Service Manager - Total Placement Service

Kent County Council; London; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent public sector organization in London is seeking a Service Manager for their Total Placement Service. This role involves leading a team to ensure safe placements for vulnerable children and young people. Candidates must have extensive experience in Childrens services and strong negotiation skills. The position offers a hybrid working model, necessitating attendance at the Maidstone office regularly.

Benefits

Flexible working model

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• Extensive experience of working in Childrens services with knowledge of legal frameworks.
• Experience of working at a senior level.
• Proven track record of successful negotiation.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of 25 staff to secure placements and services for vulnerable children.
• Ensure that the needs of children and young people are met.
• Develop flexible and responsive services with key stakeholders.

Skills

Experience in Childrens services

Senior level experience

Negotiation skills

Leadership skills

Self-motivated

Job description

Social network you want to login/join with:

Service Manager - Total Placement Service, London

col-narrow-left

Client:

Kent County Council

Location:

London, United Kingdom

Job Category:

Other

-

EU work permit required:

Yes

col-narrow-right

Job Reference:

36d59e666924

Job Views:

7

Posted:

12.08.2025

Expiry Date:

26.09.2025

col-wide

Job Description:

Role Responsibility

Do you want to be an instrumental leader in Kent finding safe and loving homes and services for children, young people and care experienced adults?

An exceptionally exciting opportunity has arisen within the Children, Young People and Education Directorate that will interest anyone with an ambition of balancing the safety and security of vulnerable children with the complexity of achieving best value from social care markets. Applications from Qualified Social Workers will be welcomed.

The Total Placement Service sources placements and services for children in care, children on the edge of care, and care leavers. Leading a team of 25 staff, you will be responsible in ensuring that homes for these children, young people and adults provide stability, ensuring their needs are met and help them to achieve their aspirations. If successful, you will be part of the Childrens Commissioning Unit Management Team, as well as part of the Corporate Parenting Management Team receiving regular supervision to aid your professional development along with a range of training opportunities.

The post is varied and interesting working across a range of directorates and partner organisations to develop with these key stakeholders a service that is flexible, agile and responsive.

To be eligible for the post you will need to possess the following qualifications, skills and experience:

• Extensive experience of working in Childrens services with an in depth knowledge of the legal and regulatory frameworks
• Experience of working at a senior level
• Proven track record of successful negotiation and commercial acumen
• Experience of working across multiple organisations
• Proven track record of leading and motivating teams through clear vision
• Be self motivated and ambitious, driven to deliver the very best service

Kent County Council is committed to a hybrid working model with a flexible working offer, with regular attendance to work from our Maidstone office required.

The closing date is 11.59pm on 17 August 2025.

Interviews will take place in person week commencing 25 August 2025 at Kroner House, Ashford. There will be a requirement to undertake psychometric testing as well as delivering a short presentation at the start of your interview. Candidates will be advised of the topic prior to the interview to present to the panel. There will also be a Young Persons panel as part of the interview process.

If you are interested, please apply as soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

This post is subject to a Basic Disclosure Application to the Disclosure and Barring Service.