Head of Services

Hours: 30 hours per week (0.8)

Location: Bristol

Working pattern: Hybrid

Are you an experienced clinical or therapeutic leader with a passion for delivering high-quality, trauma-informed services? Do you want to play a pivotal role in shaping strategy, strengthening operational effectiveness and making a meaningful difference to the lives of children, young people and families?

This is an exciting opportunity to step into a newly created senior leadership role, working closely with the leadership team to shape strategic direction, drive service development and ensure services are effective, sustainable and responsive to the needs of those they support.

As Head of Services, you will provide strategic and operational leadership for specialist therapeutic services, helping translate organisational ambitions into effective delivery. You will play a key role in shaping the organisation's future, identifying opportunities for growth and innovation, and ensuring services continue to deliver safe, compassionate and high-quality support.

Working closely with the senior leadership team, you will lead and develop service managers and multidisciplinary teams, promote a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement, and ensure services meet their contractual, regulatory and safeguarding responsibilities.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Contributing to organisational strategy, business planning and the development of sustainable services.
• Leading the delivery, development and continuous improvement of specialist therapeutic services.
• Managing, supporting and developing service managers and multidisciplinary teams to achieve excellent outcomes.
• Providing leadership on safeguarding, clinical and service governance, quality assurance and risk management.
• Overseeing service budgets, monitoring performance and ensuring resources are used effectively.
• Using performance data, outcomes and feedback to inform decision-making and improve service delivery.
• Developing strong relationships with commissioners, funders, statutory agencies and other external partners.
• Supporting the organisation to identify new commissioning opportunities, strengthen partnerships and demonstrate the impact of its work.

This is a varied and influential role that combines strategic leadership with operational oversight, offering the opportunity to shape both the direction and effectiveness of services.

A clinical and/or therapeutic background is essential for this role, alongside significant experience of leading specialist or therapeutic services. You will bring the professional knowledge and credibility needed to lead trauma-informed services, support practitioners and managers, and maintain high standards of therapeutic practice, safeguarding and service delivery.

You will be a confident, compassionate and strategic leader who can balance service quality, staff wellbeing, operational performance and financial sustainability. You will be comfortable making complex decisions, leading teams through change and working collaboratively at senior leadership level.

You will also bring:

• A recognised professional qualification in psychotherapy, counselling, psychology, arts therapy or another relevant therapeutic discipline, with current registration or accreditation with an appropriate professional body.
• Significant experience of senior leadership, including contributing to organisational strategy and leading service development.
• Experience of working with children, young people and/or families affected by trauma, abuse or sexual violence.
• A strong understanding of trauma-informed, survivor-centred and evidence-informed practice.
• Substantial experience of safeguarding leadership, including managing complex safeguarding…