Head of Service; Children

Job Description

Salary scale : 38456 to 47500 per annum

Contract :
Permanent

Hours : 37 hours per week x2

Base :
Kenburgh House 28 Manor Row Bradford BD1 4QU

Probationary Period : 6 months

Closing Date : 10am Monday 5 January 2026

Interview Date :
Monday 12 January 2026

Bradford District and Craven Mind is a thriving independent mental health charity with a clear purpose to promote positive mental wellbeing and empower and help people experiencing issues with their mental health to manage and work towards recovery and fulfilment.

We do this through :

• Building community and individual resilience for better mental wellbeing
• Providing early intervention advice and support
• Supporting people in crisis
• Empowering and helping people to recover and sustain improved wellbeing

Watch this video to find out what its like to work at BDC Mind : our latest Impact Report and  Strategy : out more about our approach to Equity Diversity and Inclusion : us and youll receive :

• 25 days annual leave per year rising to 28 days with length of service plus bank holidays
• Up to two additional leave days to use each year to support your wellbeing.
• Simply Health Cash Plan to claim back on personal health costs including dental optical prescriptions physiotherapy and more.
• Employee Assistance Service including 24 / 7 confidential mental health support and access to structured therapy sessions.
• Generous pension scheme and employer contribution to help you plan for a secure future.

Discount schemes including Company Shop and Blue Light Card.

Excellent personal development opportunities including access to Clinical Supervision.

Enhanced sick pay after your six-month probation.

Accredited employer with Mindful Employer Disability Confident and Real Living Wage.

We are recruiting to two new Head of Service posts to strengthen leadership across our growing children young people families and all-age portfolio. Each post has a distinct focus aligned to the different stages of need in our support pathway.

One post will lead our early intervention offer including Guide-Line Kids Time and subcontracted provision for children young people & families (CYPF) presenting with emerging emotional health needs. The other will oversee our offer for those with more established emotional and mental health needs such as Know Your Mind Hospital Buddies and our subcontracted Youth in Mind delivery.

Although each post has its own portfolio they will work as a dynamic leadership partnership collaborating closely with each other with the Director of Children Young People and All Age services and with Service Managers across all programmes. Together they will help ensure our services are connected high-quality and responsive offering a seamless experience for the communities we support across Bradford District and Craven.

As a Head of Service you will provide strategic leadership and operational oversight across a portfolio of mental health services ensuring they deliver high-quality impactful support. Working closely with the Director of Children Young People and All Age services you will drive service excellence innovation and sustainability embedding best practices and ensuring alignment with organisational goals.

You will oversee service performance financial management and stakeholder engagement. You will foster a culture of collaboration continuous improvement and equity. As a key leader you will empower Service Managers and teams to achieve outstanding outcomes strengthening our reputation partner relationships and expanding our reach across Bradford District and Craven.

• Ensure services including subcontracted provision are outcome-focused and delivered in line with organisational and system targets resulting in high-quality accessible support for people in need.
• Provide strategic guidance and operational support to Service Managers enabling them to lead effectively and drive continuous improvement within their services.
• Contribute to the creation and delivery of new services ensuring they are responsive innovative and effectively address and capture the evolving needs of local communities
• Working together with senior leaders develop and lead a high-performing multi-disciplinary cross-organisation management team to translate high-level organisational goals into actionable measurable plans that are aligned with the wider organisation vision and strategy
• Ensure timely and effective responses to safeguarding concerns incidents and disclosures driving continuous improvement in response to learning
• Driving a high-quality approach to data integrity monitoring and reporting producing reports for a range of audiences and delivering data-driven service development
• Build and nurture strong strategic relationships with stakeholders including commissioners partners and community organisations ensuring alignment with service goals fostering collaboration and enhancing BDC Minds reputation and influence in the mental health sector
• Managing the service…