SEND Project Lead

Carrington Blake Recruitment; Ipswich; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment agency is seeking a Children’s Services Transformation / Programme Manager to lead complex transformation programmes within Children’s Services, Social Care, and Family Support. This role demands a strong understanding of statutory service delivery and the ability to engage effectively with stakeholders. Ideal candidates will have experience in managing high-risk environments and transforming services to improve outcomes for children and vulnerable people. The position offers a hybrid working model in Ipswich.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading transformation or improvement programmes within local government or public sector environments.
• Strong understanding of children's services and statutory service delivery.
• Proven ability to deliver change in politically sensitive and high-risk environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and delivery of large-scale transformation programmes.
• Manage project portfolios ensuring delivery against milestones.
• Establish and maintain governance and assurance arrangements.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Analytical skills

Change management

Communication skills

Education

PRINCE2 or equivalent qualification

Job description

Job Description

Job Title: Children’s Services Transformation / Programme Manager
Directorate: Children & Families / Social Care / Corporate Transformation
Grade: Senior Manager / Programme Manager (dependent on structure)
Contract: Fixed-term / Interim / Permanent (as required)
Location: Hybrid / Local Authority

Job Purpose

To lead and deliver complex transformation and service improvement programmes across Children’s Services, Social Care, Housing and Family Support, ensuring services are safe, legal, sustainable and outcome-focused.

The role is responsible for translating national policy, inspection requirements and local priorities into practical, embedded improvements in service delivery, governance, performance and partnership working, with a strong focus on children, families and vulnerable people.

Key Responsibilities

Programme & Project Leadership

• Lead the design, planning and delivery of large-scale transformation and improvement programmes within children’s services, social care and related statutory services.
• Manage a portfolio of projects across short-, medium- and long-term timeframes, ensuring delivery against agreed milestones, outcomes and benefits.
• Establish and maintain robust programme governance, reporting and assurance arrangements, providing clear updates to senior leaders, boards and elected members.
• Identify, manage and mitigate programme risks, dependencies and issues, ensuring continuity of critical statutory services.

Service Improvement & Change

• Lead service reviews, option appraisals and redesign activity to improve quality, performance, efficiency and outcomes for children and families.
• Embed new ways of working into frontline services, ensuring changes are sustainable and aligned with statutory duties and best practice.
• Support services through organisational change, including restructuring, workforce transition and cultural change.
• Drive continuous improvement using data, insight and evidence to inform decision-making and prioritisation.

Children’s Services & Social Care Expertise

• Work closely with Children’s Services, Adult Social Care, Housing and Early Help teams to ensure services operate in a safe, legal and compliant way.
• Support improvement activity linked to inspection readiness, safeguarding assurance and statutory compliance.
• Contribute to system-wide reform activity affecting children, families and vulnerable adults, including Local Government Review and service integration.

Partnership & Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external partners including health, education, voluntary sector, regional bodies and central government.
• Represent the organisation at local, regional and national forums, contributing to shared learning and best practice.
• Lead engagement with senior stakeholders, practitioners and service users to ensure transformation activity reflects lived experience and operational reality.
• Operate effectively within politically sensitive environments, supporting members and senior leaders with clear advice and evidence.

Systems, Data & Governance

• Where required, lead or support the transformation of systems and processes to enable effective service delivery, data quality and information sharing.
• Ensure services meet data protection, information governance and regulatory requirements.
• Develop and track benefits realisation plans to demonstrate the impact of transformation activity.

People & Resource Management

• Provide leadership, line management and professional support to programme and project staff.
• Manage budgets, commissioned activity and external suppliers in line with organisational policies and best value principles.
• Support workforce development, capability building and knowledge sharing across services.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

Essential

Significant experience leading transformation or improvement programmes within local government or complex public sector environments.

Strong understanding of children’s services, social care and statutory service delivery.

Proven ability to deliver change in politically sensitive and high-risk environments.

Experience establishing and operating programme governance, risk management and benefits realisation.

Excellent stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence at senior and practitioner levels.

Strong analytical, reporting and communication skills.

Desirable

Experience working across children’s services, SEND, early help, housing or safeguarding systems.

Experience supporting or delivering change linked to inspection frameworks or national reform programmes.

PRINCE2, Programme Management or equivalent qualification.

Experience of Local Government Review, structural reform or system integration.

Knowledge of partnership and commissioning arrangements in children’s services.

Values & Behaviours

Commitment to improving outcomes for children, families and vulnerable people.

Collaborative, solution-focused and resilient approach to change.

Strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Operates with integrity, accountability and professionalism.