Service Manager

Suffolk County Council; Ipswich; Hybrid; GBP 62,000 - 74,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

29 days annual leave (pro rata)

LGPS pension

Travel and wellbeing benefits

Training and career development

Diversity staff networks

Flexible working

Job summary

Suffolk County Council invites applications for a Service Manager to lead the County Children and Young People Disability Service (CCYPDS) in a hybrid role based in Ipswich. You will shape high-quality, innovative services for children and young people with disabilities aged 0 to 17, ensuring timely, right support to achieve the best outcomes.

The role requires an experienced leader with a passion for improving outcomes, capable of empowering staff and driving strategic developments across the

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience within Children's Social Care and SEND services.
• Strong understanding of legislative and statutory frameworks supporting children with disabilities.
• Substantial experience leading multidisciplinary teams and managing complex services.

Responsibilities

• Provide strong, visible leadership across social work, occupational therapy and short breaks services.
• Create a culture where staff feel valued, supported and empowered to deliver outstanding outcomes.
• Lead, empower and develop practitioners to deliver strengths-based social work co-produced with families.
• Drive service improvements, use data and insight to improve performance.

Skills

Leadership experience

Legislative frameworks knowledge

Leading multidisciplinary teams

Communication

Analytical thinking

Risk management

Service improvement

People development

Education

Social Work qualification

Social Work England registration

Job description

• Suffolk County Council
• Address: Beacon House, Ipswich IP1 5PB, West Suffolk House, Bury St Edmunds IP33 3YU or Riverside, Lowestoft SuffolkNR33 0EQ. Hybrid work
• Salary: £62,119 - £73,998 per annum (pro rata for part time)
• Hours: 37 hours per week, flexible working options available
• Contract: Permanent

This is an exciting opportunity to lead Suffolk County Council's County Children and Young People Disability Service (CCYPDS), supporting some of our most vulnerable children, young people, and families.

As Service Manager, you will play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering high-quality, innovative services that make a real, lasting difference. Working within Suffolk's Family Help model, you will lead a specialist multi-disciplinary service supporting children and young people with disabilities aged 0 to 17 years, ensuring they receive the right support, at the right time, to achieve the best possible outcomes.

This influential leadership role offers the opportunity to drive service excellence, inspire and empower staff, and shape strategic developments across the county. Through your vision, expertise, and commitment to improving lives, you will help ensure children, young people, and families receive the support they need to thrive.

Your role and responsibilities

You will provide strong and visible leadership across social work, occupational therapy, and short breaks services, creating a culture where staff feel valued, supported, and empowered to deliver outstanding outcomes for children, young people, and their families.

What you will need

You will be an experienced and inspiring leader with a passion for improving outcomes for children and young people with disabilities. Most importantly, you will be committed to empowering practitioners to deliver meaningful, strengths-based social work that is co-produced with families and focused on achieving lasting change.

You will bring:

• significant leadership experience within Children's Social Care and SEND services
• a strong understanding of the legislative and statutory frameworks that support children and young people with disabilities
• substantial experience of leading multidisciplinary teams and managing complex services
• excellent communication, influencing, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to develop effective partnerships across organisations
• strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to use data and insight to drive improvement and performance
• experience of managing risk, safeguarding vulnerable children, and ensuring high standards of professional practice
• a proven track record of delivering service improvements and achieving positive outcomes for children, young people, and families
• the ability to inspire, motivate, and develop others, creating a culture where people can thrive and perform at their best

To be successful in this role, you will hold a recognised Social Work qualification and be registered with Social Work England.

You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile, which you can find in the How to apply section towards the bottom of this advert.

If you believe you can succeed in this role, even if you don't meet all requirements, please still apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

The team

County Children and Young Peoples Disability Service (CCYPDS) is a small specialist service working across the full range of statutory intervention for children and young people. We play a key role in supporting and advising other teams regarding disability related issues.

The Service is a combination of Social Care, Occupational Therapists and Activities Unlimited - Short Break Service.

You will be joining an experienced team of practitioners and managers who are invested in this area of work and work hard to support each other countywide.

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 Fran Arnold (she/her), Head of Service, for a casual conversation. You can reach them by emailing [e-mail].

Closing date: 11.30 pm, 6 October 2026.

Promoted as FJ (Featured Job) on Suffolk Jobs Direct.

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

As a modern and effective council, we offer a wide variety of careers to suit people with a range of skills, abilities and ambitions. We offer working options that flex to reflect the way people work today and take the time to understand and support your individual needs. We're driven to make a positive difference to the world around us and encourage everyone with drive and focus to join us and build an influential and impactful career. Reimagine the possibilities.

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

Plus lots more!

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) .

We value authentic applications that showcase your genuine skills and experiences, so we encourage you to present your own work and ideas throughout the process. You can also read our Using AI in Your Application and Interview guidance to understand acceptable and unacceptable use of AI. If AI is used inappropriately, your application may not be progressed.

Do you need any reasonable adjustments to help you to apply? If you are disabled and/or have additional support needs, you can request reasonable adjustments. You can do this by contacting our Recruitment Team by emailing [e-mail] or calling03456 014412. You can find examples of possible adjustments on our Reasonable Adjustment pages. If you're invited to the next stage, you'll have another chance to request adjustments.