Drive Team Leader

This is a Full Time, Fixed Term position for 2 years due to funding. Strength to Change is seeking a dynamic and experienced DRIVE Service Team Leader to lead and develop a specialist team working to address high-risk high-harm domestic abuse. The DRIVE programme works with perpetrators of domestic abuse to reduce harm, improve safety for victims and children, and disrupt patterns of abusive behaviour. As Team Leader, you will play a critical role in delivering a high-quality, trauma-informed and multi-agency approach that places victim safety at the centre of all interventions.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide effective leadership and management to the DRIVE team, ensuring high standards of practice and performance.
• Oversee the delivery of interventions with high-risk high-harm perpetrators, ensuring risk is safely managed.
• Work in close partnership with statutory and voluntary agencies, including police, probation, social care, and domestic abuse services.
• Ensure robust safeguarding and risk management arrangements are in place for victims, families and staff.
• Monitor performance, outcomes and service quality, using data to improve practice.
• Lead on case oversight, supervision, and reflective practice.
• Contribute to the strategic development of the service and wider partnership work.

Qualifications & Experience

• Significant experience working within domestic abuse, safeguarding, criminal justice or related services.
• Proven management or team leadership experience.
• Strong understanding of coercive control, perpetrator behaviour and risk assessment and management.
• Experience of working within a multi‑agency environment.
• Excellent communication, decision-making and organisational skills.
• A commitment to victim‑centred and trauma‑informed practice.

Role and Purpose

The post holder will lead and manage the operational delivery of the Strength to Change DRIVE Project. Responsibilities include supervisory, case management, mentoring, training of DRIVE Case Practitioners, developing and maintaining a multi‑agency infrastructure, and ensuring all decisions safeguard victims and their children. The role will support the strategic domestic abuse manager and commissioning lead to meet requirements set by commissioners and the DRIVE central team.

Principal Accountabilities

• Ensure all support and advice is in line with DRIVE Partnership key messages and strategic objectives.
• Contribute to the development of the DRIVE model through service reviews and implementation of changes to the operational model.
• Champion the DRIVE Project across the area and support multi‑agency structures and responses to domestic abuse.
• Develop and maintain effective links with partner agencies, attending strategic and operational working groups.
• Develop protocols, referral procedures, skills sharing and joint working with external partners.
• Ensure data is recorded on the service case management system for evaluation, performance management and service learning.
• Contribute to the development of the domestic abuse/VAWG strategy by sharing victim and perpetrator views and feedback.
• Support team members in delivering behaviour change interventions and driving disruption activities with partner agencies.
• Line manage, supervise and support DRIVE staff to ensure a trauma‑informed, strengths‑based approach to service delivery.
• Admit that policies and procedures are adhered to, are GDPR compliant and are up-to-date with legislative changes.
• Validate assessments with quality audits of casework to ensure staff competence and safe practice.
• Oversee and manage complex cases requiring high levels of expert knowledge and provide advice and consultation to staff and partner agencies.
• Ensure systems and processes are maintained to provide a high standard of day‑to‑day operations.

Compensation

Grade: 9
Pay Range: £39,862.00 – £42,839.00

Benefits

• A competitive salary.
• Excellent pension through the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
• Initially 23 days annual leave depending on length of service, plus eight public holidays and three additional days off.
• Career development and learning opportunities through a range of training courses and learning methods.
• Supportive and forward‑thinking culture.
• Great career development opportunities.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to increasing the diversity, equality and inclusion within our workforce to represent the people we serve and build an environment in which everyone can feel like they belong. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply. We adopt a ‘name blind’ approach to shortlisting. Recruiting managers will not have access to personal information, including your name and contact details, until a shortlisting decision has been made.

Recruitment Process

All applications will be considered in line with the Equality Act. The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment. Online searches, including social media, may be carried out as part of the recruitment process.