Service Manager

The salary range for this role is £73,317 to £80,576 per annum based on a 36 hour working week

Are you a highly motivated, creative, experienced social care manager who is ready for a new challenge? If yes, we would love to hear from you as we are looking for an innovative and dynamic Service Manager for the Gateway to Resources Service.

Our Offer to You

• 26 days’ holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years’ service (pro rated for part time opportunities)
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Up to 5 days of carer’s leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping
• A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents

About The Role

This role leads the operational management of three key services: the Allocations Team, which secures suitable placements for children and care leavers; the Resource Review Team, which quality assures external providers and ensures value for money; and the Supervised Contact Centre, which facilitates family contact in line with care plans and court requirements. The role involves collaborative working across various partners and stakeholders including working closely with colleagues from Fostering, Residential and Commissioning Services.

You will be a qualified social worker and an experienced social work manager with a background and track record in children’s services. You will also have good knowledge and a sound understanding of children’s social work legislation along with the ability to understand the wider (commissioning) legislation that impacts on the work of the Gateway to Resources Service.

Role Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and management across the three Gateway to Resources teams, supporting Team Managers and fostering a high-performing, child-centred culture.

• Ensure children and young people are matched to suitable, high-quality, value-for-money placements and family time arrangements through effective decision-making, oversight, and adherence to best practice.

• Drive service improvement by using data, audits, inspections, and performance insights to enhance efficiency, quality, and outcomes across the service.

• Work collaboratively with Children's Services, partners, and external agencies to strengthen resources, uphold sufficiency principles, and improve outcomes for children, young people, and care leavers.

• Provide case management and proactive decision-making to ensure that every child is placed, and continues to live, in accordance with their assessed needs in well-matched, quality and value for money placements and that family time arrangements are risk assessed and regularly reviewed.

• Ensure that the principles of the sufficiency strategy are adhered to.

• Provide high support and high challenge to colleagues to ensure that care planning practice informs that identification of placements and that children are in their matched placement in a timely way.

If you are looking for an exciting and stimulating role within a Service that is both ambitious and determined to make a real difference, then we would love to hear from you.

Shortlisting Criteria

In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours:

• Strong leadership and people management skills, with a proven ability to develop high-performing teams and deliver excellent outcomes.
• Skilled in making sound decisions, managing risk, and overseeing resources and budgets to ensure effective and efficient service delivery.
• Experienced in building productive partnerships with internal and external stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes for children and young people.
• Have a thorough working knowledge of your operating environment, which is both fast-paced and focused on continuous improvement.
• Data-driven and highly organised, with the ability to use performance insights to improve services, prioritise competing demands, and thrive in a fast-paced environment.

Contact Us

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment. Please contact Sarah Foster via email at sarah.foster@surreycc.gov.uk.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 29/11/2026 with interviews planned to follow.

Local Government Reorganisation

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation and will move to new authorities in April 2027. This role is currently employed by Surrey County Council and will remain so until then. If you are employed by Surrey County Council on 1 April 2027, your employment will transfer under TUPE arrangements to one of the new councils, with your current terms and conditions protected. The provisional allocation for this post is West Surrey, subject to final confirmation through the wider transition process later this year. Please see more information here: Information for applicants on Local Government Reorganisation - Surrey County Council.

Our Commitment

We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum shortlisting criteria, as displayed on the advert, we guarantee you an interview.

Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we’re committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs.