Programme Manager – Children’s Services Transformation

Programme Manager – Children’s Services Transformation

📍 South West England | Hybrid Working
💷 £625 PAYE / £826 Umbrella - Per Day
📅 44-Week Interim Contract
🏢 Local Authority

We’re supporting a forward-thinking Local Authority in the South West to appoint an experienced Programme Manager to lead a high-profile transformation programme within Children’s Services.

This is a key leadership role focused on redesigning services that support vulnerable children and families, helping reduce reliance on residential care while improving outcomes across the system.

The successful candidate will lead a complex multi-workstream programme involving fostering, residential care, sufficiency planning, operational transformation, and stakeholder engagement across senior leadership teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of a large-scale Children’s Services transformation programme
• Coordinate multiple interdependent workstreams across social care and commissioning
• Drive service redesign initiatives focused on improving outcomes for children and families
• Work closely with senior leaders, operational teams, and elected members
• Support transformation of fostering and residential care pathways
• Ensure programme governance, benefits realisation, and delivery milestones are achieved
• Help shape sustainable operating models and long-term service improvements

About You

We’re looking for an experienced interim leader with:

• Strong Programme Management experience within Children’s Services or Children’s Social Care
• A track record delivering transformation within Local Government
• Experience across fostering, placements, residential care, safeguarding, or permanence services
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, including experience engaging with Directors and senior executives
• The ability to lead change within complex public sector environments
• Strong commercial and financial awareness, ideally including savings or efficiency programmes

Additional Information

• Hybrid working model – majority office-based presence required
• Enhanced DBS required
• Inside IR35
• Interviews taking place imminently

If you’re an experienced change leader passionate about improving outcomes for children and families, we’d love to hear from you.