Head of Service Development & Improvement

Job description

Contract Terms

Contract Type: Full -Time, Permanent
Salary: HC3 £95,403 – £111,663 per annum
Interview: 14th April 2025
Closing Date: Sunday 30th March 2025

About Haringey

Haringey is a fantastic place to live and work – the world in one borough. A place brimming with creativity, personality, radicalism, and community. It is a place where we stand up for each other. A place that is proudly distinctive. We’ll be celebrating all this and more as the “rebel borough” when we are the 2027 London Borough of Culture.

Our history champions change-makers and everyday rebels; revelling in our differences, battling discrimination, championing equality, and doing things our own way. Haringey’s people are a huge asset, with knowledge, expertise, and passion. Our staff members embody our organisational values: Caring, Creative, Courageous, Collaborative and Community-focused. These values keep us looking forward, ambitious for the future, and continuously striving to do our very best for all of our residents.

About the role

The Head of Service Development & Improvement is responsible for leading the Better Care Fund (BCF) and Service Development and Improvement programme within Adult Social Services. The role involves strategic leadership, financial planning, and performance improvement, ensuring that health and social care integration is effectively delivered in Haringey. The postholder manages pooled budgets of approximately £155m under Section 75 agreements, working closely with the Integrated Care Board (ICB) for North Central London to secure funding and align resources for optimal service delivery. Additionally, they oversee audit assurance, risk management, and compliance to justify funding allocation and drive improvements in care quality and financial efficiency.

Key responsibilities include leading complex service improvement projects, ensuring the council meets statutory obligations under the Care Act, and delivering on the Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS). The role requires building strategic partnerships, negotiating funding opportunities, and ensuring the successful execution of service transformation initiatives. The postholder works closely with senior leaders, finance directors, and external stakeholders, ensuring that health and social care services are resilient, well-funded, and continuously improving. They also support sourcing external funding and grants, helping to maintain financial sustainability while enhancing service outcomes for residents.

About you

The Head of Service Development & Improvement role requires a highly experienced professional with extensive knowledge of public sector operations, integrated care systems, and financial management within health and social care. The ideal candidate must have the ability to operate at a senior level, building strategic partnerships across departments, local government, and the Integrated Care Board (ICB) for North Central London to maximize health funding and grants. They should demonstrate strong leadership, influencing, and negotiation skills, particularly in persuading diverse stakeholders to collaborate on complex service improvements. The role also demands expertise in budget management, overseeing large-scale pooled resources of approximately £155m, and ensuring the effective delivery of financial efficiencies and savings initiatives.

A degree-level qualification or equivalent experience is essential, with professional accreditation (such as CIPFA, RICS) or evidence of continuous professional development (CPD) being desirable. The role requires proven project management expertise, particularly in delivering strategic objectives, leading cultural change, and implementing governance structures for large-scale service transformation. Strong communication, presentation, and political acumen are also crucial, as the postholder must engage effectively with elected members, senior decision-makers, and external partners. Experience in risk management, performance monitoring, and service assurance is key, along with the ability to manage competing priorities within a dynamic and financially constrained environment.

Working for Haringey

At Haringey Council we are committed to creating a workplace culture where all our people feel valued, included, and able to be their best at work, and we recognise the benefits of a diverse workforce so welcome applications from all ethnicities and communities so that we continue to make a difference to our residents and community. 

Our benefits package includes a leave entitlement up to 31 days + bank holidays, potential hybrid working opportunities, health and wellbeing support, a generous local government pension scheme and a range of discount schemes across leisure and culture that provide both financial and money-saving discounts.

Please note: we reserve the right to end this advert before the noted deadline if we receive sufficient applications. If you wish to apply for this role please ensure that you do so as soon as possible.

Additionally, we are aware that automated emails may end be diverted through to junk email folders.  Please continue to check these through the application process.  If you have any questions about the status of you application please contact ResourcingHub@haringey.gov.uk