We are looking for somebody who wants the very best for children and young people. Somebody to take the lead in the development of our homes, never shying away from a challenge and always having the young people we support at the forefront of their mind.
Salary: £60,000 - £70,000 pro rata for 0.5 FTE post
Flexible Working
The role will be based around 9-5 working hours, but we know that that isn’t always realistic, both for 24-hour care services and also for people who have families and other responsibilities to work around. Therefore, we’ll encourage flexible working, as long as this is negotiated with your job share partner, your hours are covered and the job is done well and safely. The nature of the Responsible Individual status means that you will have to be on call for emergencies, but we’ll develop back-up plans with you so that you don’t feel overloaded.
Great benefits:
Juno CIC has a staff ownership business model: you’ll play a central role in governance and decision making and drive the vision and values of the home in every aspect of its development
You’ll get plenty of holidays - 27 days+
We’ll give you world-class Social Pedagogy training and therapeutic coaching and will be committed to your ongoing learning and development
You’ll have broader leadership development opportunities as Juno grows
You’ll get a good workplace pension; we offer a Salary Sacrifice Pension approved by the Pensions Regulator and we’ll match up to 4% of contributions
You’ll be supported by a core team committed to improving the quality of care in the UK with you
A great team around you:
As Director of Care, you will receive direct support from colleagues in Capacity, who are committed to supporting you and the care team so that we collectively achieve the very best for children and teenagers in our care. This team aims to take away some of the tasks that take time away from your direct work with young people, including
A Director overseeing Juno’s Strategy, Impact, Vision and Values
A Development Manager securing grants, social investment and property
A Recruitment and Communications Lead helping find great people and tell our story
A Financial Management and HR Support Team
A Clinical Psychologist who will work with the Juno Team and young people in our care
A Workforce Development Partner who will train and support the team
If you’re right for this role, this should sound like you...
You believe in equality and that no one is better than anyone else – that children have the right to be treated respectfully as equals by the adults around them. You’re always showing this in your day job and beyond.
You truly understand that care is a ‘doing word’ and that the change we want to make at Juno relies on working with, not doing to, people.
You see and understand what’s not working within the current care system and you’re motivated to support every person in Juno (young person or adult) to thrive. You may have come across the concept of social pedagogy before, but even if you haven’t, you’ll want to learn more about it, practice it and constant checking in with these principles.
You have a strong track record leading impactful teams and projects in Children’s Social Care; you’ll understand the importance of working in line with standards and regulation, whilst pushing for meaningful change.
You’re a great leader, with splendid planning, people and supervision skills. You use these to create a safe environment and a real learning culture.
You are reflective, you’re always learning, and you know that no-one is the ‘finished article’.
You will have experience in a Senior Leadership role in Children’s Residential Care, Children’s Services or Education
You will have a strong knowledge of Ofsted and relevant legislation, including the Children Act, the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations (2015) and the Quality Standards 2015
So what's the job then?
As Juno’s joint Director of Care, your main day to day will include:
Leading on the thinking and doing:
Working closely with Capacity’s Director of Children and our team of partners, you will be responsible for delivering Juno’s strategy, making the final adjustments to our organisational infrastructure and setting up the systems and processes that will allow us to establish and run effective, impactful children’s homes. You will ensure that systems and plans work in harmony with the social pedagogical practices underpinning Juno’s approach and contribute towards the culture and ethos of the home. You’ll report to Juno’s Board of Directors and be supported by an operational Project Group, creating a caring culture that meets children’s needs and responding effectively when things don’t go to plan. You will review key policies and practices that meet our goals and current care legislation. You’ll also work with our builders and care-experienced young people to make thoughtful decisions about the home environment as we design and develop fit-for-purpose homes for young people.
Developing and looking after our relationships with partners:
Juno has been co-designed in collaboration with a range of partners and care-experienced young people. As joint Director of Care, you will continue to develop positive and productive relationships with a wide range of people and organisations to support young people to do the things they're passionate about, have confidence and real purpose in life. This will include Local Authorities, the NHS, VCSE partners and the communities around our homes.
Getting the right team and building their skills:
Working with the existing Director of Care, you will lead recruitment processes at Juno and you’ll manage the Registered Managers of our homes. One of the most important parts of this project is having the right people on board and growing them to be the best they can be. You’ll ensure we always recruit a diverse team of people who are drive by values and able to ‘bounce back’ and remain positive on challenging days. You will think creatively about recruitment, how we advertise, the processes around it and help us to develop a second-to-none induction as we welcome people to the team. You’ll work closely with the Capacity team, the existing Director and key partners to design and implement a comprehensive learning and development programme that works with our team from day one and meets our vision and values.
Keeping the project moving forward and well managed:
Juno is a brand-new organisation, so like all start-ups, there is a lot to do and we’ll need all hands-on deck! In addition to having RI status with Ofsted, you’ll be overseeing the bigger stuff like budgets, high level and day to day planning and supporting your homes’ Registered Managers. At Juno, sometimes we all need to work on projects which don’t immediately seem to have a connection to the job description – that's how we create change. You’ll have huge amounts of scope to shape the role and the way that Juno evolves over time, so lots of room to be creative and make decisions and plans for yourself in your way!
Application deadline: 28th September 2022
Download the full job pack for further information and application questions: