Delivery Lead - Adults

Dorset Council; Dorchester; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Dorset Council is seeking an experienced Delivery Lead for Adults to steer transformation across Adult Social Care. You will drive agile, product-led change, partner with NHS and community organisations, and ensure services remain person-centred and sustainable for the future.

You will lead discovery, service design and continuous improvement, balancing strategic ambition with practical delivery to deliver measurable outcomes for residents and carers.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading large-scale transformation programmes within adult social care, health or integrated care settings.
• Strong understanding of Adult Social Care operations, service delivery and priorities.
• Experience designing and delivering organisational change using agile, iterative or product-led approaches.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement with senior leaders, practitioners, partners and elected members.
• Experience leading co-production and engagement with people who use services and carers.
• Knowledge of Care Act, Mental Capacity Act and CQC requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead a diverse portfolio of adult social care transformation and service redesign initiatives aligned to Dorset Council's priorities.
• Drive delivery through agile, iterative and product-led approaches.
• Lead discovery, service design and transformation activities to improve pathways and outcomes.
• Champion co-production with lived experience, carers and frontline practitioners.
• Support delivery of the Adult Social Care strategy through innovation and continuous improvement.
• Develop roadmaps and approaches balancing long-term ambitions with incremental value.
• Lead complex programmes with governance, resources, risks and benefits realisation.
• Use evidence and feedback to inform decisions and measure impact.
• Build relationships with NHS partners, VCSE organisations and stakeholders for integrated delivery.
• Translate policy into practical service improvements for sustainability.
• Lead and develop transformation resources across multiple initiatives.
• Help build organisational capability in transformation and agile delivery.

Skills

Transformation leadership

Large-scale programmes

Agile delivery

Product-led approaches

Service design

Stakeholder engagement

Public sector experience

NHS collaboration

Tools

Governance tools

PM software

Job description

About the role

Help shape the future of adult social care in Dorset.

Few transformation roles offer the opportunity to improve lives at this scale. As Delivery Lead for Adults, you'll lead some of Dorset Council's most important transformation programmes, helping to redesign services that support people to live independent, fulfilling lives while ensuring adult social care remains sustainable for the future.

Working at the heart of our Transformation Management Office, you'll drive the design and delivery of complex change across Adult Social Care. You'll work with operational teams, practitioners, senior leaders, NHS partners, voluntary and community organisations, and people with lived experience to create services that are person-centred, digitally enabled and focused on prevention.

At Dorset Council, we're delivering an ambitious transformation agenda that is reshaping how we support residents, deliver services and make best use of digital, data and technology. We're looking for an experienced and inspirational leader who can turn strategic ambition into practical delivery, bringing together people, technology and innovation to improve outcomes for adults and communities.

This role is different from traditional programme delivery. We believe the best transformation happens through continuous improvement rather than large, one-off projects. We're looking for someone who can create the conditions for testing, learning and adapting, helping services move from ideas to action and delivering value early and often. You'll use agile, product-led and user-centred approaches to redesign services around the needs of residents, carers and practitioners.

You'll lead transformation spanning service redesign, commissioning, workforce modernisation, digital enablement, process improvement and integrated working across the health and care system. You'll help ensure Dorset Council remains at the forefront of ethical, inclusive and digitally enabled care while retaining a strong focus on human relationships and lived experience.

As a key member of the Transformation Management Office Leadership Team, you'll help shape Dorset Council's future approach to transformation, champion product thinking and continuous improvement, and build organisational capability that enables lasting change long after programmes have closed.

This is a highly visible leadership role with significant influence over the future of adult social care across Dorset. If you're motivated by improving outcomes, reducing inequalities, modernising services and delivering meaningful change for residents, we'd love to hear from you.

