Regional Director

National Fostering Group; West Midlands; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days holiday

Pension scheme

Enhanced family leave

Employee assistance

Life Assurance

Vista Benefits Platform

Discount options

Eco Car Scheme

Cycle Scheme

Job summary

National Fostering Group seeks a Regional Director to provide strategic and operational leadership across a Midlands region, ensuring high-quality outcomes for children and young people and driving strong business performance.

You will focus on carer recruitment and retention, placements, safeguarding, and regulatory compliance while overseeing regional financial performance and using data to guide decisions and growth.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience in regulated children’s services or similar.
• Experience managing regional/multi-site services and large budgets.
• Proven track record of delivering good or outstanding outcomes under Ofsted or similar regulator.
• Experience leading large teams and delivering transformational change.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic and operational leadership across a region of fostering services.
• Drive carer recruitment, retention and placements while upholding safeguarding standards.
• Oversee regional financial performance using data to drive growth and improvement.
• Collaborate with Local Authorities, managers and foster carers to achieve goals.
• Act as an inspiring leader to foster a culture of collaboration and excellence across the region.

Skills

Senior leadership

Regulated services

Data analysis

Stakeholder management

Transformational change

Budget management

Communication skills

Regulatory compliance

Education

Master’s degree or equivalent

Qualified Social Worker

Job description

Location

Regionally based across the Midlands area

Hours

Full Time / 37.5 per week

Contract

Permanent

About National Fostering Group:

Its official, we have been rated as a Great Place to Work 2025!

88% of employees at National Fostering Group say it is a great place to work, compared to 54% of employees at a typical UK based company! Please read more about why our employees love working here: https://www.greatplacetowork.co.uk/certified-company/1574411

With over 20 years experience, National Fostering Group is the largest independent children's fostering group in the UK with a community of over 2,500 foster carers.

As a Group, we work with Local Authorities to provide the highest quality of care for children and young people. All of our fostering agencies are officially recognised by Ofsted, Welsh and Scottish regulators as either ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Good’ which we are extremely proud of.

A bit more about the opportunity:

As Regional Director you will provide strategic and operational leadership across a region of fostering services, ensuring high-quality outcomes for children and young people while driving strong business performance.

You will lead the delivery of our three key priorities: carer recruitment, carer retention and placements, alongside maintaining high standards of safeguarding, quality and regulatory compliance. You will also have responsibility for regional financial performance, using data and insight to drive effective decision-making, growth and continuous improvement.

Working closely with Registered Managers, senior leaders, Local Authorities and foster carers, you will build strong relationships, develop our fostering resources and support teams to achieve their goals. You will be a visible and inspiring leader, creating a culture of collaboration and professional excellence across the region.

This is a key leadership role for someone who can combine strategic leadership, commercial awareness and operational expertise with a genuine commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people.

A full list of responsibilities can be found in the Job Description attached.

Who we are looking for:

We’re looking for an experienced, commercially minded senior leader with a strong track record of leading regulated services across multiple sites. You’ll be a results-driven operator, confident managing senior managers and large budgets to deliver excellent outcomes for children and young people.

You’ll bring strong experience of regulation, safeguarding, performance management and transformational change, alongside the ability to use data and financial insight to drive growth and improvement. A confident communicator and inspirational leader, you’ll be skilled at building partnerships, influencing stakeholders and turning strategy into practical action.

• Senior leadership experience within regulated children’s services or a similar environment.
• Proven experience managing regional/multi-site services and large, complex budgets.
• Strong track record of delivering good or outstanding outcomes under Ofsted or a similar regulator.
• Experience leading large teams, managing senior colleagues and delivering transformational change.
• Strong commercial, financial and data analysis skills.
• Excellent influencing, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong understanding of safeguarding and quality within children’s/social work services.
• Educated to Master’s level or equivalent senior management experience.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Qualified Social Worker.

But what else is in it for you? Your health and wellbeing are important to us, so you’ll get an exceptional reward package including:

• 27 days holiday, increasing with service up to 32 days + buy/sell scheme + bank holidays
• Salary sacrifice pension scheme
• Enhanced family leave (subject to qualifying criteria)
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Life Assurance

And a market-leading benefit offering through our Flexible Benefits Platform, Vista, enables you to choose the package that’s right for you. Just some of the things on offer:

• A wide range of health, wellbeing, and insurance benefits
• 100’s of discount options
• Salary sacrifice Eco Car Scheme and Cycle Scheme

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and we expect all employees to share this commitment and undertake appropriate checks.