Head of Services

Head of Services

Job description and person specification

Salary:                £42,060 to £47,432 (depending on skills/experience)

Hours:                Full time (37 hrs per week)

Reporting to:     Chief Executive Officer

Direct reports:   Programme Lead, Wellbeing & Creative Arts; Counselling Services Lead; Children & Young People’s Lead

Location:           Sevenoaks, although we operate flexible working in which staff can work from home for part of the week and some travel may be required on occasion.

About West Kent Mind

West Kent Mind enriches lives through better mental health by offering support to get well, stay well and thrive. We are an ambitious, award-winning organisation and an enthusiastic member of the Mind federation. We value collaboration, partnership, creativity and growth.

Job description

Purpose of the role

This is a senior leadership role within West Kent Mind. The Head of Services is responsible for overseeing and developing the charity's mental health services to ensure they meet the highest standards of quality, compliance, equity and effectiveness.

This role requires a proactive and forward-thinking leader who can manage service delivery, inspire teams, and foster relationships with stakeholders. Working closely with the CEO and colleagues within the Senior Management Team, the Head of Services will play a key part in shaping the organisation’s future.

Key Objectives include but are not limited to:

• Provide motivational leadership to foster a positive, accountable, and high-performing culture while collaborating with senior management on strategic goals.
• Design and deliver community-focused services aligned with organisational priorities, monitoring and evaluating their impact.
• Oversee innovative, evidence-based mental health services, ensuring continuous improvement through feedback and analysis.
• Involve service users in the design and evaluation of services, ensuring responsiveness to diverse needs.
• Ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, and quality standards while maintaining effective performance monitoring systems.
• Build strategic partnerships, drive innovation, promote best practices, and represent the charity externally.
• Manage budgets effectively to maximise income and embed equity, diversity, and inclusion across all activities.

Person specification

Who you are

• All previous experience may be paid or voluntary, full or part-time, in the UK or overseas.
• You have demonstrable experience in a senior role managing mental health or related services.
• You have strong management and leadership experience with the ability to inspire and motivate teams.
• You have a comprehensive knowledge of mental health issues, service delivery models and best practices.
• You will have had experience in designing, developing and implementing new services that are client-centered, impactful and aligned with strategic priorities. of service design and development and the implementation of new services.
• You are confident in using data and a CRM system (we use Beacon) to evidence organisational impact, monitor performance and report against strategic objectives. committed to evidencing West Kent Mind’s impact effectively and reporting against our strategic plan and are confident in using data and a CRM (Beacon) to do this.
• You have exceptional communication and relationship-building skills with experience working collaboratively with funders, commissioners, and internal and external stakeholders, including co-production and involvement with client.
• You have an in – depth understanding of compliance requirements in the health or charity sector, including GDPR and safeguarding of children and adults.
• You are committed to excellence in all that you do and embedding the principles of West Kent Mind and better mental health for all.
• You are driven by addressing inequalities with a strong commitment to equity and diversity.
• You have discretion and judgment when dealing with sensitive and/or confidential information and are flexible and adaptable.
• You are resilient with a proactive approach to safeguarding your personal wellbeing and that of your team.
• A professional qualification in mental health, social care, or a related field would be desirable but not essential (e.g. BACP, UKCP, HCPC, BPS).