What you will do

• Lead a diverse portfolio of adult social care transformation and service redesign initiatives aligned to Dorset Council's strategic priorities.
• Drive delivery through agile, iterative and product-led approaches, enabling teams to test, learn and adapt as programmes evolve.
• Lead discovery, service design and transformation activity to improve pathways, enhance user experience and deliver better outcomes.
• Champion co-production, ensuring people with lived experience, carers and frontline practitioners shape the design and delivery of services.
• Support the delivery of the Adult Social Care strategy and wider transformation ambitions through innovation, digital enablement and continuous improvement.
• Develop delivery roadmaps and transformation approaches that balance long‑term strategic ambitions with incremental delivery of value.
• Lead complex programmes, managing governance, resources, risks, dependencies and benefits realisation.
• Use evidence, operational insight and user feedback to inform decision‑making and measure impact.
• Build strong relationships with Adult Social Care teams, NHS partners, VCSE organisations and other stakeholders to support integrated delivery.
• Translate policy, strategy and regulatory requirements into practical service improvements that enhance outcomes and sustainability.
• Lead, support and develop programme, project, change and transformation resources working across multiple initiatives.
• Help develop organisational capability in transformation, agile delivery, service design and continuous improvement.

About you

You'll be an experienced transformation leader with a proven track record of delivering complex change in adult social care, health or related public sector environments.

You'll bring:

• Significant experience leading large-scale transformation programmes within adult social care, health or integrated care settings.
• Strong understanding of Adult Social Care operations, service delivery and strategic priorities.
• Experience of designing and delivering organisational and service change using agile, iterative or product-led approaches.
• A strong understanding of service design, transformation, organisational development and digital enablement.
• Experience of leading service redesign, pathway improvement and transformation programmes that deliver measurable outcomes.
• A track record of balancing strategic vision with practical delivery and creating momentum through incremental change.
• Strong knowledge of key adult social care legislation, policy and regulatory frameworks, including the Care Act, Mental Capacity Act and CQC assurance requirements.
• Experience of working collaboratively with local authority services, NHS organisations and wider system partners.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence senior leaders, practitioners, partners and elected members.
• Experience of leading co-production and engagement activity with people who use services and carers.
• Strong programme leadership skills including governance, financial oversight, risk management and benefits realisation.
• A collaborative, inclusive and outcomes-focused leadership style.
• The resilience, curiosity and systems‑thinking mindset needed to navigate complexity and create lasting change.

Why join us?

You'll be joining a progressive Transformation Management Office that is helping Dorset Council rethink how local government and social care services are designed and delivered.

You'll have the opportunity to influence services used by thousands of residents, work alongside committed professionals and system partners, and help create an Adult Social Care system that is more preventative, more connected, more responsive and better equipped for the future.

If you're excited by transforming adult social care, improving outcomes through innovation and delivering meaningful change at scale, we'd love to hear from you.

Further Information

This post requires significant travel.

You must have a vehicle (or transport we deemsuitable) available for use as needed.

About Us

At Dorset Council, it's not just about the work we do, it's about how we do it. Hear directly from our employees about what makes Dorset Council special in this short video:

At Dorset Council, we are working together to create a fairer, more prosperous, and more sustainable Dorset for everyone, now and in the future.

We:

• provide essential services that support over 300,000 residents
• work in partnership to make a real difference
• value every role and the impact it has on our communities
• support our employees to grow, develop, and thrive

You will:

• be part of a team that works together for a better Dorset
• have access to a range of benefits and support
• receive training and development opportunities to help your career progress

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation where different skills, perspectives, and backgrounds strengthen both our council and the communities we serve.

We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. If you declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role, we will offer you an interview. We also want our recruitment process to be accessible, if you need any reasonable adjustments, just let us know on your application.

This role is UK-based, and we will need to confirm your Right to Work as part of the appointment process. We use generic job descriptions and person specifications, so the job title in any attachments may differ from the advert. If needed, we will provide additional details in a context statement.

If you’re passionate about making a difference, we’d love you to join us.

Find out more about how to apply.