Quality Assurance Lead

Suffolk County Council; Ipswich; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 61,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Up to 29 days annual leave

LGPS pension

Travel and wellbeing benefits

Career development opportunities

Flexible working

Job summary

Suffolk County Council is seeking a Quality Assurance Lead to join the Quality Assurance Team in Ipswich. You will oversee high standards of practice for children, young people and families, balancing analytical work, advisory input and collaborative delivery.

This permanent hybrid role emphasizes safeguarding, service improvement and strong partnerships, with opportunities to influence outcomes and professional development.

Qualifications

• Postgraduate level professional qualification and equivalent experience.
• Experience in quality assurance work in Children and Young People's Services.
• Management/leadership experience (desirable).
• Knowledge of relevant legislation and statutory frameworks.
• Analytical/forensic approach to work.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Able to work at pace within agreed timescales.
• Effective ICT skills and digital communication.
• Aware of local and national research and frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Lead QA evaluative work and reviews across the system, gathering feedback and identifying development areas.
• Develop and implement Group Supervision and embed Family Group Decision Making.
• Engage with children, families and professionals to inform QA activities.
• Provide expert guidance, support and constructive challenge to colleagues and partners.
• Design and facilitate development workshops, reflective sessions and coaching opportunities.
• Collaborate with internal and external partners to share best practice and foster multi-agency working.
• Prepare and present analytical reports on service quality, highlighting strengths and improvements.
• Monitor legislative and policy developments to ensure practice remains current and compliant.
• Support safeguarding and risk management to promote welfare of children and young people.

Skills

Analytical mindset

Excellent communication

Team player

Ability to work at pace

ICT skills

Knowledge of legislation

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Postgraduate qualification in a relevant field

Job description

• Suffolk County Council
• Address: Endeavour House, Ipswich IP1 2BX - Hybrid
• Salary: £49,752 - £60,792 per annum (pro rata for part time)
• Hours: 37 per week - flexible working options available
• Contract: Permanent

We are focused on making a meaningful difference to children and families across Suffolk. How? By listening to our people learning from what they say and creating a culture of mutual respect, where everyone works together to achieve great things. As a Quality Assurance Lead in the Quality Assurance Team, you will be as keen to collaborate and build a bright future as we are. So, to make a positive impact, connect with us and connect with a fantastic career.

Reimagine the possibilities.

Your role and responsibilities

As a Quality Assurance Lead, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring the highest standards of practice for children, young people, and families across Suffolk. Your daily activities will be both varied and impactful, requiring a balance of analytical, advisory, and collaborative skills.

A typical day in this role may include:

• Leading and participating in quality assurance evaluative work and reviews across the system including Family Help, gathering and analysing feedback, and identifying areas for development.
• Developing and implementing Group Supervision across all services and supporting and Embedding Family Group Decision Making.
• Engaging with children, young people, families, and professionals to ensure their experiences inform and shape quality assurance activities.
• Providing expert guidance, support, and constructive challenge to colleagues and partners, enabling them to deliver improved outcomes.
• Designing and facilitating development workshops, reflective sessions, and coaching opportunities to support continuous professional growth.
• Collaborating with internal and external partners to share best practice and foster effective multi-agency working.
• Preparing and presenting analytical reports on service quality, highlighting strengths and recommending improvements.
• Monitoring legislative and policy developments to ensure that practice remains current and compliant.
• Supporting safeguarding and risk management, with a focus on promoting the welfare of children and young people.

You will be expected to manage your own workload with autonomy, respond flexibly to emerging priorities, and contribute to the ongoing improvement of services. The opportunity to make a tangible difference, both to service quality and to the lives of children and families, is at the heart of this role.

You will need:

• To have a suitable professional qualification at post graduate level and equivalent experience in a relevant area of work
• Experience in quality assurance work in a Children and Young People's Services, and/or other sector work which demonstrates transferable skills
• Management and leadership experience and/or qualification (desirable)
• Have a sound working knowledge of relevant legislation and statutory frameworks
• Have an analytical/forensic approach to your work
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal)
• Strong ability to work both on your own and as part of a team
• To be able to work at pace within agreed timescales
• Effective ICT skills, use of internet and other digital methods of communication
• To be aware of local and national research and frameworks.

The Team

The Quality Assurance Team is a multidisciplinary group of professionals within the Children and Young People's Services directorate. The team's purpose is to support and enhance quality assurance processes across all services, ensuring that every intervention is meaningful and every child's voice is heard.

The team members are motivated by the positive impact they make-supporting colleagues, celebrating excellent practice, and driving continuous improvement. The team culture is collaborative, supportive, and committed to learning and professional development. Open communication, mutual respect, and a shared sense of purpose underpin all that we do.

Empowering Everyone

We're big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We're always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report

For more information

Please contact Rachel Cogman for a casual conversation. You can reach them by calling 01473264704 or emailing [e-mail]

Closing date: 11.30pm, 29 September 2026

Interview dates: 2 or 5 October 2026 at Endeavour House, Ipswich

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts. #LI-Hybrid

In return, you'll enjoy:

• up to 29 days annual leave entitlement (pro rata), plus UK bank holidays and two paid volunteering days
• membership of a competitive Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• travel, lifestyle, health and wellbeing benefits
• performance-related annual pay progression, in addition to an annual cost-of-living pay increase
• training and encouragement to expand your knowledge
• a variety of career development opportunities across our organisation
• diverse and active staff networks
• flexible working options, with the right to request flexible working from your first day

If you want to know more about our benefits, values and equality commitments please visit our Suffolk County Council careers website (careers.Suffolk.gov.uk) .