Care Leavers Project Manager

How you'll make a difference The Care Leavers Project Manager is a unique and rewarding role at the heart of our commitment to being the very best Corporate Parent to care leaders across South Gloucestershire. You will coordinate and deliver a high-quality Local Offer, ensuring care leavers have access to the support, opportunities and services they need to thrive as they move towards independence. This is a creative role that provides the opportunity to shape new approaches. You will continually explore ways to enhance services and and create pathways that enable young people to thrive as they begin their adult lives. What you will be doing Working collaboratively with internal and external partners, you will influence a whole-system approach to Corporate Parenting, ensuring that services and opportunities for care leavers are ambitious, responsive and aligned to their needs and aspirations. Overseeing a small team consisting of two Transition Coordinators and an Engagement worker, you will offer support, guidance and direction to deliver high-quality services and achieve the best possible outcomes for care leavers. Leading the implementation, development and continuous improvement of the care leavers Local Offer, you will ensure it remains relevant, accessible and responsive to the needs of care-experienced young people. You will champion the voice of care leavers, ensuring their experiences and perspectives influence service development and decision-making across Children's Services and wider council services. Through constructive support and challenge, you will promote high standards of practice and contribute to our ambition of making South Gloucestershire the very best Corporate Parent it can be. A key aspect of your role will be securing and developing social value commitments from local businesses, employers and partner organisations, including free or discounted goods and services, as well as encouraging commitment to the Care Leaver Charter and Employer Charter from businesses, heads of service, directors and elected members across the council. As a visible role model for best practice, you will maintain up-to-date knowledge of leading-edge best practice through research, review and personal development. You will ensure that processes enable professionals to work creatively and effectively with children, young people, families and partner agencies, resulting in a Local Offer that reflects need and delivers meaningful impact. What we need from you It is essential that you hold a recognised and relevant professional qualification, such as a degree or equivalent professional qualification in a related discipline, for example social work or project management. You must have substantial post-qualification experience gained within a relevant setting, such as corporate parenting, children's services or social care. This experience will include reviewing and developing services, providing leadership and partnership working. We are looking for someone with well-developed interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build effective relationships and gain commitment from a wide range of stakeholders. You will be confident communicating, influencing and negotiating. You will be able to demonstrate a successful track record of working collaboratively with partners, stakeholders and young people to develop and deliver services that achieve positive outcomes. As a strategic thinker, you will have strong planning and organisational skills, with the capability to drive forward deliverables. You will be able to evidence a commitment to continuous professional development and maintain a thorough knowledge of current legislation and practice relating to children and young people’s services. What you need to know This position is a 12 month limited term contract. We would ideally wish for the successful candidate to commence in post early/mid-September to allow for adequate handover with the incumbent post holder. Please note that due to the nature of this role it is a requirement of employment that an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is obtained for this post. You will be required to travel widely to a range of locations within the authority so you must have a current driving licence and access to a suitable vehicle insured for business use. Interviews will be held on Monday 17th August 2026. How a career at South Gloucestershire Council is different We know our team work best when they have balance in their lives and we offer genuine flexibility to help them achieve that work/life balance. We value our staff as individuals, investing in their careers and we are recognised for the quality, breadth and depth of our training and development offer, which helps make the greatest long-term difference in work. We invest in the careers of our people and we are recognised for the quality, breadth and depth of our training and development offer, which helps our people make the greatest long-term difference in their work. What is special here is the strength of the team ethos, the support and the We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the safety and welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Ensuring all our staff are given right skills, knowledge and support to recognise and respond effectively to potential abuse or neglect. We recognise that our diverse team of skilled and dedicated people make us a great place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and developed on the basis of their merits and abilities. Our teams at South Gloucestershire Council are making a real difference to the lives of people who live, work and learn here. We're building and shaping communities which people are proud of. We're working with the most vulnerable in our community to help them achieve what they want in life We're investing in our schools to ensure every child and young person in South Gloucestershire achieves their full potential. We've achieved a great deal, but we need talented and dedicated people to ensure we continue to make a difference. We’re making a difference, be part of it! To view the full job description, please click this link: Care Leavers Project Manager - Job Description Working collaboratively with internal and external partners, you will influence a whole-system approach to Corporate Parenting, ensuring that services and opportunities for care leavers are ambitious, responsive and aligned to their needs and aspirations. Overseeing a small team consisting of two Transition Coordinators and an Engagement worker, you will offer support, guidance and direction to deliver high-quality services and achieve the best possible outcomes for care leavers. Leading the implementation, development and continuous improvement of the care leavers Local Offer, you will ensure it remains relevant, accessible and responsive to the needs of care-experienced young people. You will champion the voice of care leavers, ensuring their experiences and perspectives influence service development and decision-making across Children's Services and wider council services. Through constructive support and challenge, you will promote high standards of practice and contribute to our ambition of making South Gloucestershire the very best Corporate Parent it can be. A key aspect of your role will be securing and developing social value commitments from local businesses, employers and partner organisations, including free or discounted goods and services, as well as encouraging commitment to the Care Leaver Charter and Employer Charter from businesses, heads of service, directors and elected members across the council. As a visible role model for best practice, you will maintain up-to-date knowledge of leading-edge best practice through research, review and personal development. You will ensure that processes enable professionals to work creatively and effectively with children, young people, families and partner agencies, resulting in a Local Offer that reflects need and delivers meaningful impact. It is essential that you hold a recognised and relevant professional qualification, such as a degree or equivalent professional qualification in a related discipline, for example social work or project management. You must have substantial post-qualification experience gained within a relevant setting, such as corporate parenting, children's services or social care. This experience will include reviewing and developing services, providing leadership and partnership working. We are looking for someone with well-developed interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build effective relationships and gain commitment from a wide range of stakeholders. You will be confident communicating, influencing and negotiating. You will be able to demonstrate a successful track record of working collaboratively with partners, stakeholders and young people to develop and deliver services that achieve positive outcomes. As a strategic thinker, you will have strong planning and organisational skills, with the capability to drive forward deliverables. You will be able to evidence a commitment to continuous professional development and maintain a thorough knowledge of current legislation and practice relating to children and young people’s services.