Quality and Operations Lead About Us: At Southampton City Council, we are committed to providing high-quality day services for individuals with learning disabilities, autism, and neurodiversity. Our services focus on empowering individuals to live fulfilling, independent lives through a strength-based approach, person-centred care, and meaningful activities that build life skills and increase independence. We are now seeking an experienced and dynamic Quality and Operational Lead to join our dedicated team within Southampton Day Services. If you are passionate about improving the lives of individuals with learning disabilities, autism, and neurodiversity, and have experience in leadership, quality management, and operational oversight, we want to hear from you Key Responsibilities: As the Quality and Operational Lead, you will play a crucial role in overseeing the day-to-day operations and ensuring that our services meet the highest standards of support, quality, and compliance. Your responsibilities will include: Leadership and Management : Lead, motivate, and support a dedicated team of staff, ensuring that a person-centred, strength-based approach is maintained in all aspects of service delivery. Quality Assurance : Develop, implement, and monitor quality assurance frameworks, ensuring the service consistently meets CQC standards and local authority requirements. Service Improvement : Continuously assess and improve the operational and quality performance of the service through regular audits, reviews, and feedback from service users, families, and staff. Person-Centred Care : Promote a culture of respect, dignity, and independence, ensuring that all individuals in our care are supported in a way that aligns with their personal goals and aspirations. Outcome-Focused Approach : Ensure that the services are outcome-focused, using tools to measure progress in terms of independence, life skills development, and community involvement. Stakeholder Engagement : Build strong relationships with families, carers, and external partners to ensure integrated and holistic care planning. Operational Management: Oversee staffing, budgeting, and resource allocation to ensure smooth and effective day-to-day operations of the service. About You: We are looking for a motivated and experienced individual who is passionate about quality and operational leadership in adult social care, particularly within services for people with learning disabilities, autism, and neurodiversity. You will have: Essential Qualifications: A Level 4 or above qualification in management (e.g., Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care). Knowledge and understanding of CQC regulations and local authority standards for care services. Experience: Proven experience in leadership and management within learning disability, autism, or neurodiverse services. Experience in implementing and maintaining quality assurance systems and improvement initiatives. Strong understanding of person-centred and strength-based approaches to care and support. Experience of working across multidisciplinary teams and engaging with external stakeholders such as families and community services. Skills: Excellent communication skills, with the ability to build strong relationships with service users, families, and staff. Strong leadership and motivational skills to inspire and guide a team to deliver the highest quality services. Good understanding of budget management, resource allocation, and operational planning. Commitment to continuous improvement, innovation, and a person-centred approach to care delivery. Personal Attributes: Compassionate, empathetic, and dedicated to improving the lives of people with learning disabilities, autism, and neurodiversity. Flexible and adaptable, with the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment. A strong advocate for promoting independence, life skills, and community engagement for service users. A proactive and solutions-focused leader who thrives on making a positive impact on both the individuals we support and the teams we lead. What we can offer you: Here at SCC we have a range of different perks and benefits, a few examples can be found below. A generous local government pension scheme. Flexible working (role dependant). Up to 13 days of Flexi Leave. Hybrid working arrangements (role dependant). 25 days annual leave (pro rata), plus bank holidays. Online Benefits – salary sacrifice schemes, benefits and discounts. Great local transport links. Employee assistance programme with access to our health wellbeing and support. For further information on our benefits package please visit: Employee benefits (southampton.gov.uk) If you feel you have the necessary background, experience, and skills to undertake this role we would like to hear from you. Contact details for informal discussion: For further information and details regarding the role please contact Andrea Garden via email on Andrea.Gardensouthampton.gov.uk Recruitment contact details: Email: recruitmentsouthampton.gov.uk Tel: 023 8083 4033 For more information about SCC please visit Southampton City Council Follow us on social media for regular updates on our featured jobs and latest news. Twitter Facebook YouTube