service offer for the future for all children and families in Knowsley.

Our Vision

Following an Ofsted inspection in 2024, our Children’s Social Care (CSC) services are on an improvement journey - one we would love you to join us on.

We have high aspirations for our children and young people and are determined to work together to make the necessary improvements to deliver outstanding services. This is an exciting time to join our service - improving CSC is one of the Council’s main priorities; there’s significant investment in the service, expertise on-hand and as a senior leader within the service, there are lots of opportunities for you to make a real difference; helping to shape the future delivery of our services for the benefit of our children and young people.

If you choose to join us, you will be coming to an inclusive, supportive, and friendly team. With a new, engaging and ambitious leadership team in place, we welcome you to join us at Knowsley and bring your experience and expertise to help us achieve the best possible outcomes for our children and young people.

To be the best, we need to recruit the best.

The Person

As our Assistant Executive Director (Quality, Permanence and Sufficiency) you will have significant experience as a senior leader in Children’s Social Care and understand and have experience of working in a ‘Good’ Local Authority, with a strong and varied record of achievement. With the ability to lead, inspire and motivate others within a culture of proactive service delivery and continuous improvement, you will have an in depth understanding of Children’s Social Care and the key government policies and legislative framework relating to it, as well as significant experience of successfully implementing strategies and managing complex projects.

If you enjoy working with passionate staff who truly care about what they do, a senior leadership team who work together to achieve a shared vision and a corporate team who wrap their support around Children’s Services to achieve positive outcomes - You may be the perfect candidate for this role.

Further Information

At Knowsley Council we will consider requests for flexible working.

We promote applications from all sections of the community, regardless of background, belief, or identity, recognising the value that diversity brings to our organisation. We particularly welcome applications from individuals from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and candidates with disabilities as we acknowledge their underrepresentation in our workforce.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier than the specified date should we receive sufficient applicants.

At Knowsley we value our applicants and want them to feel well-informed and welcomed. If you have any questions about this specific job role or what it is like to work at Knowsley, please contact:

Hilary Brooks – Interim Executive Director (Children’s Services) [e-mail]

If you are interested in this vacancy, please upload your CV along with a supporting statement as one document in PDF or Word format. Your CV and supporting statement should be tailored to reflect the competencies within the person specification.

Please note if a CV and supporting statement does not reflect the person specification it is unlikely to be shortlisted.

Key Dates

Closing Date – 24 September 2025

Longlisting – 25/26 September 2025

Technical Interviews (remote) – 8 October 2025

Recruitment Exercise and Panel Interviews (in person) – 16 October 2025

Employment and Appointments Committee (in person) – 17 October 2025

How to apply

To upload your CV you will need to click on the link below and create an account with Jobs Go Public if you have not already done so.

You will also be required to input your name and email address and will be invited to complete an equal opportunities questionnaire.