Assistant Director - Regulation (Investigations)

We have been established as a successful and values driven organisation. The assistant director role is a central part of the leadership that aims to build on the platform that has now been established, to have a significant impact on the quality of social work practice in England.

The assistant director will work autonomously and alongside the executive leadership team to continue to shape our leadership structure, to optimise service performance and reinforce our core values and behaviours throughout the organisation. You will play a key, visible, leadership role in delivering our statutory responsibilities, and contribute to the development and delivery of our corporate and organisational priorities.

Our assistant directors will be accountable for delivery in their own areas of the business. They will also work together in collaboration with the executive directors, ensuring the effective delivery of our statutory and strategic objectives, deputising for the executive lead team and other assistant directors as appropriate.

Together with the other assistant directors you will build a suitable structure for the organisation, executing key decision in relation to operations and finance as well as supporting and informing strategic direction. You will also give strategic direction to our heads of functions and be the escalation point for risk, feeding up to the executive directors, weighing and identifying corporate risk and appropriate mitigations.

You will contribute to our focus on delivering our ambitions as a regulator, and in delivering for people, and on our commitments to equality, diversity and inclusion.

What you will do

Corporate leadership

• Deliver visible leadership of a multi-disciplinary team, developing and implementing our strategic and policy aims and objectives. Supporting, managing and providing strategic direction to heads of function to enable them to deliver the objectives within their area of responsibility.


• Act decisively and make robust, unbiased decisions at a strategic level and act as decision maker for agreed areas of our statutory framework. Support heads of function in their operational decision making in their respective areas.


• Be accountable to the executive director in relation to team, directorate, and corporate risk, ensuring they are appropriately addressed and are appropriately profiled and reviewed. Understand regulatory risk and the strategies that can be developed to reduce risk and prevent harm. Work alongside the executive director in ensuring that our policy and strategic activities are undertaken with this in mind


• Identify and implement organisational changes that enhance effectiveness, responsiveness, and quality of service


• Establish, build and maintain relationships with our Board and the sponsor departments, the Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care, as well as other key stakeholders. Attend meetings and networks as the representative for the team, directorate and wider organisation.


• Model our values and behaviours, inspiring and motivating leaders and our people to achieve our strategic objectives and to achieve our ambitions as a regulator. Work closely with other assistant directors to ensure cohesive, collaborative and effective delivery of our operational activities and strategic aims.


• Deputise for executive directors and other assistant directors as necessary.


Directorate specific

• Work to the executive director regulation on matters of fitness to practise, providing day to day support and advice, to ensure compliance with statutory requirements and internal policies and procedures.


• Be accountable for the triage and investigations services, including the preparation and presentation of cases at hearing. Ensure the quality and integrity of decision making, and the performance of our processes relating to the investigations of concerns raised about registered social workers and the economy of case throughput within the service.


• Ensure suitable quality assurance processes are in operation and that learning is embedded in operational processes across the directorate. Work alongside the executive director regulation to ensure that learning provided by the Professional Standards Authority (the Authority) is considered and used appropriately.


• Work alongside the executive director regulation on the strategic development of regulation and ensure we are well positioned within the broader professional and regulation sectors.


• Work collaboratively to horizon scan, ensuring plans for service improvements, taking account of current and forthcoming legislation, the requirements of the Authority and best practice in the regulatory sector.


• Be accountable for the delivery of our contracts with our external legal provider, ensuring a high quality of investigation, case presentation and customer service and effective management of activity levels and costs.


• Oversee the ongoing development of an intelligent and accurate suite of forecasting and reporting tools, which can be relied upon when reporting to the Board, Department for Education and key external stakeholders.


• Provide leadership and support to the ongoing development of data and research to draw intelligence from fitness to practise casework that will enable the organisation to develop its strategic approach to other key regulatory functions, such as CPD, education and engagement.


• Act as the key point of contact for high-risk and strategic communications about fitness to practise casework with regulatory bodies, law enforcement agencies, social work organisations and other key stakeholders.


• Ensure that learning from quality assurance activities is used effectively, within the team to improve operational processes, develop understanding and expertise and mitigate risk.


• Have accountability for the financial budget in relation to your area, as well as understanding and giving consideration to the wider organisational budget, ensuring value for money., Evidence of successfully providing strategic direction to senior managers, leading and inspiring multi-disciplinary, high performing teams, and supporting their future and direction
  
  Demonstrable experience of senior management experience gained within a regulatory or regulated environment


• Experience of leading complex operational and legal processes, including experience of decision making and sound judgement within statutory frameworks


• Evidence of a strong focus on performance management and success in delivering objectives, including identifying and delivering service and performance improvements.


• Evidence of effective management of budgets, contracts, and business plans, including the ability to ensure value for money.


• Evidence of strong influencing , negotiation, and stakeholder management skills, and ability to present complex information to a range of stakeholders both in writing and verbally


• Proven ability to work with others to identify interdependencies across the organisation, and make connections to enhance the quality and impact of our work.


• Proven ability to analyse data, understand trends, identify risks and articulate potential consequences, and use data on a strategic level, to improve the work of teams and the organisation


• Experience of managing change, and working with teams, colleagues, and stakeholders to deliver successful outcomes in complex and challenging environments.


• A demonstrable commitment to inclusion and diversity.
  
  Social Work England are the specialist regulator for social work in England, focused on enabling positive change in social work. Every day, social workers support millions of people to improve their chances in life. We are taking a new approach to regulating social workers in their vital roles. We believe in the power of collaboration and share a common goal with those we regulate - to protect the public, enable positive change and ultimately improve people's lives.