Southampton City Council
Head of Quality Standards, Performance and Improvement
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Head of Service, Quality Standards, Performance and Improvement (Job Share)
Location: Hybrid working with a minimum of 50% in Southampton
Lead improvement through people, practice and partnership
In Southampton, adult social care plays a vital role in supporting people to live independently, healthy and fulfilled lives. As we continue our improvement journey and prepare for future opportunities, we are investing in strong strategic leadership to strengthen practice, quality and outcomes for residents and carers.
This is a unique opportunity for an experienced and credible leader to join our Adult Social Care Senior Leadership Team as part of an innovative Head of Service job-share arrangement, providing strategic leadership across safeguarding, workforce development, practice improvement and statutory responsibilities.
About The Role
This is a senior leadership role within Adult Social Care with responsibility for leading the People, Practice and Statutory portfolio. Working closely with the Director of Adult Social Care, senior leaders, partners and colleagues across the council, you will help shape and deliver strategic priorities that improve outcomes for residents and strengthen organisational capability.
You will operate as part of a job-share arrangement alongside the existing Head of Service, with clearly defined responsibilities and joint accountability for wider Adult Social Care leadership and improvement. The role will require strategic thinking, strong partnership working, professional credibility and the ability to influence and drive change across complex systems.
What You'll Be Responsible For
Safeguarding and Statutory Leadership
- Providing strategic leadership for safeguarding across Adult Social Care.
- Leading engagement with safeguarding partnerships and overseeing safeguarding improvement activity.
- Providing strategic oversight of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and associated statutory responsibilities.
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Workforce, Practice and Professional Development
- Leading strategic workforce development and professional practice improvement.
- Supporting the development of a confident, skilled and resilient workforce.
- Overseeing learning, training and professional development activity that strengthens practice and improves outcomes.
Co-production and Engagement
- Providing strategic leadership for co-production across Adult Social Care.
- Ensuring the voices of people with lived experience, residents and carers are embedded within service development and improvement.
- Strengthening engagement and partnership working across the council and wider health and care system.
Carers and Strategic Partnerships
- Leading the implementation and delivery of the Carers Strategy.
- Working with partners and stakeholders to improve support for carers and strengthen local partnerships.
- Ensuring carers' voices influence service delivery and future development.
Policy and Improvement
- Providing strategic leadership for Adult Social Care policy development.
- Contributing to the council's improvement agenda through leadership, assurance and challenge.
- Working collaboratively with senior leaders to support sustainable improvement and organisational learning.
What We're Looking For
We're looking for an accomplished leader with:
- Significant senior leadership experience within Adult Social Care or a related public service environment.
- Strong knowledge of safeguarding, statutory social care responsibilities and professional practice.
- Experience of leading workforce development, organisational improvement and culture change.
- Excellent partnership skills and the ability to influence across organisational boundaries.
- A track record of leading strategic programmes and delivering measurable improvements.
- The credibility and resilience to operate effectively in a complex and high-profile environment.
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Why Southampton?
This is an opportunity to play a key role in shaping the future of Adult Social Care in Southampton. You will join a committed and ambitious leadership team focused on improving outcomes, strengthening practice and delivering high-quality services for residents and carers.
If you are passionate about safeguarding, workforce development, co-production and driving meaningful improvement, we'd love to hear from you.
What We Can Offer You
Salary: The salary band for this role is £86,403 to £94,853.
Here at SCC we have a range of different benefits, a few examples can be found below.
- Excellent Death in service benefit of x3 salary, and optional salary sacrifice shared cost AVC (additional voluntary contribution)
- Generous holiday 25–31 days, based on role and service
- Flexible working options (role-dependent)
- Family-friendly policies - Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Shared/Unpaid Parental Leave, Time off for Dependents
- Training and development, including coaching and mentoring
- Health and wellbeing support - Employee Assistance Programme, Menopause Pledge, Mental Health First Aiders and access to a variety of staff networks
- Veteran-friendly employer with the Armed Forces Covenant
- Retail discounts and savings through the Southampton City Council benefits platform
- Discounted memberships at local sports and fitness centres
- Sustainable travel benefits - low emission car scheme, cycle to work, season ticket loans
- Employee volunteering scheme with 2 paid days leave to volunteer
Contact Details For Informal Discussion
For further information on our benefits package please visit:
For further information and details regarding the role, please contact Hannah Balzaretti, Adult Social Care Director, at
Recruitment contact details:
Tel: 023 8083 4033
For More Information About SCC Please Visit
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