What You Will Offer Us

• You can demonstrate that you have significant experience in a senior leadership role managing mental health related services, with a proven track record of success.
• Your strong leadership and management skills, and the ability to inspire, motivate, and develop high-performing teams.
• Your expertise in designing, developing, and delivering innovative, client-centred services that align with West Kent Mind’s strategic priorities and the needs of the community that we serve.
• You have comprehensive knowledge of mental health issues, service delivery models, compliance requirements, and best practices, including safeguarding and GDPR.
• You have exceptional communication and relationship-building skills, with experience collaborating with key stakeholders such as trustees, funders, and service users.
• Your understanding and confidence in using data and CRM systems (we use Beacon) to monitor performance, evidence impact, and report effectively on strategic objectives is key to this role.
• You have a strong commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, ensuring services address inequalities and are accessible to all.
• A proactive, resilient, and solution-focused approach, with discretion and adaptability when handling sensitive or complex challenges.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide supportive and inspirational leadership to service leads and teams, creating an environment where staff feel valued, motivated, and equipped to succeed.
• Promote a culture of accountability, learning, and excellence across service teams.
• Collaborate with the Senior Management Team to deliver organisational priorities and contribute to strategic planning.
• Design and plan a programme of services that meets local community needs, in line with the organisational strategic plan.
• Monitor, evaluate, and report on the impact and success outcomes of these services.
• Drive the development, planning, delivery, and evaluation of mental health services.
• Develop and implement innovative, client-centred service models and interventions tailored to the needs of the community.
• Contribute expertise in the tendering and rollout of new services to ensure they are robust and effective.
• Ensure all services are evidence-based, client-focused, and compliant with relevant regulations and quality standards.
• Promote continuous service improvement and growth through feedback, analysis, and collaboration.
• Engage clients and service users in the consultation, design, implementation, and evaluation of services.
• Deliver flexible, client-centred services that are responsive to and accommodate the needs, wishes, and aspirations of service users.
• Ensure all services comply with legal, regulatory, and contractual requirements, including safeguarding, health and safety, and GDPR.
• Maintain robust systems for monitoring and reporting service performance and impact, including overseeing client information on the CRM system and capturing relevant data.
• Advise and support the CEO on meeting regulatory requirements related to service delivery.
• Work closely with the Fundraising team to identify and develop opportunities to expand existing revenue streams for service delivery.
• Build strategic and sustainable partnerships across statutory, corporate, voluntary, and public sectors to maximise impact for beneficiaries.
• Play a key role in driving organisational innovation, supporting service leads to respond to needs, and ensuring best practices are captured, celebrated, and promoted.
• Represent the charity at external meetings, forums, and events to advocate for mental health and the charity's services.
• Contribute to the Mind federation, supporting its strategic direction and offering expertise where appropriate.
• Manage the services budget to maximise income and ensure good value for money.
• Support project leads and teams in managing individual budgets and reporting to funders.
• Embed equity, diversity, and inclusion best practices into all aspects of your work.

Adopting Our Fundraising Culture

At West Kent Mind, we foster a fundraising culture where staff, volunteers, and trustees advocate for and contribute to our fundraising ethos. We expect everyone to play a role in generating income, whether collaborating on funding for your work area, writing a thank-you note to a donor, or sharing a beneficiary’s testimonial to support a grant application. Securing income is vital, and we ask you to embrace this ethos with energy and passion—no expertise required.

Benefits

We’re a charity with a mission to make a positive impact. You’ll join a passionate, dedicated team with a big heart.

Holidays

You’ll receive 23 days’ holiday, rising annually by one day to 30 days, plus bank holidays. We also give an extra three days between Christmas and New Year. Holidays are pro-rata for part-timers.

Learning

We support professional development with coaching, training, and mentoring opportunities. All roles include free Mental Health First Aid training.

Pension

If eligible, you’ll be auto-enrolled in our pension scheme, with a 3% employer contribution.

Employee Assistance Programme

Our confidential Employee Assistance Programme offers 24/7 advice, counselling, and online tools to support your wellbeing.

Application Process

The job description and person specification are attached or on our website. For an informal discussion, contact us at jobs @ westkentmind. org. uk.

Submit your CV and a statement (max. 2 A4 sides) showing how you meet the person specification to jobs @ westkentmind. org. uk by Tuesday, 25 February 2025, 5pm. Please include the job title in the subject line. Due to application volumes, we may not acknowledge receipt—thank you for understanding.

Complete an Equality & Diversity monitoring form on our website (processed anonymously).

Interviews are scheduled for 10–11 March 2025, with shortlisted candidates notified by 28 February 2025.