Head of Service - Improvement in Chatham

At Medway Council, we have bold ambitions for the future across everything we do. We are ambitious for our children and young people to ensure they have the very best start in life and can achieve their full potential. As a Head of Service, you will report to the Assistant Director of Childrens Services, providing strategic leadership, vision and direction within your service area, ensuring practice and values deliver positive outcomes for children, young people and their families. You will also work closely with our key partners across education, health and police to influence across the system.

A qualified social worker, you’ll be a collaborative team player with the ability to build and sustain strong staff teams. You will also have a relentless focus on practice and keeping children at the centre of our thinking and planning as we work together to achieve positive outcomes.

Why Medway?

• Supportive culture: You’ll join a team that values collaboration, professional development, and staff wellbeing. Medway invests in its people offering mentoring, training, and clear pathways for career progression.
• Leadership that listens: Senior leaders are visible, approachable, and genuinely invested in creating a culture of openness and accountability. Your voice matters at Medway.
• Recognition & impact: Your work will not go unnoticed. Medway celebrates success and encourages innovation, giving you the platform you need to make a real impact.

Benefits

• A generous annual leave entitlement up to 30 days plus bank holidays.
• An excellent local government pension scheme.
• Free car parking.
• Hybrid working – enabling you to work from home/office (minimum of 2 days per week will be required in the office).
• Relocation package of up to £8,000.
• A range of staff benefits and discounts including access to fantastic discounts and savings on shops and services, travel discounts, health and wellbeing support, and an employee assistance service.
• Access to professional development and support including Community Care Inform.

About You

• You will hold a recognised Social Work qualification e.g. Degree in Social Work, PGC in Social Work, CQSW, DipSW or equivalent.
• Be registered with Social Work England.
• NVQ level 5 in Management or equivalent management qualification.
• Extensive management experience including the management of change.
• Significant experience directly related to the area of specialism.
• Experience in successfully planning for and contributing to the Ofsted inspection process.
• Extensive understanding of the legislative and policy framework around providing services to children, young people, and their families.
• Experience of working within a Signs of Safety framework.
• Evidence of continuous professional development.

For further information on the qualifications, skills and experience required, please refer to the Job Profile and Person Specification.

Our organisation

Medway is a unitary authority in the South East of England, made up of the towns of Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham and more rural areas, including the Hoo Peninsula. Situated in Kent in the South-East of England, the area has plenty of green spaces, excellent facilities and easy access to the national motorway and rail networks, facilitating superb transport links to London. We provide all local Government services for a quarter of a million people, looking after education, environment, social care, housing, planning, business and much more – everything from frontline services such as rubbish collection and events like the Dickens Festival to work that goes on behind the scenes to ensure services in Medway run smoothly and cost effectively.

Working at Medway Council means that you get to be part of this journey working alongside talented, professional colleagues to drive forward change to transform the lives of our residents and the communities they live in.

Important Information

Applicants must be able to demonstrate all essential requirements as listed in the job profile.

Equal Opportunities Commitment Statement

Medway Council is committed to creating an inclusive work environment with a diverse workforce. All appropriately qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability or age. For further information please refer to the Medway information pack available as a download or to view online.

Please be advised that if you are not contacted within 3 weeks of the advert closing date then you have not been shortlisted. All recruitment correspondence, including interview letters and contracts of employment will usually be sent out via email. If you require documentation/correspondence in a different format such as braille or large print, please contact the Resourcing Team on 01634 332878. We reserve the right to close this vacancy at any time prior to the closing date.