Are you a dynamic and experienced leader passionate about making a difference in the lives of children and young people? The London Borough of Hackney is seeking a highly motivated and skilled Service Manager to lead our Quality Assurance and Improvement Service.
Hackney's Children and Education Directorate offer visionary leadership, a culture of continuous learning and a climate for innovation. We are committed to improving outcomes for our children and families, recognising the impact of discrimination and disadvantage that many of our families experience. In this pivotal role, you will take a major role in delivering, developing, and monitoring our Service Improvement work, 'Proud to Be' commitments, Quality Assurance Framework, Workforce Development strategy, and complaints/feedback programme – taking a systemic, trauma-informed, and anti-racist approach to all of your work.
Key responsibilities include:
We operate a fair and open anonymous selection process. Therefore, we do not accept supporting statements or CVs. To proceed with your application, you will need to create an account and submit your application online. Interview date: 12 December 2025.
We are looking for a dynamic, innovative, committed, and passionate leader who will bring a comprehensive knowledge and skill base to the challenge of supporting work with vulnerable children and families. You will have strong leadership skills that enable you to mobilise the abilities of professionals and colleagues, both in Children and Families Service, in partner agencies, and in other areas of the council, ensuring the very best outcomes for children in Hackney. The ideal candidate will:
A satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is required. As part of our journey to be anti-racist we want our workforce to represent the community we serve and embrace diverse talent and we strongly encourage applications from Black and Global Majority Ethnic backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from disabled people, as this group is currently under represented in our workforce.
Our vision is to make Hackney a place for everyone. Where all our residents, whatever their background, have a chance to lead healthy and successful lives; a place of which everyone can be proud, with excellent services and public spaces, thriving businesses, and strong communities; a place that celebrates diversity, and where everyone can feel valued, included, and involved.
It is an exciting time to be working in Hackney as we are embedding our practice model of Systemic, Trauma informed and Anti-Racist practice. We are an innovative borough where we collaborate to support change for the children and families we work for and for each other. You will change and develop while working in Hackney and we will be behind you every step of the way. So, why don't you find yourself in Hackney?
Retention bonus for social workers in Children in Need and Access and Assessment Services- £1500 every 6 months.
Ad hoc parking permits available for social workers when required to use a vehicle for their role.
We prioritise the development and growth of staff and have reviewed and updated our ASYE programme of support, to ensure a structured learning programme that understands the journey of the child and utilises protected time.
Celebration and appreciation opportunities including a World Social Work Week thank you event and our Coffee Connection networking events.
A dedicated Race Equality and Inclusion team working to embed active anti-racist practice and support staff’s anti-racism journey.
Monthly group supervision for collaboration and support when things feel stuck
As well as our Council-wide benefits:
Generous holiday allowance – 27 days a year, rising to 32 after five years
Unrivalled pension scheme
Flexible working options
Family friendly policies
A range of discounts, including subsidised gym membership and local eating
Access to financial and season ticket loans
Health and wellbeing benefits, such as lunchtime fitness classes
A comprehensive training and development offer
We are a member of Cycle Scheme and offer free pool bikes
Email our recruitment team for more information on this role at cfs.recruitment@hackney.gov.uk