School Business Manager Job profile

Brighton & Hove City Council; Brighton; Hybrid; GBP 20,000 - 21,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Professional development

Supportive environment

Trauma-informed training

Job summary

Brighton & Hove City Council is seeking a senior practice and operational leader to support adults with complex needs. You will manage daily service delivery, supervise social workers, and guide practice to ensure safe, person-centred interventions in a multi-agency setting.

You will oversee complex cases, ensure compliance with Care Act and safeguarding obligations, and mentor new staff while driving continuous improvement and learning within the team.

Qualifications

• Recognised Social Work qualification and professional registration.
• Experience supervising staff in high-pressure environments.
• Experience working with adults with complex needs and safeguarding.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day operational management of the service.
• Line manage social workers and practitioners and support professional development.
• Lead on complex, high-risk cases with expert advice and oversight.
• Ensure statutory duties under Care Act 2014 and Mental Capacity Act 2005 are met.
• Support safeguarding practice and risk management for vulnerable individuals.
• Manage delegated budgets and monitor performance using data.
• Build partnerships with housing, health, and criminal justice sectors.
• Contribute to service development and learning culture.

Skills

Leadership

Supervision

Case management

Decision making

Trauma-informed

Partnerships

Education

Social Work degree

Job description

Job details

Contractual hours 37

Basis Flexi Hours

Package We are pleased to offer a wide range of benefits to support you and your wellbeing. You can read about them on our Why work for us pages.

Do you have strong leadership skills and a passion for supporting staff to deliver high-quality social work practice?

Are you confident managing complex cases and making sound decisions in high-risk situations?

Do you thrive in a multi-agency environment, working collaboratively to improve outcomes for adults with multiple and compound needs?

Are you committed to delivering trauma-informed, inclusive and person-centred services?

This is a senior practice and operational role within a specialist service supporting adults with entrenched and overlapping needs. You will support the Service Manager in the day-to-day running of the team, ensuring safe, effective service delivery while leading and developing a team of social work professionals.

What you’ll be doing (tasks)

Providing day-to-day operational management of the service, including allocation of work, oversight of caseloads, and ensuring safe staffing and service delivery

Line managing and supervising social workers and other practitioners, supporting their professional development, performance, and wellbeing

Leading on complex, high-risk cases, offering expert advice, decision-making, and oversight to ensure safe and effective interventions

Ensuring the team meets statutory duties under key legislation including the Care Act 2014, Mental Capacity Act 2005, and safeguarding responsibilities

Supporting effective safeguarding practice, including oversight of Section 42 enquiries and risk management for individuals experiencing significant harm or self-neglect

Managing delegated budgets responsibly, balancing individual outcomes with financial accountability

Monitoring team performance against key performance indicators and using data, audit, and feedback to drive continuous improvement

Building and maintaining strong partnerships with housing, health, criminal justice, and voluntary sector organisations to deliver coordinated care

Contributing to service development, practice improvement, and a strong learning culture, including mentoring, coaching and supporting newly qualified staff and students

What you’ll bring (skills & experience)

A recognised Social Work (or relevant AHP/Nursing) qualification and professional registration

Strong working knowledge of legislation including the Care Act, Mental Capacity Act, safeguarding frameworks, and relevant housing legislation

Significant experience working with adults with complex needs, including mental health, homelessness, substance use or related challenges

Experience of supervising staff, managing performance, and supporting professional development in a high-pressure environment

Proven ability to manage and advise on complex cases, including risk assessment and safeguarding

Experience of working within multidisciplinary teams and building effective partnerships

Confidence in managing resources, including staff and budgets, to deliver effective services

Excellent communication and IT skills, including recording, reporting, and use of data to improve practice

A strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusive practice

Why join us? (benefits)

Be part of a specialist, innovative service supporting some of the most vulnerable people in the city

Opportunities to lead practice and shape service delivery within a developing and evolving team

Access to ongoing professional development, including leadership, supervision, and specialist training

A supportive environment that values reflective practice, collaboration, and continuous learning

Opportunities to contribute to service development and wider system change across Brighton & Hove

Our commitment to inclusion

We are committed to building a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We recognise that people experiencing multiple and compound needs often face significant barriers, particularly those from marginalised or underrepresented groups.

Our team embeds inclusive and trauma-informed practice in all aspects of our work. We actively adapt how we deliver services to meet individual needs, working collaboratively with partners and communities to improve access, reduce inequalities, and achieve better outcomes for all.

Encouraging a diverse workforce

Our city is known and loved for its diversity. Not only is the mixture of people, culture and skills vital to the economic and social development of the city, it's what makes Brighton & Hove such a great place to live, work and visit. We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds. In order to achieve our aims of proportionate representation, we particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, male or trans.

Find out more about our commitment to being a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone can achieve their potential by reading about our fair and inclusive actions, our anti-racism strategy and the work we are doing to encourage a diverse workforce (brighton-hove.gov.uk).

Why work for us?

As a council, we want to:

• be connected
• be confident
• be innovative and creative
• be diverse and inclusive
• be healthy and psychologically safe

Additional information

Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is less than 37 hours or term-time only.

Please note that this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, and is subject to a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Check.

We are a workplace that supports flexibility and employee wellbeing in the way we work whilst providing the best service for our customers. Team and service working arrangements are designed to support both employee work life balance and team collaboration. These would be part of your individual working arrangements alongside any personal preference agreed with your manager in advance of joining. Your contractual location will be the designated council office for your team and travel to and from your contractual location would be at your own expense.

Location Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, Hove, BN3 3BQ

Location Rudyard Kipling Primary School, Chalkland Rise, Brighton, BN2 6RH

Location Blatchington Mill School, Holmes Avenue, Hove, BN3 7LF

Salary Actual Salary SCP 9-10 £19,923.66 - £20,245.66 per annum

Location Patcham High School, Ladies Mile Road, Patcham, Brighton, BN1 8PB

Location King's School Hove, Hangleton Way, Hove, BN3 8BN

Location Aldrington CE Primary School, Eridge Road, Hove, BN3 7QD

Location Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, Hove, BN3 3BQ

Location Elm Grove Primary School, Brighton, BN2 3ES

Location St Lukes Primary School, St Luke's Terrace, Brighton, BN2 2ZE

Location Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, Hove, BN3 3BQ

The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.

Contract type: This role is permanent

Interviews to be held: TBC

There is full information about the role below and attached but, if you would like an informal discussion, please contact Holly Croydon, Service Manager Operations on 07753280150 or email [e-mail]