Service Manager – Best Start in Life and Family Hubs - 37 hours in Torquay

We are looking for an experienced and passionate leader to join our Children’s Services team as Service Manager – Best Start in Life and Family Hubs. This is a key leadership role with responsibility for driving high-quality early years practice, improving outcomes for children aged 0 to 5, and helping families access the right support at the right time through Torbay’s Best Start in Life and Family Hubs offer. You will lead and develop services that make a real difference to children and families, including the Early Years Advisory Service, home learning and early language support, early years business and finance, and Portage. Working closely with schools, early years providers, Family Hubs and partners across the system, you will champion inclusion, quality, collaboration and continuous improvement.

What you will do:

• Lead the operational delivery of Torbay’s Best Start in Life and Family Hubs programmes.
• Drive high standards across early years practice, early language, school readiness and inclusive provision.
• Manage and support specialist teams across advisory, outreach, business support and Portage services.
• Use data, evidence and partnership intelligence to target support and improve outcomes for children and families.
• Develop strong partnerships with schools, providers, Family Hubs and wider agencies to deliver joined-up services.
• Support strategy implementation, workforce development and service improvement across the early years sector.

What we are looking for:

You will bring substantial leadership and management experience within early years, education or a closely related field, alongside a strong understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage, evidence-based practice, and the wider Best Start in Life agenda. You will be confident leading teams, building effective partnerships, using data to inform decisions, and delivering improvement at pace. We are particularly interested in candidates who can inspire others, work collaboratively across organisations, and translate strategy into high-quality operational delivery that improves the lives of children and families.

Why join us:

This is an opportunity to take on a highly rewarding role in a service committed to giving children the best start in life. You will join a council with a strong sense of purpose, a clear ambition for children and families, and a collaborative culture focused on improving outcomes. We offer hybrid working and a supportive employment package as part of our wider commitment to helping our people thrive. Torbay Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment.

This post is subject to the appropriate pre-employment checks, including a Disclosure and Barring Service check. This post will be carrying out Regulated Activity. As such the post will require an Enhanced Criminal Record Check plus an additional Barred List Check. The check will reveal any spent and unspent convictions and adult cautions (which have not been filtered), any local Police information and a check of either the Adult, Child or Adult and Child Barred Lists.

Please note that vacancies may close early if a sufficient number of applications are received.

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For an informal chat please contact Emma Kerridge on 01803207895 or emma.kerridge@torbay.gov.uk. Interviews are expected to be conducted during the week commencing 31st August 2026. This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Our adverts do sometimes close early - even where there's a published deadline - so if you're keen, please apply as soon as possible.

Skills Essential:

• Ability to implement strategies, policies and model effective high-quality practice in early years.
• Ability to drive forward strategic decisions in relation to the quality of service.
• Able to communicate effectively with different people in different settings, adapting style to suit the audience and situation.
• Effective organisational skills, including the ability to plan work programmes which make optimum use of available resources, especially time.
• Ability to be adaptable and take the initiative.

This role requires the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English.

Knowledge Essential:

• A clear understanding of the principles involved in delivering an effective Early Years curriculum.
• Knowledge of Early Years Foundation Stage (or equivalent) and how this translates into good practice.
• Knowledge of the evidence-based practice in early years.
• Knowledge of the current legislative framework within which schools and early years settings operate.
• Knowledge and understanding of the benefits of partnership arrangements across the early years sector.

Experience & Qualifications Essential:

• Educated to degree level or equivalent.
• An additional, relevant professional qualification.
• Experience of successful leadership and management in a setting delivering the early years foundation stage.
• Significant management experience.
• Experience of building capacity in colleagues through coaching, mentoring and the delivery of a CPD plan.