Team Manager South Somerset

Closing date 29 June 2026

 £54,282 per annum including a £5,000 recruitment allowance which expires 30.06.2027 

• Hybrid working with an agreement that Team Managers should be in their office base on their duty week and 3/5 days per week on non duty weeks.
• 33 day’s annual leave (additional to bank holidays)
• Based in the South Somerset area

At Somerset Council, we are proud to be on an ambitious journey to transform how we support children and families across the county. As part of our Families First Partnership programme, we are reshaping services to ensure families receive the right help, at the right time, in the right way—working together with partners across social care, education, Police, health, and communities.

This is a significant and exciting period of change. We are developing a more connected, relationship-based system that puts children, young people and families at the centre—strengthening early help, enhancing multi-agency working, and supporting more children to grow up safely within their families and communities.

To help us deliver this transformation, we are recruiting to several roles across Children’s Services, offering a unique opportunity to contribute to meaningful, long-term change and be part of a workforce committed to improving outcomes for Somerset’s children and families.

This role is offered on a fixed-term basis for two years, aligned to the delivery of our transformation programme. During this time, you will play a key part in shaping new ways of working, embedding innovation, and helping us build a sustainable system that makes a lasting difference.

If you are motivated by improving outcomes, thrive in a collaborative environment, and want to be part of a service that is evolving and forward-thinking, we would love to hear from you.

Role Summary

As Service Manager, you will provide leadership, guidance and oversight across children’s social care services, helping to ensure practice remains high-quality, compliant and focused on the needs of children and families. You will support the development of effective services, working with teams to achieve the best possible outcomes for children, young people and their families.

You will play an important role in making sure services are responsive, well-coordinated and supportive, creating an environment where good practice can thrive, teams feel empowered, and children are protected, encouraged and able to reach their potential. Through visible leadership, supportive performance management and collaborative partnership working, you will help drive ongoing improvement and ensure services meet both statutory requirements and local priorities.

As part of the wider leadership team, you will contribute to the Council’s transformation agenda, supporting delivery of the County Plan and New Operating Model. You will encourage innovation, build strong working relationships with partners and help shape sustainable improvements, ensuring services continue to make a meaningful difference for Somerset’s children and families.

What you'll do - Key Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver high-quality, child-centred social work services that safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and families, ensuring practice is compliant with statutory requirements and focused on achieving positive outcomes
• Develop, implement and deliver service plans, translating strategic priorities into operational delivery, setting clear direction for teams and ensuring targets, objectives and outcomes are achieved
• Drive continuous service improvement, transformation and innovation across children’s services, identifying opportunities for change and leading the successful implementation of new ways of working
• Monitor, analyse and report on performance, quality and outcomes, using data, audit findings and customer feedback to inform decision-making and improve service effectiveness
• Manage budgets, resources and commissioning activity effectively, ensuring services are delivered efficiently, provide value for money and meet the needs of children and families
• Lead, motivate and develop multidisciplinary teams, creating a high-performance culture through effective supervision, performance management, coaching and continuous professional development
• Provide oversight, guidance and challenge on complex casework, ensuring high-quality assessment, planning and decision-making, and that safeguarding responsibilities are consistently met
• Build and maintain strong, effective partnerships with key stakeholders including health, education, police and the voluntary sector, enabling integrated and coordinated support for children and families
• Represent the service at a senior level, providing expert advice and guidance to senior leaders and elected members on operational, strategic and policy matters
• Ensure children, young people and families are at the centre of service planning and delivery, actively seeking and using their feedback to shape, improve and co-produce services

What We’re Looking For – Knowledge, Experience and Skills

Essential

• Strategic knowledge and frameworks: Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of the statutory, policy and strategic commissioning framework within which specialist services operate and their context within local government as a whole; Good understanding and ability to develop and implement effective performance management and quality assurance frameworks; Knowledge and understanding of implementing equality and diversity in commissioning and reviewing service delivery.
• Senior leadership and strategy experience: Significant experience of working successfully with Members and Directors on complex issues and the development of strategic direction; Track record of operating corporate projects and providing clear advice on policy options and policy development.
• Communication and representation: Experience of developing and delivering representational and communication activities that successfully deliver key messages to the public and internally.
• Partnership working: Demonstrable experience of partnership working, including the ability to influence and, where required, lead multi-agency projects and initiatives with reference to standard setting and whole service commissioning.
• Operational management: Experience managing teams within children’s social care, including supervision, performance, and workforce development.
• Qualifications and CPD: Relevant Social Work degree and professional qualification with Social Work England; Evidence of work related continuing professional development in their specialist field
• Leadership and change: Promotes the need for change and acts as a role model for change; Positive, committed, adaptable, thorough and confident approach; Drive and self-motivation - “can do” attitude.
• Performance and delivery: Ability to work to deadlines and to motivate others to work effectively and demonstrate a duty of care; Sound analysis and decision making in dealing with complex service delivery and/or policy development matters
• Values and behaviours: Committed to diversity in service delivery and employment; Customer and Communities focussed; Personal Integrity.
• Service improvement: Innovative and creative approach to service improvement and value; An understanding and commitment to effective customer and community engagement leading to service redesign and change management.

Additional Information 

• 2-year fixed term contract – 37 hours per week
• A generous benefits package that supports your wellbeing, work-life balance and ongoing development

Regretfully, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

For an informal chat about the role, please contact Anna Miall via email Anna.Miall@somerset.gov.uk

Job Ref number 1000/HC