West Berkshire Council's Communities Directorate brings together adult social care, housing, children's services and education into a single, increasingly integrated directorate.

This important role in the Communities Directorate leadership team will lead and manage the provision of high quality social care services for adults and will contribute to the development of more collaborative ways of working with service users and their families, with other services in the directorate and with external partners.

West Berkshire offers the pleasures and the challenges of a large rural area, combined with the towns of Newbury in the centre and Hungerford to the west, and the highly populated outskirts of Reading to the east. These areas have an ever increasing number of vulnerable adults who need our support in a context of shrinking resources..

You are the person we are looking for if you have strong leadership credentials yourself and are committed to developing leadership among your staff, all the way to the front line; if you would rather be 'working with' than 'doing for' or 'doing to'; if you can inject passion and purpose into the work of 340 full time equivalent employees, and provide clear-headed oversight of a budget of £37.5 million.

You will come to us with existing experience of managing a large service or organization, with budget to match. Relevant Social Care experience is not essential but would be a bonus.

If you have the required skills and experience for this challenge, and you think you will thrive in this developing culture, you will find the application form at West Berkshire Council website.

Relocation expenses of up to £8,000 will be considered for the right person.

For more information about this rare opportunity please contact Rachael Wardell, Corporate Director – Communities on 01635 519722 or email rwardell@westberks.gov.uk.