Head of Children's Locality

Head of Children's Locality - Nottingham City Council

Rate: £500 per day (Inside IR35, umbrella)

Duration: Until March 2027

Working Pattern: Hybrid

Start: ASAP

About the Role

Nottingham City Council is seeking an experienced Head of Children's Locality to provide strategic and operational leadership across Children's and Education Services.

This is a senior leadership opportunity responsible for driving high-performing, child-centred services, leading service improvement and ensuring statutory responsibilities are met. Working as part of the Children's Services Senior Leadership Team, you will work collaboratively with internal services and external partners to improve outcomes for children, young people and families through innovation, strong governance and effective partnership working.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership across Children's and Education Services, supporting high-quality service delivery and continuous improvement
• Lead and develop Service Managers and Team Managers, promoting a culture of high performance, accountability and collaboration
• Develop and implement service strategies aligned with corporate priorities and statutory responsibilities
• Drive service transformation and innovation, ensuring services remain responsive to the needs of children, young people and families
• Work closely with education, health, social care and voluntary sector partners to deliver integrated services and improve outcomes
• Ensure compliance with statutory duties, safeguarding responsibilities and national guidance
• Oversee service performance, governance, risk management and financial sustainability
• Prepare and present reports to senior leadership, boards and partnership groups, supporting strategic decision-making
• Champion a child-centred, outcomes-focused approach across all areas of responsibility

Key Requirements

• Significant senior leadership experience within Children's Services, Education or a comparable public sector environment
• Proven experience leading complex operational services and delivering service improvement and transformation
• Strong understanding of children's social care, education, safeguarding and statutory responsibilities
• Excellent leadership, stakeholder management and partnership working skills
• Experience working with senior leaders, elected members and multi-agency partners
• Strong financial, governance and performance management experience
• Ability to lead high-performing teams and drive a culture of continuous improvement
• Qualified Social Worker (Social Work England) or Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), or an equivalent relevant professional qualification