Team Manager – Children in Care Home Finding & Brokerage

Overview

As Team Manager, you will lead the Children in Care Home Finding team to secure safe, high-quality homes and drive value for money. You will shape care planning, commissioning and market management in a fast-paced environment, partnering with commissioning, providers and cross-service teams. Your strategic and operational leadership will underpin quality assurance and continuous improvement in Coventry’s care placements. This role offers the chance to influence outcomes for children and families within an inclusive, ambitious council.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of the Children in Care Home Finding team to ensure safe, high-quality placements
• Oversee care planning, home finding, and commissioning activities
• Contribute to sufficiency planning, market management, and quality improvement across homes (residential care, fostering, supported accommodation)
• Collaborate with commissioning, operational services, providers and partners
• Engage in strategy development, financial governance, and QA with data-driven insights
• Ensure compliance with safeguarding and regulatory frameworks
• Model effective stakeholder management and negotiation to secure best outcomes
• Monitor budgets and placement spend to ensure value for money

Key requirements

• Extensive knowledge of legislation, statutory guidance and regulatory frameworks relating to children in care
• Strong experience in care planning, home finding, commissioning and sufficiency within children’s services
• Understanding of fostering, residential and supported accommodation
• Proven ability to lead and motivate professional teams
• Excellent stakeholder management, negotiation and influencing skills
• Strong financial acumen, with experience of managing budgets, placement spend and value for money
• Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, and a child-focused approach
• Right to work in the UK
• DBS check satisfactory (police records disclosure)

• Leadership and people management
• Negotiation and influencing
• Stakeholder management
• Care planning
• Home finding
• Commissioning

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