Director Older Adults & Urgent Emergency Care

Director Older Adults and Urgent Emergency Care & Neighbourhood Health

Permanent

B02 - £135,398 - £175,419

Consultation grade - subject to formal evaluation under the Pay Equity Review

Working 36.5 hours per week / On‑site in Birmingham at least 3 days per week

Be a leader in Birmingham’s journey to Outstanding Adult Social Care and leave a legacy in the lives of older adults.

Birmingham is resetting how we think, feel and act so every older adult can live with independence, dignity and choice. As our Director of Older Adults & Urgent  Emergency Care and Neighbourhood Health, you’ll report to the Executive Director of Adult Social Care & Health, sit on the Executive Directorate Management Team, and lead a system‑critical portfolio spanning urgent and emergency care, neighbourhood health, continuing health care, hospital discharge and flow, locality‑based social care teams and occupational therapy.

The mandate and the scale are real. You will lead a service with 714 posts and a gross budget of £297m (including c.£252m packages of care), with a clear brief: translate vision into operational excellence, safeguard the most vulnerable, and deliver outcomes that matter for citizens and through an integrated health & care system.

What you will deliver in year one

• Faster, safer flow: Lead system escalation for urgent & emergency care; improve hospital discharge and flow across P1/P2 pathways, reducing avoidable delays and length of stay.
• Neighbourhood strength: Lift performance and consistency across locality social work and OT, enabling reablement, prevention and independence at home.
• Assurance ready, every day: Embed robust performance and quality oversight aligned to the CQC Single Assessment Framework, with clear evidence of good‑to‑outstanding practice.
• System leadership: Deepen integration with NHS partners across urgent & emergency care and CHC, strengthening resilience and winter planning.
• Culture & capability: Build a high‑support, high‑accountability culture - collaboration, kindness and courage - so teams thrive and citizens feel the difference.
• Financial stewardship: Deliver the directorate MTFP, targeting efficiencies while protecting outcomes and safeguarding.

The portfolio you’ll lead

• Strategic leadership for Urgent & Emergency Care, including system escalation
• Neighbourhood health and locality teams (social work & OT) for older adults
• Continuing Health Care commissioning and quality oversight
• Hospital discharge & flow (P1/P2 pathways)
• Professional leadership of Occupational Therapy (Principal OT)

About you

• Authentic, values‑led system leader with a track record of turning strategy into outcomes in adult social care or a closely related field.
• Deep knowledge of safeguarding and statutory frameworks (Care Act, Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act) and how to embed them in day‑to‑day practice and performance.
• Credible experience leading complex transformation with partners across health, local government and communities, co‑producing solutions and building resilience.
• Confidence stewarding large budgets and large, multi‑disciplinary teams, with the grip to deliver assurance and the imagination to innovate.
• A leadership style rooted in collaboration, accountability and kindness - people learn, grow and perform at their best with you.
• Aspirant DASS or experienced senior officer who wants the opportunity to have impact and make difference in the largest Council in the country.

Working pattern & location

This is an in‑person leadership role. You’ll be on site in Birmingham at least three days per week, with flexibility around how you shape the remainder of your working week to meet citizens’ and system needs.

Our commitment

We’re building an inclusive, equitable workplace where everyone belongs and can do their best work, guided by our principles of being helpful, open‑minded and focused on positive outcomes. If you share that purpose, you’ll find a home here.

How to apply

Please upload an up-to-date CV and Supporting Statement via the attachments part of your application.  The Supporting Statement should outline how you meet the criteria for the role through your personal qualities, skills and experience and include your motivation for applying to the post.  Note the Personal Statement should be no more than 1500 words.  Unfortunately, we cannot consider any applications without a CV and Personal Statement attached

Want to talk first? For an informal, confidential conversation, contact resourcing@birmingham.gov.uk in the first instance. 

Members Panel Interview (incl. stakeholder panels): TBC - Date to be confirmed following the local elections and subsequent establishment of the Council’s Cabinet and governance arrangements.

We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the communities we serve. Our data tells us that for this level of role, ethnic minorities are underrepresented and therefore we will use positive action to support us to achieve diverse shortlists. This may mean that recruitment times are a little longer, but we think this is worth it to achieve our aim.

Birmingham City Council is an accredited Disability Confident Leader employer, and we are committed to employing, retaining and developing all of our people.

We want to ensure your recruitment journey with us is a positive and equitable one, so please let us know if there are any reasonable adjustments, additional support, accessibility needs, or if there is any way in which we can support you through your application.

Birmingham City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our citizens and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. You can view our Corporate Safeguarding Policy | Birmingham City Council here. 

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be undertaken.

Proof of Right to work in the UK will be required for all applicants in accordance with UK Home Office requirements, before any employment offer can be confirmed.

Job Description and Person Specification 

Candidate Pack 

We are a disability confident employer and we encourage applicants with disabilities to apply. We also welcome applications from people with caring responsibilities and flexible working options will be considered.

Proof of Right to work in the UK will be required for all applicants in accordance with UK Home Office requirements, before any employment offer can be confirmed. Non-UK applicants (excluding Ireland) may need to apply for a visa from the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and may require a Certificate of Sponsorship from Birmingham City Council for a skilled worker visa (if the job is eligible).