Chief Executive Officer Full Time

The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) is a national membership charity representing Directors of Adult Social Services in England, their direct reports, and their Principal Social Workers. Our collective voice advocates for social policy reform, shares best practices in the sector, and raises awareness of the importance of adult social care nationwide. ADASS is small in size but mighty in impact. We are seeking a dynamic Chief Executive to provide visible leadership and drive our mission forward. This role involves collaboration across the sector, with parliamentarians, officials, and our extensive network of members to influence policy, promote service integration, and highlight the critical importance of social care.

Adult Social Care is a lifeline for many individuals and their families across the country, preventing struggles and reducing the risk of abuse. Despite its importance, adult social care faces significant challenges due to unmet needs, workforce shortages, and a lack of fully funded reforms. The Chief Executive will lead ADASS through these challenges by developing and delivering long-term strategic plans informed by equality, diversity, social justice, and coproduction principles. Enhancing our policy development and influencing strategy is crucial to ensuring ADASS remains a credible and impactful voice at national and local government levels. To do this, your role will be to engage with the sector to amplify the voices of those who rely on social care while ensuring financial sustainability through effective income generation and risk management.

We will look to you to develop and implement long-term strategic plans with clear goals, working closely with staff and trustees on annual delivery plans. These plans will be monitored and adapted as needed in response to political, social, or economic changes, with a focus on strategic communications to enhance public awareness of social care’s importance.

To ensure organisational governance, you will secure financial sustainability through strategic planning and income generation, overseeing compliance, risk management, and internal administration. They will also lead and manage the staff team to maintain high morale and performance.

You will develop a collaborative policy-making process and an influencing strategy, working with trustees and the President’s team. Building strong stakeholder relationships across the sector will be important, as will the co-creation of a diverse membership programme offering valuable professional development.

About You

We are looking for an experienced leader with a proven track record of success at a national level. You should be able to build on our recent review findings and new operating model to enhance ADASS’s influence and effectiveness.

Your significant senior-level experience in social care or social work with extensive engagement experience with both local authorities and the Government will enable your success in this role. You should have proven success in leadership, strategic planning, and policy development, with demonstrable experience in building strategic relationships and partnerships.

You will need to be a strategic communicator with the ability to engage at all levels. An entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to generate and lead new initiatives is important, as is personal resilience and the ability to manage competing priorities. An empowering leadership style that inspires confidence and enthusiasm is essential.

This is a unique opportunity to lead an influential organisation at a critical time for adult social care. If you are a strategic leader with a passion for social justice and an inclusive approach to leadership, we want to hear from you.

For further details please click on Apply and to discuss your suitability, please contact Frazer Thouard (frazer.thouard@gatenbysanderson.com) or Alex Hayes (alex.hayes@gatenbysanderson.com) from our retained recruitment partners at GatenbySanderson.

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