Head of Working Age Adults

Location: Civic Offices, 1 Saxon Gate East, Central Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

Closing Date: 19/07/2026

Job Category: Adult Social Care

Service Area: Adult Services - Autism, Learning Disability, Mental Health and Physical Disability

Package Description:

• Great holiday benefits - most roles include 28 days annual leave every year on top of public (bank) holidays, increasing to 32 days after five years. There is a holiday purchase scheme allowing staff to purchase up to 5 additional days of leave each year.
• Excellent pension – everyone who works for us can join the national Local Government Pension Scheme, widely regarded as one of the best available.
• A full range of family friendly policies including enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity support and a childcare subsidy.
• Access to an award-winning employee benefits programme that includes a health cash plan, a low-cost bike purchase scheme as well as high street discounts and money off entertainment and travel.
• Salary sacrifice car scheme - eligible employees can access low‑cost leasing of electric and low‑emission vehicles.
• Blue Light Card - employees working within social care can qualify for an additional range of discounts from national retailers and local businesses.

Our roles are either designated ‘site based’ or ‘home based’. ‘Site based’ roles can include up to two days a week working from home whilst ‘home based’ roles are based at home four days a week. Of course, managers designate which category roles are in based on the needs of the service and the circumstances.

Job Introduction:

We’re recruiting a Head of Working Age Adult Services to lead a vital and rewarding area of Adult Social Care at Milton Keynes City Council. You’ll play a key role in delivering high quality services for residents, helping us make a real difference to people’s lives across our city. We are a unitary council responsible for over 200 services and we work closely with partners to create cleaner, safer communities, tackle inequalities and help people live well and independently. Our values are at the heart of everything we do and we expect our leaders to be dedicated, respectful and collaborative in their approach.

This role sits within our Adult Services leadership team, leading complex services that support adults with a learning disability, autism, physical disabilities and long-term conditions under the age of 65. The post holder is accountable for the delivery of services, including:

• Social work services for Working Age Adults including Learning Disability, Autism and people with a physical disability or long-term condition under the age of 65. The adult service team in this area is a joint NHS and social care team.
• The workforce consists of professionally qualified colleagues including Social Workers, Occupational Therapists, Psychologists, Psychiatrists and nurses.
• You’ll work closely with internal teams and external partners, including the NHS, to ensure the best outcomes for adults and carers.
• You’ll lead a large, skilled workforce and be responsible for a significant service budget, ensuring resources are used effectively to meet demand and improve outcomes.

This is a Site-Based role, and you’ll be expected to work from the designated workplace.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the strategic direction and operational delivery of working age adult services to ensure high quality, compliant and effective social care provision.
• Oversee joint working arrangements with health partners, including services delivered under Section 75 agreements.
• Ensure strong performance management, safeguarding practice and continuous service improvement across all areas.
• Manage significant budgets and resources, ensuring value for money and effective forecasting in a complex demand‑led environment.
• Build and maintain strong partnerships with the NHS, commissioners and other stakeholders to deliver integrated services.
• Provide visible and effective leadership to colleagues, creating a supportive culture that drives high performance.

Ideal Candidate:

• A qualified professional with degree level education or equivalent experience in a relevant field.
• Extensive experience of leading adult social care services within a complex organisational setting.
• Strong understanding of legislation and statutory responsibilities within adult social care and health.
• Proven ability to lead strategically while delivering operational excellence and measurable outcomes.
• Experience of working collaboratively with partners, including health organisations and multi‑agency teams.
• A values‑driven leader who demonstrates dedication, respect and collaboration in everything they do.

As part of the pre‑employment checks, should you be offered the role, we’ll carry out an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, (unless you are currently registered with the DBS Update Service).

Inclusion and Equality:

Milton Keynes City Council welcomes applications from individuals of all backgrounds and lived experiences. We are committed to building an inclusive workforce that reflects the diversity of our community. We actively encourage applications from candidates who bring a range of perspectives, particularly those from under‑represented groups. We are proud to have signed up to the Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard (SC‑WRES), a continuous improvement programme designed to help social care organisations achieve anti‑racist workplaces. Our commitment means we are actively working to identify and address inequalities, improve representation in leadership, and ensure fair treatment and opportunity for all colleagues in Adult Services.