Reporting directly into the Corporate Director of Adult Social Care & All Age Commissioning, you will have a particular leadership focus on supporting the city’s residents to fulfil their potential and supporting vulnerable people in our communities to live their lives well.
To be successful in the role of Director of Adult Social Care, you will need to demonstrate strong operational leadership and active participation within the Directorate Management Team.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council is committed to enabling all residents to lead healthy, independent, and rewarding lives. In this role, you will ensure that support is provided to individuals within their own homes while contributing to the development of accessible, client-focused services. Engaging clients, families, and carers in both service planning and review is essential to guarantee that service delivery aligns with statutory requirements and strategic objectives that promote improved quality of life for local residents.
You will need to provide informed advice to senior leaders and Elected Members on strategic matters, as well as fostering integrated health and care services in partnership with the NHS, are also key.
The role requires business and service transformation leadership, establishing effective strategic partnerships, and achieving high standards in performance and inspection outcomes.
The successful candidate must also ensure robust safeguarding, keep abreast of national policy developments, and effectively manage resources to meet strategic objectives. A focus on quality assurance, resident engagement, and the cultivation of a high-performance culture is essential, as is the ability to develop collaborative approaches with internal and external partners to maximise service impact and integration.
It is likely that you are a qualified social worker, but we will exceptionally consider candidates with different backgrounds based on the relevance of experience. As a senior officer, you will provide confident, visible, strategic and values-led leadership. You will demonstrate effective political awareness with the aptitude to promote a culture of close collaboration and working strategically. You will be an ambassador for the council, promoting our image as a city, supporting the formation of strategic alliances and developing effective working relationships on a local, regional and national basis, including the local voluntary and community sector, social enterprises, the private sector.
Are you up for the challenge?
Directorate: Adult Social Care & All Age Commissioning
Location: Stoke-on-Trent
Salary: DH4 - £111,136 - £116,521 per annum
Reference: Director – (Director of Adult Social Services)
About the role
Full job description - Director of adult social care
Indicative timetable
Closing date for applications: 22nd February 2026
Preliminary/Technical Interviews: TBC
Final Stakeholder and Panel Interviews: TBC
Contact: Tim Farr, Senior Partner at Starfish Search on 07756 293292 or tim.farr@starfishsearch.com
Apply for the role - director of adult social care
