Transformation Lead in London

Bring your children's social care knowledge to lead digital transformation and help shape better systems, processes and services for practitioners, children and families. This is an opportunity for an experienced children's social worker to take their career into a new direction. We are looking for someone who understands the realities of children's social care, is curious about how services can be improved and is keen to develop their skills within transformation, technology, data and AI.

We're all in to design efficient, user‑centred services that support our frontline practitioners and families. This is a hybrid role, playing a key role serving the local community. Whether you’re working behind the scenes with technical partners or directly with frontline practitioners, you’ll be part of a dedicated team supporting our young residents.

In this fast‑paced role, you will lead the project management and delivery of digital transformation initiatives within our Children’s Operations and Programme Directorate. You will manage cross‑functional projects from inception through to completion, ensuring milestones are achieved, risks are mitigated, and savings targets are successfully delivered. Working as the direct intersection of frontline practice, data, and technical design, you will act as a crucial connector, converting your real‑world understanding of social work into robust digital project requirements.

Your daily responsibilities will include working with frontline practitioners, digital partners, and internal and external stakeholders to understand service challenges, shape and test practical solutions, support implementation, evaluate impact and identify emerging opportunities. You will co‑produce service solutions alongside frontline teams, map interdependencies, and manage project benefits effectively to improve our practitioner and service‑user experience and to enable more efficient ways of working. Additionally, you will build consensus among diverse stakeholders during periods of change.

Although technical expertise is not necessary, your experience in social care will be crucial to understand practice problems, ask good questions, shape requirements, test whether solutions are useful and safe, and help practitioners and technical colleagues work effectively together.

You must have a Children’s Social Worker background coupled with substantial working knowledge of statutory children’s social care practice with a thorough understanding of contemporary children’s policy and legislation to ensure our new strategies remain highly responsive to local priorities. You will have contributed to change, service improvement, practice development or project activity. This might include improving a process, helping to implement a new system or practice model, testing a new approach, supporting colleagues through change or contributing to a wider improvement programme.

You need proven experience of successfully leading transformation or service improvement initiatives within a large, complex organisation. While technical IT expertise is not required, you must demonstrate a genuine interest in how data, technology, and AI can reduce administrative burdens and optimise frontline workflows. This role demands strong negotiation and lateral thinking capabilities to manage service risks, guide teams through ambiguity, and build inclusive, high‑performing project environments.

At RBKC, we’re all in – investing in our people, our communities and our future. You will join a well‑established, collaborative bi‑borough team operating across both the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster City Council, giving you unmatched strategic exposure. This is a brilliant environment to grow your skills in line with our commitment to developing talent. You will be part of a service that celebrates an exceptional standard of work, with our Children’s Services recently being rated Outstanding by Ofsted for the third consecutive time, marking a decade of elite practice. We support your continuous professional development by offering substantial on‑the‑job development and structured pathways to master strategic service design, data‑led improvement, and large‑scale transformation leadership.

Kensington and Chelsea is home to diverse communities, thriving businesses and unique local places. Everything we do is focused on supporting our residents, strengthening our approach and creating a fairer borough. As a competent and caring Council, we take pride in our services each day, ensuring they are delivered with care and competence. We listen to our residents, act with integrity and work together to build a borough that is greener, safer and fairer for all. In this role, your daily work directly drives our ‘we’re all in’ employer brand across the directorate. True transformation requires an authentic ‘get stuck in’ mindset, whether you are meeting frontline practitioners to understand their operational challenges, working alongside corporate digital partners, or evaluating system impacts from the office or home.

We are committed to promoting equality and respecting diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community. We are a Disability Confident Employer – committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible. We are committed to fair, transparent, and consistent pay practices. New hires will start at the minimum of the advertised salary range. Employees receive annual salary increases until they reach the top of the pay scale. In addition, employees will receive any agreed cost of living pay rises.