Head of Homes - Children's Residential

Salary: £70,000 ( Negotiable depended on experience so do please reach out for a further chat)

Package: Car allowance + wider benefits

Reporting to: Partnership Director

Regulatory Responsibility: Responsible Individual (RI)

An exciting opportunity to become theHead of Homes for a newly established children's services partnership, leading the creation and growth of a brand-new residential portfolio across Devon.

The partnership has been formed to develop a highly integrated model spanning residential care, specialist education and fostering, with children and young people at the center of how services are designed.

The residential model will consist of small, bespoke children's homes, each supporting no more than three children.

With the first potential properties already being progressed, the Head of Homes will join at the very beginning shaping the model, opening the first homes, building the team and ultimately leading the residential service as it grows.

Reporting directly to the Partnership Director and operating as a key member of the senior leadership team, you will have strategic and operational responsibility for the residential provision.

You will act as Responsible Individual and lead the mobilisation, registration and development of new homes, before taking overall leadership of the portfolio as it grows.

• Acting as Responsible Individual across the residential provision.
• Leading the mobilisation, registration and opening of new children's homes.
• Growing the portfolio across Devon.
• Recruiting, leading and developing Registered Managers.
• Establishing strong safeguarding, quality assurance and operational frameworks.
• Driving regulatory readiness and strong Ofsted outcomes.
• Overseeing occupancy, referrals, matching and placement stability.
• Providing oversight of budgets, performance and operational sustainability.
• Working closely with commissioners and partnership organisations.
• Collaborating with education and fostering leaders to create a genuinely integrated model of support.

We are looking for an established senior leader within residential children's services who can demonstrate:

• Previous experience operating as a Responsible Individual or have multi site Ofsted experience
• Senior management experience within residential childcare.
• Experience leading multiple children's homes.
• Strong experience of service mobilisation and growth.
• Experience opening and registering new children's homes.
• Strong knowledge of the Children's Homes Regulations, Quality Standards and Ofsted requirements.
• A track record of improving service quality and regulatory outcomes.
• Strong commercial, financial and operational awareness.
• The ability to build effective relationships with commissioners, regulators and senior stakeholders.
• A collaborative leadership style and the ability to work successfully within a developing partnership.