Strategic Anti-Racist Lead - Business Improvement Manager

Job introduction

Can you help us to fulfil our commitment to becoming an anti-racist city?

Are you able to lead cultural change across services for children and families in the city?

Do you have experience of delivering anti-racist support to organisations and communities?

We are looking for a Business Improvement Manager to lead our strategic anti-racist work across the Families, Children & Learning Directorate working across the Employment, Skills and Education, Children's Safeguarding and Care, and Health, SEN and Disability branches.

As this work will be leading our strategic anti-racist work, we particularly welcome applicants from Black and Global Majority communities.  We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds. In order to achieve our aims of proportionate representation, we particularly encourage applicants from a Black and Global Majority backgrounds as well as those who identify as disabled, male or trans. Find out more about our commitment to being a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone can achieve their potential by reading about our fair and inclusive actions, our anti-racism strategy and the work we are doing to encourage a diverse workforce (brighton-hove.gov.uk).

Closing Date: Please note this has been extended to the 4th April
Interview date: TBC

For an informal discussion, please contact Tom Stibbs - Principal Social Worker on tom.stibbs@brighton-hove.gov.uk 

About the role

Since the introduction of the Fair and Inclusive Action Plan in October 2019, the Directorate has taken a number of actions to improve practice, in particular to address race and racism.  This has included:

• Launching an Anti-Racist Project in Children’s Social Work;
• Creating a Lead Practitioner for Anti-Racist Practice post, based in the multi-disciplinary Partners in Change Hub, to support anti-racist practice across children’s social work;
• Developing an Anti-Racist Schools Strategy;
• Recruiting to an Education Adviser for Anti-Racism post;
• Implementing the Workforce Race Equality Standards for Social Care (WRES) across our Families, Children, and Learning and Health and Adult Social Care Directorates.

This work has begun across the Families, Children, and Learning Directorate and is starting to make a difference.  However, we need to make sure that it is co-ordinated and linked in a strategic way to ensure maximum impact.  We have created this post to lead on delivering anti-racist practice across children’s social care, education and skills, and SEN and disability services.   We are looking for someone who is able to:

• Work at a strategic level across the Directorate at a strategic level
• Hold senior managers and leaders to account for change
• Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of race and racism and consider issues of intersectionality and disadvantage across the city
• Lead on the development and implementation of policies and procedures in order to support good practice
• Create innovative solutions, at a time of limited resources and budgetary pressures, and ensure that actions are taken forward
• Work with a complex system, obtaining support from a range of stakeholders including the Director and Assistant Directors, other Council services such as Human Resources, Legal and workforce development, as well as staff, communities and other agencies.   
• Have authority and respect in the Directorate and the ability to support and challenge staff at every level of the organisation, including Director level
• Be a representative of Brighton & Hove in the national context and develop a standing in order to influence the national and local agendas.

In return, as well as working for an organisation that values the immense contribution you make and ensures effective support is always in place, we can offer:

• working for an organisation that has committed to help us become an anti-racist city - Becoming an anti-racist city (brighton-hove.gov.uk)
• a dedicated project, in Children’s Social Work, to support anti-racist practice, including training, practice discussion and England’s First Anti-Racist Lead Practitioner - Anti-Racist Practice - YouTube
• a Council that is leading on the implementation of the Workforce Race Equalities Standards for Social Care – Workforce Race Equality Standards Action Plan (WRES) (brighton-hove.gov.uk)
• a commitment to equalities and diversity and a Fair and Inclusive Action Plan - Working for the council: equality and diversity (brighton-hove.gov.uk)
• family-friendly policies including flexible working and a range of other benefits including a rental deposit loan scheme - Why work for us (brighton-hove.gov.uk)
• a great city to live and work in - Why Brighton and Hove? - YouTube

Please read our Apply for a job at the council (brighton-hove.gov.uk) pages carefully. They give you all the guidance you need to complete your application as well as information on what will happen after you’ve submitted your application and at interview.

As part of your application, you will need to complete your education and work history and provide answers to some shortlisting questions. Your answers to the shortlisting questions are the most important part of your application as they will be used in the shortlisting process to assess whether you meet the essential requirements for the role that are set out in the person specification and to decide whether you should be offered an interview. Before you start your application, please read our guidance here (Shortlisting questions guidance (brighton-hove.gov.uk) as this gives important advice which will increase your chance of success in the shortlisting process.

Additional information

Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is less than 37 hours or term-time only.

Work Permits: We may be able to obtain a Work Permit for this post but this is subject to meeting the requirements of the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) Points-based Immigration System. Please see Gov.uk for more information on the Skilled Worker Visa.

Part office / part home – hybrid -  We are a workplace that supports flexibility and employee wellbeing in the way we work whilst providing the best service for our customers. Team and service working arrangements are designed to support both employee work life balance and team collaboration. These would be part of your individual working arrangements alongside any personal preference agreed with your manager in advance of joining.

Working arrangements are subject to Government guidance at the time. Your contractual location will be the designated council office for your team and travel to and from your contractual location would be at your own expense.

For more information about our values and the benefits of working at the council, visit Why work for us (brighton-hove.gov.uk)

Company information

Encouraging a diverse workforce

Our city is known and loved for its diversity. Not only is the mixture of people, culture and skills vital to the economic and social development of the city, it's what makes Brighton & Hove such a great place to live, work and visit. We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds. In order to achieve our aims of proportionate representation, we particularly encourage applicants from a Black and Global Majority background as well as those who identify as disabled, male or trans.

Find out more about our commitment to being a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone can achieve their potential by reading about our fair and inclusive actions, our anti-racism strategy and the work we are doing to encourage a diverse workforce (brighton-hove.gov.uk).

Please note that this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, and is subject to a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Check.