Head of Service - MindWorks

Interested in leading a national, evidence-based intervention programme? Please ensure you read the below overview and requirements for this employment opportunity completely. Anna Freud is seeking a Head of Service to join our world-leading mental health charity for children, young people and their families. Our mission is to close the gap in wellbeing and mental health by advancing, translating, delivering, and sharing the best science and practice with everyone who impacts the lives of children, young people and their families.

Our EDI commitment: We are dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace and being an equal opportunities employer, whereby equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are core to our recruitment practices. All candidates who meet the job criteria will be considered for employment, regardless of ethnic origin, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, socioeconomic background, caring responsibilities and care experience. We ask candidates to share their diversity dimensions with us to help us identify, tackle and prevent bias across the employee lifecycle. We believe a diverse workforce enhances our ability to support mental health and wellbeing, allowing us to better meet the needs of the children, young people and families we serve. As a Disability Confident employer, disabled candidates meeting our criteria are guaranteed an interview. Applications are submitted anonymously and assessed using a fair evaluation process based on the criteria set out in our job profiles.

What we offer: We offer a range of staff benefits, including an all-in-one rewards and recognition platform called Perkbox and wellbeing offers such as finishing early on Fridays and free counselling through our Employee Assistance Programme. We are proud to have staff-led Diversity Networks offering unique opportunities for learning, connection and impact.

MindWorks is a research programme designed as a randomised controlled trial to test a specialist intervention for young people at risk of school exclusion due to challenging behaviour. Grounded in CBT and systemic approaches and underpinned by a strong anti-racist framework, the programme recognises the impact of structural inequality and works closely with schools, families and communities, with young people recruited directly through education settings.

What you’ll do: As Head of Service, you will lead the delivery of a national, evidence-based intervention programme supporting young people at risk of exclusion, grounded in CBT, systemic practice, and a whole-school approach. You will have strategic and operational responsibility for developing, managing and evaluating the service, ensuring high-quality clinical governance, safeguarding, and compliance with the programme’s randomised controlled trial requirements. Working closely with practitioners, researchers and partners, you will drive inclusive, anti-racist practice while building strong stakeholder relationships to ensure effective outcomes for children, young people and families.

What you’ll bring: Essential requirements:

• Relevant professional qualification and expertise: recognised clinical or related qualification with strong knowledge of evidence-based interventions for children and young people, particularly in school settings.
• Extensive clinical and safeguarding experience: experience working with at-risk young people, including managing risk, safeguarding responsibilities, and providing clinical supervision.
• Proven leadership and team management capability: ability to lead, supervise and develop multidisciplinary teams delivering structured interventions.
• Ability to work within research frameworks: experience adhering to intervention models and contributing to programmes aligned with research requirements such as trials or evaluations.
• Communication and partnership skills: confident working with schools, external agencies and diverse communities, with strong cultural competence and inclusive practice.

Key details:

• Hours: full-time, 35 hours per week.
• Salary: £69,092 FTE per annum, plus 6% contributory pension scheme.
• Location: Anna Freud (4-8 Rodney Street, London N1 9JH) with some attendance at schools and colleges participating in the programme nationally.
• Contract type: fixed-term until July 2028.

Next steps: Closing date for applications: midday (12pm), Wednesday 27 May 2026. Please note that due to high application volumes, we may close this advert early. We encourage you to apply promptly and to keep an eye on our future vacancies for more opportunities. Notification of interview: shortlisted applicants will be notified no later than Friday 29 May 2026. During shortlisting, applicants are anonymously assessed using the criteria visible in the Job Profile. Please note: due to the high volume of applications received, we will not be able to provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants. Interviews: will be held remotely on 2 and/or 3 June 2026.

How to apply: visit our careers website to apply online. We are unable to accept CVs and kindly request no contact from agencies. Questions? Please email Recruitment with any job enquiries, or if you require assistance or experience difficulties when applying.

Please note that successful candidate(s) will be asked to evidence their Right to Work in the UK post-job offer – we do not hold a sponsor license therefore we are unable to provide Visa sponsorship.