Service Manager - Residential Portfolio

Barnsley Council; Cirencester; Hybrid; GBP 57,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Employee discounts

Health and wellbeing support

Training and development opportunities

Excellent pension scheme

Job summary

Barnsley Council is investing in three new children’s residential homes as part of its Children in Care Sufficiency Strategy 2026 to 2030, reducing reliance on external placements and giving more of our children in care a home in Barnsley. We’re recruiting a Service Manager to lead this portfolio from the ground up.

The post requires degree level and social work qualification, leadership experience, budgeting expertise, and the ability to shape services from inception.

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent, and a qualified, registered social worker.
• Post-qualifying award with leadership/management qualification.
• Team manager level experience (or equivalent) of operational management in a large organisation delivering services to children, young people and families.
• Experience managing complex budgets and financial processes.
• Experience planning or delivering services in a multi-agency context, including within a commissioning environment.
• A track record of leading and motivating teams to deliver sustainable, high quality service improvement.
• Sound knowledge of the legislative and policy framework around children’s services, and of the regulatory and inspection regime you’ll be operating under, including Ofsted registration requirements.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders and resolve conflict at a senior level.
• You’d be shaping three services from inception rather than inheriting an existing structure, with direct input into staffing models, practice standards and how the homes operate day to day

Responsibilities

• You’ll take responsibility for all three homes as they move through registration, staffing and opening, and then for their ongoing operational and strategic management once live.
• You’ll provide leadership and line management across the three homes, taking the lead on their development and on the recruitment of the staff who’ll run them, including Registered Managers.
• You’ll build relationships with partner agencies and stakeholders across the sufficiency programme, represent the homes at internal and external forums, and manage the budgets, contracts and performance systems that keep the service running to standard.
• You’ll also sit on the Out of Hours Senior Management Rota.
• This is a new post, and you’ll be building the team and the operating model for the homes rather than stepping into something already established.

Skills

Leadership

Budget management

Staff recruitment and development

Multi-agency collaboration

Stakeholder engagement

Change management

People management

Education

Degree level or equivalent & registered social worker

Post-qualifying leadership/management qualification

Job description

Position reference: 50146438. Directorate: Children’s Services | Service: Children in Care. Salary: 63,375.

Working Arrangements: Agile Working, minimum 3 days in the office. This is a full-time role. Hours per week: 37. Contract type: Permanent.

Closing date: 09/10/2026 at 23:59.

The successful candidate will be required to speak English to an appropriate standard. This post requires an Enhanced DBS Check. If you are currently living overseas or have lived overseas in the last five years please be aware, if you are the preferred candidate for the post, you will be required to apply for an overseas criminal records check from the country/countries you have resided in. If you experience difficulty in obtaining an overseas criminal record check please email applying, please ensure you are prepared to start work with all the necessary legal documents, such as a valid visa, relevant to the type of work you will be undertaking. Please be aware that our organisation does not possess a Home Office license and, as a result, is unable to provide sponsorship for anyone seeking a visa as a skilled or temporary migrant worker. Pensions Regulations have provisions to reduce pension payments in certain circumstances of those who return to work within local government service. If you are in receipt of a pension upon commencing employment with the authority, this may affect your pension entitlements and you should therefore seek advice from the relevant Pensions Authority.

At Barnsley Council you can start a career that makes a real difference to people’s lives, helping our council and residents to be the best they can be. We’re an award-winning council and one of the biggest employers in the borough, supporting around 243,000 people.

We put people at the heart of everything we do, and that includes our employees.

Benefits and rewards

• flexible working
• employee discounts
• support for your health and wellbeing
• opportunities for training and development
• excellent pension scheme

About the Post

Barnsley is investing in three new children’s residential homes as part of its Children in Care Sufficiency Strategy 2026 to 2030, reducing reliance on external and out of area placements and giving more of our children in care a home in Barnsley. We’re recruiting a Service Manager to lead this residential portfolio from the ground up.

Responsibilities

You’ll take responsibility for all three homes as they move through registration, staffing and opening, and then for their ongoing operational and strategic management once live. You’ll provide leadership and line management across the three homes, taking the lead on their development and on the recruitment of the staff who’ll run them, including Registered Managers. You’ll build relationships with partner agencies and stakeholders across the sufficiency programme, represent the homes at internal and external forums, and manage the budgets, contracts and performance systems that keep the service running to standard. You’ll also sit on the Out of Hours Senior Management Rota. This is a new post, and you’ll be building the team and the operating model for the homes rather than stepping into something already established.

Qualifications and Experience

• Educated to degree level or equivalent, and a qualified, registered social worker
• A post-qualifying award, ideally with a postgraduate leadership or management qualification
• Team manager level experience (or equivalent) of operational management in a large organisation delivering services to children, young people and families
• Experience managing complex budgets and financial processes
• Experience of planning or delivering services in a multi-agency context, including within a commissioning environment
• A track record of leading and motivating teams to deliver sustainable, high quality service improvement
• Sound knowledge of the legislative and policy framework around children’s services, and of the regulatory and inspection regime you’ll be operating under, including Ofsted registration requirements
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders and resolve conflict at a senior level
• You’d be shaping three services from inception rather than inheriting an existing structure, with direct input into staffing models, practice standards and how the homes operate day to day

We are committed to creating a workplace where differences are valued and everyone truly feels able to be themselves.

At Barnsley Council, we believe in second chances and value diversity.

Our recruitment process is inclusive, and we welcome applicants with past convictions.

We're committed to fairness and do not discriminate.

Join us in building a future where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

Job Profile: Service Manager Job Profile.pdf

Vacancy Exposure Profile: Exposure Profile.pdf