Service Manager - Justice Services

Job Summary

Interview Date: 16th September 2026

We may conduct our interviews in person or using Microsoft Teams for video calling. All you need is a device with a camera and access to the internet. We will provide guidance and instructions on how to use this method if your interview is being held virtually.

We are a disability confident leader and we support reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process - for more information click important-information-for-applicants (north-ayrshire.gov.uk)

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join North Ayrshire’s Justice Services Team. We are seeking an experienced, skilled and innovative leader to undertake the role of Service Manager within our Justice Fieldwork and Court Services. The post holder will provide supervision, support and line management to Fieldwork and Court Team Managers and offer professional leadership across the service, promoting team development, coaching, performance management, attendance management and continuous professional learning. The ability to inspire and motivate staff, while fostering a culture of accountability, innovation and learning, is essential. The successful candidate will also bring a clear vision for the strategic development of Justice Services across North Ayrshire. They will ensure that robust arrangements are in place for the assessment and management of risk and provide clear guidance and direction to staff managing complex cases involving significant risk and multiple needs. The successful candidate will demonstrate strong professional social work values and provide confident leadership in the management of complex ethical and practice issues across Justice Fieldwork and Court Services. They will play a key role in ensuring that services are delivered to the highest standards, reflecting social work principles, Council policies, national standards, statutory duties and legislative requirements. A key aspect of the role will be driving continuous improvement through effective performance management, quality assurance and self-evaluation processes. We welcome applications from individuals with significant management experience within Justice Social Work and a proven track record of leading high-performing teams. Applicants should have substantial experience of managing and delivering safe, effective justice services within a multi-agency environment and a strong commitment to collaborative partnership working. They will possess an in-depth understanding of the causes of offending behaviour, evidence-based approaches to reducing reoffending, and the ability to lead and manage change within an evolving justice landscape. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced leader to make a significant contribution to the continued development and delivery of high-quality justice services that improve outcomes for individuals, families and communities across North Ayrshire. The successful candidate will be required to participate in the out of hours on call duty rota.

For more details see the attached Role Profile below.

Before you apply, find out a little bit about us and why we are a Great Place to Work.

Staff Values & Behaviours

North Ayrshire Council uses behavioural based approach throughout the recruitment process. Our staff values of Focus, Passion & Inspiration will be explored for this vacancy.

Further information on our Staff Values and how to complete behaviour based application form questions is available on the Staff values and behaviours (north-ayrshire.gov.uk).

Additional Information

References

For your information if this post requires references you will be notified of further details if you are successful in gaining an interview. Not providing relevant references when requested may delay the outcome of the interview process.

PVG (both)

This post is considered Regulated Work with Children and Protected Adults, under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act, 2007. Therefore, it is an offence to apply if you are barred from working with children or protected adults

Preferred candidates will be required to join the PVG Scheme, or undergo a PVG Scheme Update check, prior to confirmation of employment being made by North Ayrshire Council. Please note, successful candidates will be expected to meet the cost of the relevant PVG check (£59 or £18), which will be deducted from your salary following commencement of employment. For further information on the PVG Scheme please visit https://www.mygov.scot/organisations/disclosure-scotland/. For further details on North Ayrshire Council’s policy please visit Pre-employment checks (north-ayrshire.gov.uk).

Please note if you are the successful candidate your name and email address will be entered into the Disclosure Scotland PVG system to generate your PVG form which will be issued to your email with an enclosed link to complete.

Our Workstyles

As an employer of choice, North Ayrshire Council has identified four different Workstyles. Each post in the council has been allocated one of these styles:

Agile – 100% of time spent working agile (flexibly) and interacting with others. Able to work at home, office or multiple locations. May be required to attend office on set days/rota basis as the role requires.

This post has been allocated the workstyle: Agile

More information on our workstyles can be found in our HR Guide - Workstyles (north-ayrshire.gov.uk). If you have any questions on the allocated Workstyle for this post, please ask at interview.

Use of AI in Applications

Applicants may use AI tools to assist with drafting or refining their application. However, AI should only be used to enhance an application and must not replace personal experience or be used to generate content wholly on the applicant’s behalf. Where it is identified that AI has been used to create an application in full or to falsify responses, this will be taken into account within the scoring, and your application may not be progressed.