Quality and Operations Lead

Are you an experienced adult social care professional who understands what good day services should look and feel like for people with learning disabilities, autism, neurodiversity and complex support needs?

We are looking for an experienced and motivated Quality and Operational Lead to join Southampton Day Services.

This is a hands‑on operational management role with responsibility for the day‑to‑day running of the service. Working alongside the manager, you will provide visible leadership to the staff team, coordinate the effective delivery of the service and ensure that people receive safe, high‑quality and person‑centred support.

A key part of the role is deputising for the manager, taking responsibility for operational decision‑making and providing leadership and direction to the service in their absence.

You will need to understand what high‑quality day services are about. Our services should be about much more than providing somewhere for people to spend their day. We want the people we support to have access to meaningful and purposeful activities and opportunities that reflect their individual strengths, interests, needs and aspirations.

This means supporting people to develop and maintain skills, increase independence, build confidence, make choices, develop relationships and participate in their local communities.

The role combines operational leadership with quality oversight. You will help ensure that good standards are translated into everyday practice, that staff are supported and accountable, and that issues affecting the safe and effective running of the service are identified and addressed.

• Take responsibility for the effective day‑to‑day running of the service, ensuring staffing, resources, support arrangements and operational priorities are managed effectively.
• Deputise for the Manager, providing leadership, direction and operational decision‑making in their absence.
• Provide visible leadership and support to staff, ensuring safe, consistent and person‑centred service delivery.
• Support, supervise and develop staff, promoting good practice, accountability and professional growth.
• Ensure activities and opportunities are meaningful, purposeful and linked to individual outcomes.
• Promote independence, skills development, choice, inclusion and community participation.
• Ensure care and support plans remain relevant and are translated into high‑quality day‑to‑day support.
• Support the effective management of staffing and resources to meet people's needs safely and effectively.
• Monitor service quality, identifying areas for improvement in standards, practice and outcomes.
• Contribute to quality assurance, audits, reviews and continuous service improvement.
• Support effective safeguarding, risk management and safe working practices.
• Build positive relationships with people who use services, their families, carers, colleagues and partner professionals.
• Contribute to the ongoing development of Southampton Day Services, ensuring services remain responsive to changing needs and aspirations.

We are particularly interested in hearing from people who have practical experience of leading, supervising or coordinating within adult social care services and understand the realities of managing a service on a day‑to‑day basis.

You will have experience of working with people with learning disabilities, autism, neurodiversity and/or complex support needs and understand how good services can promote people's strengths, independence and individual outcomes.

You will be able to balance the practical demands of running a busy service with the need to maintain high standards of support.

You will be comfortable providing direction to staff, prioritising competing demands,…