Area Manager

Job Description

• Lead and manage the locality social work team through relational and motivational leadership, ensuring the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of services for children and families.
• Provide robust staff support and supervision and promote continuous professional development across the team.
• Ensure integrated services for children and families in the locality, working collaboratively with statutory and voluntary partners.
• Contribute to the transformation of services for children and families in Moray in line with The Promise.

Responsibilities

• Provide direction, guidance and support on assessing need, managing risk, implementing plans and evaluating outcomes. Ensure proportionate responses to risk that keep children and families at the centre of decision-making.
• Oversee and evaluate the quality and effectiveness of services against agreed standards, supporting the delivery of the Children’s Services plan and The Promise.
• Identify practice and staff development needs, provide effective supervision and support, and promote continuous improvement within the team.
• Lead and contribute to service improvement in line with The Promise and national and local priorities, identifying development needs across the service.
• Promote a relational culture across the service, supporting staff with kindness, understanding and positive role modelling.

The Individual

• Considerable post-qualifying experience in Children’s Services social work.
• Previous supervisory responsibilities within a locality team or equivalent setting.
• Experience in multi-agency working.
• Experience of assessing need and risk in Children’s Services practice.

• CQSW or CSS or Dip SW and SSSC Registration

• Ability to chair meetings effectively.
• Ability to provide purposeful leadership in team and multi-agency settings.
• Effective analytical and evaluative skills, with the ability to think clearly.
• Capacity to manage change.
• A broad professional outlook.
• Ability to use a range of IT packages.

• Able to develop services and projects.

• Able to develop services and projects.
• Ability to consider services in their structural and organisational context.
• Ability to use financial and human resources effectively.
• A strong professional commitment to integrated working and to the role of social work.
• Effective chairing skills.
• Sound knowledge of social work theory and research, with the ability to:
(i) relate theory and research to practice;
(ii) promote the development of informed practice.
• Able to liaise, plan and negotiate effectively at a senior level and across agency boundaries.
• A commitment to deliver quality services to agreed standards.
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a management team.
• Ability to travel efficiently and effectively between work locations across Moray to meet the service’s operational requirements. Due to Moray’s rural nature, this is normally undertaken using a car or van.

• Effective communication, presentation and negotiation skills.
• Ability to be available and accessible to staff.
• Capacity to make decisions under pressure.
• Ability to form productive and enabling working relationships.
• Ability to work with honesty and integrity, in line with SSSC codes of practice.

• Willingness to work outside office hours.
• Ability to work as a leader across different offices and staff teams, according to service requirements.
• Ability to work in an open-plan or shared office.

This post is considered to be a ‘Regulated Role’ under the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020. Under the Act it is a legal requirement for an individual undertaking a regulated role with children or protected adults to be a member of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme.
Therefore, the successful candidate will be required to join the PVG Scheme or undergo a PVG Scheme Update check prior to any formal offer of employment being made by Moray Council

Closing Date: 27th November 2026
Starting Salary: £59170.15
Hourly Rate: £31.39
Hours: 36.25 per week
Contact person: Donna Sutherland, Service Manager / Donna.Sutherland@moray.gov.uk / Phone no: 01343 557922