Somerset Council
Strategic Manager Principal Occupational Therapist (Adults)
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Closing date: Tuesday 6th October 2026
Help shape a fairer, better future for Somerset
Location: Taunton, County Hall
Salary: £65,090 per annum
Full time, 37 hours per week
33 days annual leave entitlement
Role Purpose
At Somerset Council, our vision is simple: A Fairer, Better Future for Somerset. We want Somerset to be a place where people have better life chances, communities feel connected and supported, and everyone can live in a home that keeps them safe and well. Our missions of Opportunity, Connection and Homes guide everything we do and place prevention, independence and community-based support at the heart of our services.
We are seeking an exceptional and visionary leader to become our Principal Occupational Therapist, providing professional leadership for Occupational Therapy practice across Adult Social Care and helping to shape how we deliver high-quality, innovative services for Somerset residents.
This is a rare opportunity to influence practice at a strategic level, champion professional excellence, drive service improvement, and ensure Occupational Therapy remains at the forefront of supporting people to live independently, stay connected to their communities and achieve the outcomes that matter most to them.
Why this role matters
As Principal Occupational Therapist, you will play a pivotal role in delivering Somerset Council's ambition to support adults to lead healthy, independent lives through safe, inclusive communities and high-quality integrated care. You will ensure Occupational Therapy practice reflects the very best of prevention, innovation, evidence-based practice and partnership working.
Working closely with senior leaders, practitioners, elected members, health partners and communities, you will help shape services that improve outcomes for residents today whilst building sustainable services for the future.
Key Responsibilities
As the strategic professional lead for Occupational Therapy across Adult Social Care, you will provide expert leadership, advice and challenge to ensure high standards of practice, continuous improvement and positive outcomes for Somerset residents.
You will act as a vital bridge between frontline practice and strategic leadership, ensuring that the experiences of adults, carers and communities help shape service delivery and future developments.
A key element of the role is providing strategic leadership for the development and delivery of Somerset Independent Living Centres (SILC), embedding prevention, enabling approaches and independence throughout our neighbourhood model.
Key responsibilities include:
- Providing strategic leadership for Occupational Therapy practice across Adult Social Care.
- Driving innovation, quality assurance and continuous improvement across services.
- Shaping policy, strategy and service delivery to support prevention, independence and wellbeing.
- Leading the development and implementation of practice audits and performance frameworks.
- Providing expert advice to senior leaders, elected members and partner organisations.
- Influencing strategic decision-making across Somerset Council and the wider health and care system.
- Developing strong partnerships with health, social care, education, voluntary and community sector organisations.
- Supporting workforce development and promoting evidence-based Occupational Therapy practice.
- Representing Somerset at regional and national professional networks and contributing to best practice development.
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What We’re Looking For – Essential Skills/Experience
We're looking for an experienced Occupational Therapy leader who is passionate about improving lives, influencing systems and developing excellent practice.
You will bring:
- Registration as an Occupational Therapist with the HCPC.
- Significant experience operating at a senior level within Adult Social Care.
- Strong knowledge of Adult Social Care legislation, policy and strategic commissioning frameworks.
- Experience of leading strategic developments, service transformation and improvement programmes.
- Excellent communication and influencing skills, including experience working with senior stakeholders.
- A commitment to prevention, independence, strengths-based practice and innovation.
- A passion for developing people, promoting professional excellence and fostering a culture of continuous learning.
About the Team/Service
This is an opportunity to join an ambitious organisation at an exciting time in its journey. As a member of our Adults & Health leadership community, you will help shape strategic priorities, influence future service delivery and play a central role in delivering our vision for Somerset.
You'll join a supportive and forward-thinking organisation committed to innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement, while benefiting from flexible working arrangements, professional development opportunities and a strong focus on colleague wellbeing.
If you are ready to shape the future of Occupational Therapy across Somerset and help deliver a fairer, better future for our residents, we'd love to hear from you.
Additional Information
Due to the nature of the role and the geographical area of the service across Somerset, which is a largely rural county, with limitations around public transport the ability to be able to travel to any location is essential. Therefore, applicants must have full access to a vehicle that can be used for work purposes.
We recognise and welcome applications from disabled individuals who may require reasonable adjustments to meet this requirement, and we’re happy to discuss this from the first point of contact with the recruitment team.
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If you have any further questions or you would like to reach out for an informal conversation about this post, please contact: Emily Fulbrook on Emily.Fulbrook@somerset.gov.uk
Please note we reserve the right to close this advert early if we have received a sufficient number of applications, so don’t delay, apply today! (please also note, if you are an internal applicant, you must apply via the Council's internal careers page). A full job description can be found here: NOM0358 Principal Occupational Therapist
Person Specification
Knowledge / Experience / Skills / Qualifications
Essential
Desirable
Knowledge
- In-depth knowledge of Adult Social Care legislation, policy and strategic commissioning frameworks, including national policy and best practice developments.
- Strong understanding of occupational therapy practice, evidence-based approaches, and performance/quality assurance frameworks.
- Awareness of national, regional and local system developments influencing integrated health and social care services.
- Knowledge of equality, diversity and community engagement principles in service design and commissioning.
Experience
- Significant experience of operating at a senior level in Adult Social Care, including leading strategic development, service planning and transformation.
- Proven experience of influencing Members, Directors and senior stakeholders on complex policy and service delivery issues.
- Demonstrable experience of partnership working and leading multi-agency initiatives to improve outcomes.
- Experience of managing major programmes/projects and contributing to financial strategy or service redesign.
- Experience of workforce development, including coaching, mentoring and developing professional practice.
Qualifications/Registrations/Certifications
- Registered Occupational Therapist with HCPC.
- Postgraduate or leadership/management qualification relevant to health or social care.
Skills
- Strong strategic leadership and decision-making skills, with the ability to translate national policy into local delivery.
- Excellent communication and influencing skills, including the ability to present complex issues clearly to senior stakeholders and partners.
- Ability to lead continuous improvement, performance management and quality assurance activity.
- Advanced stakeholder engagement and negotiation skills across organisational boundaries, including health and partner agencies.
- Ability to build and maintain professional networks to influence service development and best practice.
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