This role is being offered as a full-time, Two-Year Fixed-Term opportunity. We are seeking a dedicated Strategic Development Manager to provide the essential strategic oversight for planning, coordinating, and implementing discharge improvements. Responsibilities include developing comprehensive strategic plans, fostering robust stakeholder engagement across health and social care partners, and leading financial planning to ensure benefits realisation aligns with the Council’s objectives. If you would like to discuss the role in more detail please contact Beth on 01480 372 425 or e-mail welovesocialworkerscambridgeshire.gov.uk. Please refer to the attached Job Description/Person Specification for a full list of requirements for this role. We proudly serve the diverse communities of Cambridgeshire and aim for our workforce to reflect this diversity, benefiting our employees, the organisation, and the communities we serve. Appointment to this post will be subject to the outcome of an Enhanced Disclosure obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service. The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Our benefits We value our colleagues in Cambridgeshire County Council and have developed a number of benefits in addition to the basics like annual leave, sick pay, pension and mileage… A comprehensive wellbeing package to cover all aspects of wellbeing, both in and out of work, which can also be accessed by your family Buy up to 4 weeks additional annual leave (pro-rata) through our salary sacrifice scheme Take your bank holidays flexibly to better suit your personal circumstances Make Additional Voluntary Contributions (Shared AVCs) to your pension with tax and National Insurance savings Access to development opportunities, apprenticeships and qualified coaches to support your personal and professional growth Paid volunteering hours each year so you can make a positive impact on our community during your normal working day Access to Peer Support Groups through our IDEAL staff equality, diversity and inclusion network Opportunities to nominate and receive Employee Recognition Awards An Our Cambs Rewards account, giving you access to in-store and online discounts as well as our Car Lease and Cycle to Work schemes What will you be doing? The role will work within the home-first principles of discharge planning, collaborating closely with senior management to drive the development and continuous improvement of discharge pathways. Your work will be instrumental in ensuring that our services are designed and delivered to meet the needs of our community while reflecting the core values of the council. Key Responsibilities: Work alongside senior management within discharge planning to review and enhance discharge pathways in line with home-first principles. Attend regular workstream meetings, contributing to the co-production and design of new pathways and services. Ensure that the council’s goals and values are integrated and realised in joint pathways. Support the development and evaluation of Pathways 1, 2, and 3 aligned with discharge to assess and home-first models. Lead the co-production and delivery of a digital platform that aligns with the evolving needs of discharge pathways and services. Collaborate with various stakeholders to ensure seamless communication and effective service integration across all levels. About you We are seeking a dynamic, driven individual who has a demonstrable track record in successfully delivering service roles. You will be someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, capable of delivering services in line with an agreed Action Plan, while exhibiting logical reasoning and strong analytical skills. Adaptability is key in this role, and we’re looking for a candidate who is not only willing to get involved in a variety of activities but also able to work independently to ensure that service objectives are met. An in-depth knowledge and understanding of relevant social care legislation is essential, and you should be comfortable representing the business area in discussions with elected members, senior officers, and key stakeholders. Your excellent interpersonal skills will allow you to communicate effectively and confidently with both expert professionals and members of the public. You’ll need sound diplomacy skills and the ability to handle sensitive situations with tact and professionalism. In addition, we’re looking for someone with outstanding oral, written, and presentation skills—who can engage and build relationships with public and private sector organisations, partners, councillors, and the wider community. If you’re a passionate, strategic thinker with a strong commitment to service delivery and improvement, please consider applying for this role. About us Cambridgeshire is a great place to work and live with a diverse population, an urban centre in Cambridge, historic Isle of Ely, Huntingdon and St Ives as well as more rural landscapes. Our four values are central to our culture, driving everything we do. We are proud to serve the diverse communities of Cambridgeshire and want our workforce to be reflective of this diversity, which we firmly believe benefits our colleagues, the organisation and our communities. If you don’t meet every single requirement in the job role but think this could be you, please don’t be put off. We are committed to building a workplace that is compassionate and inclusive as well as diverse, so if you think you could be a good candidate for this role please consider applying and speak to the recruiting manager if you have any questions. Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, along with our employee network 'IDEAL' and self-organised peer support groups help us to foster an inclusive, supportive and safe working environment where people feel valued, respected, and empowered. We collect relevant diversity data for monitoring as part of the recruitment process to understand the diversity of our applicants and monitor any trends throughout the recruitment processes so that we can take meaningful action. We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. We fully support providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process, as well as when you join us, and we encourage candidates to contact the Hiring Manager, whose details can be found in the advert, to discuss any adjustment needs. Some examples of adjustments could include additional time to complete an assessment or printing a document on pastel coloured paper with larger font size and line spacing. We would value talking about what might be possible to enable you to join us and thrive, so if there is something that would help you to do your best during your journey with us, please get in touch. Visit our jobs and careers section to find out more about our wide range of learning and development opportunities; apprenticeships; our wellbeing package; staff benefits; our commitment to equality, diversity and Inclusion. https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/council/jobs-and-careers