The Roles

Salary: Up to £136k

Location: Harrow, with hybrid working available

Employer: London Borough of Harrow

Following our recent ILACS and the remodelling of our senior leadership team, we are entering a new phase of purposeful and sustainable improvement. With strong political support, a dedicated workforce, and a clear, ambitious improvement plan, we are well-placed to make real progress – and we’re looking for outstanding leaders to join us and help us drive that change.

As Director of Children’s Safeguarding, you will lead statutory services for children in need of help and protection, children in care, and those on the edge of the youth justice system. It’s a broad and impactful portfolio, including oversight of early help services, family support, and our relationship-based practice model. With a delegated budget of £24.9m and a multidisciplinary workforce, you will shape culture, build stability, and drive service transformation at pace.

You’ll be a key member of the directorate leadership team, reporting directly to the Strategic Director and representing the council with partners, regulators, Members and communities.

You’ll also play a crucial role in embedding improvement activity, preparing for future inspections, and ensuring high-quality practice across all operational teams.

This is a role for a values-led, resilient leader with the confidence to lead change and the experience to navigate complexity. You’ll bring deep understanding of statutory safeguarding responsibilities, a commitment to integrated working, and a passion for improving outcomes for vulnerable children and families.

In return, you’ll join a diverse, ambitious borough at a time of real purpose. Harrow has strong foundations, a collaborative culture, and the kind of political and corporate support that makes progress possible.

To find out more, please contact our retained consultant Andrew Tromans at Penna on 07805 226301 or at andrew.tromans@penna.com, or Carol Coyle on 07500 887849 or at carol.coyle@penna.com.

Closing date: Sunday 10th August, 2025.

Salary: Up to £95k

Location: Harrow, with hybrid working available

Employer: London Borough of Harrow

At Harrow, we are building a new leadership team to take our children’s services forward. Following a recent Ofsted inspection, we are investing in the people, systems and culture that will drive sustainable improvement. We have a dedicated workforce, strong political backing, and a clear, accelerated plan for change.

As Head of Service for Corporate Parenting, you’ll lead a broad and high-impact portfolio: children in care, care leavers, fostering and adoption, UASC, residential provision, and our access to resources function. You’ll ensure that our children receive safe, stable and ambitious care – and that our care leavers are supported to thrive into adulthood.

This is a critical role in our improvement journey – and a chance to make a real, lasting difference. You will work closely with our Director of Social Care and Strategic Director to ensure strong practice, effective supervision, and a high-performance culture across all your teams. You’ll also support inspection preparation and the ongoing implementation of national reforms, ensuring we deliver against our corporate parenting responsibilities with purpose and pride.

We are looking for a confident and compassionate leader who brings deep experience of statutory services and a clear understanding of the corporate parenting role. You’ll have the skills to manage risk, the drive to embed improvement, and the empathy to build strong relationships with children, carers, and professionals.

Harrow is one of London’s most diverse boroughs, and we are proud of the richness of our community. You will find a collaborative culture here – one that values honesty, challenge, and shared ambition. We know there’s work to do – but we are committed to getting it right.

If you’re ready to lead change and build a service where children in care and care leavers are supported to flourish, we’d love to hear from you.

To find out more, please contact our retained consultant Amin Aziz at Penna on 07709 514141 or at amin.aziz@penna.com, or Carol Coyle on 07500 887849 or at carol.coyle@penna.com.

Closing date: Sunday 17th August, 2025.

Salary: Up to £114k

Location: Harrow, with hybrid working available

Employer: London Borough of Harrow

Following our recent ILACS and the remodelling of our senior leadership team, we are entering a new phase of purposeful and sustainable improvement. With strong political support, a dedicated workforce, and a clear, ambitious improvement plan, we are well-placed to make real progress – and we’re looking for outstanding leaders to join us and help us drive that change.

As Assistant Director for Quality Assurance and Practice Improvement, you’ll be at the centre of our improvement journey. Reporting directly to the Strategic Director, you will lead on practice development, workforce standards, and inspection readiness across children’s social care, education, and youth justice.

This is a role for a visible, values-led leader with a clear understanding of what great practice looks like – and how to embed it. You will be my “eyes and ears” across the service, ensuring our managers and practitioners are well supported, our performance data is used with purpose, and our quality assurance framework is focused, fair and effective.

You’ll also lead our Principal Social Worker function and take strategic oversight of professional development, practice audits, safeguarding partnerships, and inspection planning.

From regulatory compliance to culture change, you will play a vital role in ensuring we’re building a confident, capable, and high-performing service.

To succeed, you’ll bring leadership experience in children’s services, a strong grasp of statutory frameworks, and the credibility to influence across professional boundaries. Just as importantly, you’ll understand how to support a workforce under pressure – and how to inspire them with clarity, empathy, and purpose.

This is a chance to make a lasting difference in a borough with ambition. We’re realistic about the work ahead – but we are clear about where we’re going, and committed to getting there.

To find out more, please contact our retained consultant Andrew Tromans at Penna on 07805 226301 or at andrew.tromans@penna.com, or Carol Coyle on 07500 887849 or at carol.coyle@penna.com.

Closing date: Sunday 10th August, 2025.