Engagement director in London

Provide operational leadership and management of the Client Affairs Team to ensure the safe, lawful and effective management of the financial affairs of adults who lack capacity.

Act as the subject matter expert for client affairs, providing authoritative advice and assurance on the application of legislation, policy and professional practice.

Ensure that all client affairs activity complies with statutory duties, case law, regulatory expectations and Council policies, safeguarding the Council, residents and clients.

Discharge the Council's responsibilities under Section 47 of the Care Act 2014 by ensuring reasonable steps are taken to prevent or mitigate the loss or damage of movable property belonging to adults receiving care away from home.

Drive continuous improvement through the regular review of practice, processes, policies and procedures, ensuring guidance remains current, accurate and fit for purpose, and leading and supporting staff to deliver consistent, high quality, person centred outcomes underpinned by effective quality assurance.

Lead and manage the Client Affairs Team, providing clear professional direction, oversight and accountability to ensure delivery of a high-quality, compliant service, evidenced through performance metrics, audit outcomes and service standards.

Act as the Council's technical and professional lead for client affairs, deputyship, appointeeship and property protection, providing authoritative advice, guidance and challenge to officers, managers and partners.

Ensure full compliance with relevant legislation, case law and statutory guidance, including the Mental Capacity Act 2005, Care Act 2014 (including Section 47 property protection duties), Court of Protection requirements, DWP regulations, Office of the Public Guardian standards and local authority governance requirements with no significant compliance breaches and positive audit outcomes against statutory and regulatory requirements.

Deliver high levels of accuracy and quality of client affairs activity, evidenced by reduced error rates, audit compliance and timely resolution of identified risks.

Lead the regular review, development and maintenance of policies, procedures, practice guidance and workflow documentation to ensure they remain current, legally compliant, auditable and aligned with best practice.

Ensure the effective operation of deputyship, appointeeship and property protection functions, including oversight of complex or high risk cases, application processes, financial decision making and statutory reporting.

Provide specialist oversight of safeguarding, financial abuse and risk issues relating to client finances and property, working closely with safeguarding teams, legal services and other partners as required.

Manage team performance through effective supervision, appraisal, coaching and development, ensuring staff are competent, supported and appropriately skilled to undertake their roles.

Promote a culture of continuous improvement, learning and professional curiosity within the service, using audits, complaints, feedback, assurance activity and benchmarking to drive service enhancements.

Ensure effective liaison with internal and external stakeholders including Adult Social Care teams, Legal Services, Finance, Housing, the Office of the Public Guardian, DWP, courts and other local authorities.

Contribute to service and directorate planning, transformation activity and improvement programmes, ensuring client affairs requirements are embedded in wider system and process changes.

Oversee the provision of accurate, timely and high quality management information, performance data and statutory returns to support accountability, governance and decision making.

Manage service risks within the area of responsibility, ensuring appropriate controls, escalation and assurance are in place to protect clients, staff and the Council.

Represent the service at meetings, panels, forums and legal proceedings as required, providing confident and informed professional input.

Ensure duties are carried out in accordance with the Council's values, equality and diversity commitments, safeguarding responsibilities, health and safety requirements and data protection legislation.

Demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to Council policies in relation to Equal Opportunity, Customer Care and service delivery, and the ability to implement these policies in the workplace.

Substantial professional knowledge of legislation and statutory guidance relevant to client financial affairs, including the Mental Capacity Act 2005, Care Act 2014 (including Section 47), Court of Protection practice, Office of the Public Guardian standards and DWP appointeeship requirements.

Significant experience of managing or leading a specialist service dealing with complex statutory, financial or safeguarding responsibilities.

Experience of acting as a subject matter expert, providing high quality professional advice and assurance to staff, managers and senior stakeholders.

Demonstrable experience of developing, reviewing and embedding policies, procedures and practice guidance to ensure legal compliance and consistent service delivery.

Experience of quality assurance, audit activity and responding to findings through service improvement.

Strong people management experience, including supervision, performance management, staff development and managing change.

Experience of managing complex risk, high profile or sensitive cases requiring sound professional judgement.

Experience of effective partnership working across organisational boundaries, including with legal, finance and external statutory bodies.

Ability to produce clear, accurate reports, briefing notes and management information for a range of audiences.

Commitment to ongoing professional development and maintaining up to date specialist knowledge.