Director of Community Services

Director of Services (special interest criminal justice and complex social and health needs)
We are hiring a Director of Services and Complex Needs. You will be in a key leadership position within the Social Interest Group, one of two Directors of Services responsible for overseeing the national delivery of our operational services across England and Wales. Working closely to collaborate, both Directors aim to continuously enhance the quality and best practices of our services, supporting individuals facing a wide array of social and health challenges.
This position has a particular focus on criminal justice and complex needs, including residential accommodation support, complex care services, prison work, and community-based services. You will play a critical role in the development of service interventions, activities, and programs across the Group.
Shift Pattern: 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday 9 - 5. You may also be required to work outside these hours and will be part of our out of hours on call service.
25 days annual leave, increasing with the length of service
~ Training and Development, including access to courses, upskilling, and progression plans
~ Medicash includes discount gym memberships, routine optometry care, dental treatments, and physiotherapy treatments
~ Employee Assistance Programme, including counselling
~ Reflective Practice regular sessions with a therapist provided by an external provider to support Mental Health and Wellbeing.
~ Life Assurance Scheme
~ Cycle-to-work scheme
~ Annual Staff Awards

If you have the passion, creativity, and tenacity to make a real difference in people's lives, challenge stigma and make our communities safer, we would love to hear from you
The ideal candidate will demonstrate inspirational and visible leadership, guiding Heads of Services to ensure safe, high-quality, and effective service delivery. They should be an experienced and successful leader with a proven track record in managing dispersed and diverse operational services within our field.
Strong communication, negotiation, and networking skills.
A collaborative, solution-focused leadership style that drives quality outcomes.
In-depth knowledge of the social and health challenges faced by individuals leaving prison, hospital inpatient care, and those experiencing homelessness.
Stay informed about the operational environment to keep services strategically relevant and address emerging needs and gaps.
Liaise with key stakeholders for contract management and service enhancement.
Establish consistent standards, performance models, and best practices, innovating services and programs to deliver the highest quality support to residents and participants.
Foster a learning community where every staff member has a development plan supported by effective training, management, supervision, and feedback.
Manage team performance robustly, ensuring meaningful consequences for high achievers and those needing improvement. Champion continuous improvement within service teams.
Financial Management
Apply business acumen in setting and negotiating financial requirements with external commissioners.
Ensure all services operate within budget, with Heads of Services and Housing Support meeting their financial targets.
Collaborate on developing annual budgets for each service, including reviewing staffing resources and requirements.
Maintain and utilize financial reporting systems during reviews, adhering to procurement policies.
Audit, Compliance, and Risk Management
Lead and collaborate with relevant departments to ensure services are contractually, statutorily, and legally compliant through regular self-assessments and audits.
Work with the External Affairs and Impact team to establish and analyze operational dashboards and reporting mechanisms, ensuring organizational impact and financial health.
Stay aware of risks, changes, and opportunities internally and externally.
Develop a strong partnership with External Affairs and Development Teams to align service delivery with internal and external changes.
Ensure safeguarding and risk management protocols are adhered to and embedded in practice.
Business Development & Relationship Management
Identify and achieve organic growth in partnership with the Development and Grants team and Heads of Service.
Lead the development of delivery models and annual service business plans, ensuring compliance with contracts and achievement of key performance targets.
Continuously review business continuity plans and risk registers.
Participate in local and national forums, sharing best practices in performance management and growth.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity
Ensure consistent and effective implementation of the Social Interest Group’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity policy and procedures.
Partner with the Group’s Equality Performance Manager to embed inclusivity in service delivery and staff support.
Promote a workplace culture that respects and values diversity among staff, residents, and participants.
SIG Policies and Data Protection
Demonstrate high standards of service provision, ensuring a safe, effective, caring, and responsive service.
Maintain confidentiality in line with organizational policies regarding residents, participants, staff, and the organization.
Adhere to and stay informed about SIG policies, processes, best practices, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), and data protection, assisting in their implementation as appropriate.
Lead by example and contribute to reporting and improving Health, Safety, and Environmental procedures, following established policies and processes.
Previous senior leadership or commissioning background within, prison settings, residential and or community setting, across multiple sites
Broad understanding of how criminal justice, integrated care boards and local authorities identify needs for services and commission them
Extensive understanding of regulatory frameworks associated with delivery of support services for vulnerable people
Practical experience developing, and setting financial budgets, service models and monitoring the same
Ability to work in a matrix management style delivering results through collaboration
The ability to fully understand the work our service staff teams do
Social Interest Group (SIG) believes good care and support improve lives. Our mission is to empower people who are marginalised by building powerful partnerships and creative solutions that bridge gaps in provision and aid recovery, reablement and resettlement.
SIG is a not-for-profit organisation providing thousands of people with good-quality support and care in residential, drop-in centres, community floating support settings (including people's own homes), probation settings, and hospitals awaiting discharge. We believe in the power of well-planned, well-managed services to make a difference. We work with high standards and external and internal regulatory frameworks.
Watch our short Theory of Change video to see how we support people towards a brighter future:  Further details can be found on our website here:  Empowerment – Giving staff and the people we support the tools, training, and information they need to achieve their potential
Transparency – Upfront and visible about our actions and open to scrutiny from stakeholders, service users, and staff
Additional information on our company policies including Gender Pay, Equality and Diversity, Company Benefits and our Candidate Privacy Policy can be found on our  website .
For Recruitment related enquiries, or if you need support with making your application for example due to learning needs or a disability, please email  recruitment@socialinterestgroup.