Service Manager

• Suffolk County Council
• Address: Beacon House, Ipswich IP1 5PB
  , West Suffolk House, Bury St Edmunds IP33 3YU
  or Riverside, Lowestoft SuffolkNR
  33 0EQ
  . Hybrid work
• Salary: £62,119 - £73,998 per annum (pro rata for part time)
• Hours: 37 hours per week, flexible working options available
• Contract: Permanent

This is an exciting opportunity to lead Suffolk County Council's County Children and Young People Disability Service (CCYPDS), supporting some of our most vulnerable children, young people, and families.

As Service Manager
, you will play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering high-quality, innovative services that make a real, lasting difference. Working within Suffolk's Family Help model, you will lead a specialist multi-disciplinary service supporting children and young people with disabilities aged 0 to 17 years, ensuring they receive the right support, at the right time, to achieve the best possible outcomes.

This influential leadership role offers the opportunity to drive service excellence, inspire and empower staff, and shape strategic developments across the county. Through your vision, expertise, and commitment to improving lives, you will help ensure children, young people, and families receive the support they need to thrive.

You will provide strong and visible leadership across social work, occupational therapy, and short breaks services, creating a culture where staff feel valued, supported, and empowered to deliver outstanding outcomes for children, young people, and their families.

You will be an experienced and inspiring leader with a passion for improving outcomes for children and young people with disabilities. Most importantly, you will be committed to empowering practitioners to deliver meaningful, strengths-based social work that is co-produced with families and focused on achieving lasting change.

You will bring:

• significant leadership experience within Children's Social Care and SEND services
• a strong understanding of the legislative and statutory frameworks that support children and young people with disabilities
• substantial experience of leading multidisciplinary teams and managing complex services
• excellent communication, influencing, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to develop effective partnerships across organisations
• strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to use data and insight to drive improvement and performance
• experience of managing risk, safeguarding vulnerable children, and ensuring high standards of professional practice
• a proven track record of delivering service improvements and achieving positive outcomes for children, young people, and families
• the ability to inspire, motivate, and develop others, creating a culture where people can thrive and perform at their best

To be successful in this role, you will hold a recognised Social Work qualification and be registered with Social Work England.

You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile, which you can find in the

How to apply

section towards the bottom of this advert.

If you believe you can succeed in this role, even if you don't meet all requirements, please still apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

County Children and Young Peoples Disability Service (CCYPDS) is a small specialist service working across the full range of statutory intervention for children and young people. We play a key role in supporting and advising other teams regarding disability related issues.

The Service is a combination of Social Care, Occupational Therapists and Activities Unlimited - Short Break Service.

You will be joining an experienced team of practitioners and managers who are invested in this area of work and work hard to support each other countywide.

We're big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We're always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report
.

Please contact Fran Arnold (she/her), Head of Service, for a casual conversation. You can reach them by emailing .

Closing date: 11.30 pm, 6 October 2026.

Promoted as FJ (Featured Job) on Suffolk Jobs Direct.

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