Service Manager - Placements and Quality Assurance

The Methodist Church in Britain; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

34 days annual leave including bank (r

Flexitime with hybrid/remote options

Salary increases

Pension scheme

Cycle to work

Gym membership discount

Green car salary-sacrifice

Job summary

The Methodist Church in Britain is seeking a Service Manager to lead the Placements and Quality Assurance functions within Children's Commissioning, covering SEND, alternative education and children's social care. The role focuses on securing placements in good time, running quality assurance across commissioned provision, and overseeing provider performance.

You will directly line manage a Placements and QA team, collaborate with providers, inspectors, and regional networks, and support

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent experience.
• Significant management experience within children's services or commissioning.
• Experience overseeing placements, providers or quality assurance.

Responsibilities

• Provide operational leadership of the Placements, Brokerage and QA function across SEND and Children's Social Care, including line managing and developing staff.
• Ensure placements are secured in a timely way, meet assessed needs and represent best value.
• Lead quality assurance across commissioned provision, including residential care, supported accommodation (16+), independent fostering agencies, alternative provision and specialist SEND education.
• Oversee responses to quality concerns, safeguarding risks, provider underperformance and provider failure, including embargo and exit arrangements.
• Maintain oversight of provider performance, quality and compliance, working with commissioning and data colleagues.
• Work with social care, SEND and education colleagues to manage demand, capacity and risk.
• Build relationships with providers, partners and regional networks to support market stability and quality improvement.
• Support providers with Ofsted and Care Quality Commission frameworks, inspections and improvement plans following Ofsted inspections of council-placed children.
• Contribute to inspection readiness and activity, including Ofsted ILACS, SEND area inspections and other external assurance.
• Maintain close links with commissioning colleagues.

Skills

Leadership

Staff development

Stakeholder engagement

Risk management

Education

Degree or equivalent experience

Job description

This Service Manager post leads the Placements and Quality Assurance functions within Children's Commissioning, covering SEND, alternative education and children's social care. The work centres on securing placements in good time, running quality assurance across commissioned provision and keeping oversight of provider performance and failure. The role directly line manages a placements and QA team and involves regular work with providers and inspection frameworks, with a standard full-time week and hybrid working where possible. Candidates need a degree or equivalent experience and a sound grasp of children's legislation and Ofsted expectations.

What the job involves

• Provide operational leadership of the Placements, Brokerage and QA function across SEND and Children's Social Care, including line managing and developing staff
• Ensure placements are secured in a timely way, meet assessed needs and represent best value
• Lead quality assurance across commissioned provision, including residential care, supported accommodation (16+), independent fostering agencies, alternative provision and specialist SEND education
• Oversee responses to quality concerns, safeguarding risks, provider underperformance and provider failure, including embargo and exit arrangements
• Maintain oversight of provider performance, quality and compliance, working with commissioning and data colleagues
• Work with social care, SEND and education colleagues to manage demand, capacity and risk
• Build relationships with providers, partners and regional networks to support market stability and quality improvement
• Support providers with Ofsted and Care Quality Commission frameworks, inspections and improvement plans following Ofsted inspections of council-placed children
• Contribute to inspection readiness and activity, including Ofsted ILACS, SEND area inspections and other external assurance
• Maintain close links with commissioning colleagues

What’s required

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent experience

Experience

• Significant management experience within children's services or commissioning
• Experience of overseeing placements, providers or quality assurance

Skills & knowledge

• Strong understanding of placement markets, safeguarding expectations, quality assurance principles and provider oversight
• Experience and understanding of the Children's Act 2024, Children and Families Act 2014, SEND Code of Practice, safeguarding and inspection expectations
• Excellent understanding of Ofsted regulations for children's residential care and SEND

What’s offered

• Guaranteed yearly pay increases
• 34 days annual leave including bank holidays from day one, rising to 39 days after five years
• Option to purchase up to 10 extra days of annual leave each year
• 37-hour standard full-time week with flexitime and hybrid or remote working where possible
• Salary sacrifice schemes for green car leases and white goods
• Career average public pension, accruing at 1/49th of pensionable pay
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounted gym membership with Everybody Leisure