Assistant Director - Adult Social Care & Health

Overview

A qualified social worker with senior leadership experience, you\’ll have a deep understanding of adult social care systems. You\’ll be comfortable operating across organisational boundaries, from integrated health partnerships to regional networks. You\’ll work closely with the Cheshire and Merseyside ICB and will benefit from strong local relationships and a committed voluntary sector. Like other local authorities across the country, we\’re experiencing an increase in demand and complexity. We need someone who can lead with both resilience and creativity – holding up our high standards while empowering people to do their best work. We\’re looking for someone who is forward thinking and proactive, without compromising on day-to-day practice standards.

Sefton is a vibrant, diverse borough with a strong sense of community and a unique socio-economic geography. Our culture is positive and inclusive, with a working environment that supports people to achieve. This role offers a real breadth of experience and the opportunity to develop yourself as a leader. You\’ll join a stable and ambitious leadership team, with strong political backing and a genuine appetite for transformation. If you want to shape the future of health and social care in a place where your impact will be visible and valued, this is your moment.

To apply or find out more, contact our retained consultants at Tile Hill: Chris Barrow on 07437 839048 or Anita Denton on 07725 554802.

Recruitment timeline

Closing Date: Sunday 19th October, midnight
Longlist Meeting (no candidate involvement): Wednesday 22nd October
Shortlist Meeting (no candidate involvement): Thursday 30th October
Preliminary Interviews (virtual): Monday 3rd November
Assessment Centre (in Sefton): Friday 7th November
Final Member Interviews (in Sefton): Monday 10th November

Equal opportunities

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
Sefton Council strives to ensure that our workforce is inclusive and representative of our communities. A diverse workforce is important to us, our staff bring with them a wide range of experiences, views, ideas, and innovations, and we are committed to providing an environment that recognises, respects, and values everybody\’s identity, where individual differences are strengths and where everyone can thrive and maximise their potential. We are always open to learning and growing as an organisation, and we welcome new ideas and initiatives that promote equality, diversity and inclusion.

We are an Equal Opportunities Employer; all candidates will receive equal treatment. Our decision to appoint will be based upon whether an individual\’s skills, experience, qualifications, and abilities make them the most suitable candidate for the role.

Guaranteed interview scheme

Please note that all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for these jobs (as given in the Person Specification) and who want to apply under the Disability Confident Scheme will be invited to interview. If you are currently in care or have previously been in care, we provide a guaranteed interview scheme for care experienced people if you meet the essential requirements for the role.

Role and responsibilities

Lead with Purpose. Shape Services. Change Lives. This is a defining moment for Sefton as we recruit an inspirational leader to help us move from a strong foundation towards outstanding services. Following a recent \’Good\’ rating from the Care Quality Commission, Sefton is recognised as one of the top-performing Adult Social Care services in the Northwest. Inspectors praised our compassionate staff, strong values, and innovative practice model. But we\’re ambitious to do more – especially around co-production, prevention, and reducing inequalities. We\’re now seeking an Assistant Director to lead our adult social care function – driving integration, innovation, and improvement across a vibrant and complex borough. This is a high-impact leadership role, overseeing the engine room of our operational delivery. You\’ll lead all frontline adult social care services, our client and business support function, and manage a broad portfolio including early intervention, safeguarding and learning.