Assistant Team Manager - Adult Social Work

What will you be doing?

As an Assistant Team Manager, one of the most rewarding parts of your role will be helping others succeed.

You'll work alongside Social Workers, Newly Qualified Social Workers and experienced practitioners, helping them build confidence, navigate complex situations and continue to develop in their careers. You'll see people grow because of the support you've provided and the culture you've helped create.

Working closely with the Team Manager, you'll help shape a service where good practice can thrive. You'll create an environment where colleagues feel empowered to make confident decisions, learn from their experiences and deliver meaningful outcomes for residents.

You'll remain connected to practice, supporting colleagues with complex cases, safeguarding concerns and legal processes, while helping ensure residents receive support that focuses on their strengths, independence and what matters most to them.

Most importantly, you'll help create an environment where:

• Residents feel listened to, supported and empowered to achieve the outcomes that matter to them
• Practitioners feel valued, confident and able to do their best work
• Learning and reflection are encouraged
• Good practice is recognised and shared
• People support one another through challenges

We're proud of the culture we've built within our Adult Social Care teams. Our managers are approachable, our practitioners are committed, and there's a genuine willingness to support one another. We celebrate success, learn from challenges and recognise that strong relationships are at the heart of everything we do.

Leadership can be rewarding, but it can also be demanding. That's why we're committed to supporting our managers as they develop and grow.

Why Join Us?

You'll be joining a supportive and experienced team that genuinely values collaboration, learning and professional growth. We know that great leaders don't develop in isolation, which is why you'll work alongside experienced managers and practitioners who are committed to helping one another succeed.

This is a role where you'll have the opportunity to shape practice, influence positive change and support the development of others, while continuing to grow as a leader yourself. Whether you're taking your first step into management or bringing existing leadership experience, you'll be supported to build on your strengths and achieve your career goals.

We're committed to investing in our people. Through regular supervision, professional development opportunities and access to a wide range of learning activities, you'll be encouraged to continue developing your skills, knowledge and leadership capability.

Alongside a rewarding career where you can make a lasting difference to residents and colleagues, we also offer:

• Flexible and family-friendly working arrangements
• Generous annual leave
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Employee benefits and discounts
• Extensive learning and development opportunities
• Health and wellbeing support
• Opportunities for career progression across Adult Social Care and the wider organisation

About you

You're someone who cares deeply about people and believes in helping others reach their potential.

Perhaps you're currently an experienced Social Worker, Senior Practitioner, Advanced Practitioner or Practice Lead who colleagues naturally turn to for advice and support. Maybe you've been mentoring others, leading on complex cases or stepping into leadership opportunities when they've arisen.

You're ready for the next step. Not because you want to move away from practice, but because you'd like to have a wider influence and support others to grow.

You understand that good leadership isn't about having all the answers. It's about creating an environment where people feel supported, valued and able to thrive.

You'll be someone who remains calm when faced with complexity, can balance competing priorities and supports others to navigate difficult decisions with confidence.

You'll have a strong background in Adult Social Care and experience of supporting people through challenging situations. Whatever your area of expertise, you'll be passionate about achieving positive outcomes for residents and creating an environment where colleagues can thrive.

You'll thrive in this role if you're looking for:

• The opportunity to take the next step in your leadership journey
• A chance to shape practice and influence positive change
• The ability to develop and support others to achieve their potential
• A supportive environment that values learning, wellbeing and development
• A role where your ideas, experience and judgement are valued
• The opportunity to make a lasting difference to both residents and colleagues

Higher post-qualifying training in a relevant discipline or a management qualification would be welcomed, alongside experience in areas such as Adult Safeguarding, Older People, Mental Health or Learning Disability services.

If you're looking for a role where you can influence practice, develop others, continue growing as a leader and make a lasting difference to adults across West Northamptonshire, we'd love to hear from you.

Our benefits

You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here: Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council

About us

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.  

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential.  We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.

If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email careers@westnorthants.gov.uk for support.

Please note we reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so we recommend applying as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.