Community Learning Disability Service Manager

Job overview

The Community Learning Disability Services Manager (Band 8a) is responsible for providing clinical and operational leadership for specialist community learning disability services, including the Bury Specialist Community Learning Disability Team. The post holder is a senior leader within the Learning Disability Directorate, contributing to strategic development, service transformation and continuous quality improvement in line with Trust and system priorities.

The role focuses on delivering safe, effective, person‑centred and well‑led services, ensuring compliance with legal, regulatory and commissioning requirements. The post holder works in close partnership with people with learning disabilities, families, carers, commissioners, local authorities and a wide range of internal and external stakeholders to improve outcomes, promote integration across health and social care, and ensure services reflect Trust values, national policy and best practice.

Main duties of the job

The post holder leads the planning, development, delivery and performance management of community learning disability services, ensuring high‑quality care within agreed resources and budgets. This includes establishing robust clinical governance arrangements, safeguarding systems, risk management processes and compliance with statutory, regulatory and CQC requirements.

Key responsibilities include leading service transformation and integration, supporting innovative practice, and ensuring the voice of people with learning disabilities drives service design and quality improvement. The role requires strategic oversight of financial management, including responsibility for borough budgets, efficiency plans and service redesign, ensuring services are cost‑effective and meet agreed service specifications.

The post holder provides professional, clinical and managerial leadership to senior staff and multidisciplinary teams, promoting engagement, learning, research, development and continuous improvement. They are responsible for workforce planning, performance appraisal, staff wellbeing and effective communication across services. The role also involves managing complaints, serious incidents and complex clinical matters, contributing to on‑call arrangements, and maintaining strong partnerships with commissioners, local authorities, voluntary sector organisations and wider system stakeholders.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Community Learning Disability Services Manager (Band 8a) is responsible for providing clinical and operational leadership Bury Specialist Community Learning Disability Team. The post holder is accountable to the Associate Director within the Learning Disability Directorate and is a key member of the senior management team.

The role has overall responsibility for ensuring services are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well‑led, in line with commissioning requirements, statutory frameworks, national policy and Trust values. The post holder plays a central role in shaping and delivering Trust and system priorities, including service transformation, integration across health and social care, and continuous quality improvement for people with learning disabilities.

The post holder works in close partnership with people with learning disabilities, families and carers, commissioners, local authorities, clinicians, senior managers and wider system stakeholders. The role requires advanced leadership, sound financial and performance management, strong governance oversight, and the ability to manage highly complex clinical, operational and organisational challenges.

Service Leadership and Delivery

• Provide overall leadership for specialist community learning disability services, ensuring delivery of effective, efficient and high‑quality clinical pathways in line with commissioning specifications and available resources.
• Develop, implement and oversee clinical and operational systems that support safe, effective, responsive and person‑centred care.
• Ensure services reflect Trust values and national policy, and are continuously improved through quality improvement, benchmarking and innovation.
• Lead and support service transformation programmes, working collaboratively with people with learning disabilities, families, carers, commissioners and partner organisations.
• Support the integration agenda by working closely with community services, mental health services and local authority partners in line with locality, Trust and Greater Manchester Learning Disability strategies.

Governance, Quality and Safeguarding

• Ensure robust clinical governance arrangements are in place and operating effectively, in partnership with the Head of Quality for Learning Disability Services.
• Ensure compliance with statutory regulation, legal frameworks and Care Quality Commission (CQC) fundamental standards.
• Maintain effective systems for risk management, health and safety, patient safety and learning from incidents.
• Oversee safeguarding arrangements for children and adults, ensuring policies are followed, concerns are acted upon promptly, and lessons learnt are embedded into practice.
• Lead the effective management of complaints, serious concerns and allegations, ensuring timely resolution in line with Trust and partner organisation procedures.

Clinical Leadership

• Provide professional and clinical leadership across services, ensuring multidisciplinary teams are actively involved in service planning, decision‑making and quality improvement.
• Offer senior clinical advice and expertise on complex assessment and intervention, particularly for individuals presenting with severely challenging behaviour or complex needs.
• Promote evidence‑based practice, reflective learning, research and development across services.

Financial and Performance Management

• Hold responsibility for borough‑based budgets for learning disability services, including delegated financial accountability.
• Monitor financial performance, identify pressures early, and report to the Associate Director or Service Director as required.
• Work with senior leaders and finance colleagues on efficiency programmes, service redesign and cost‑effectiveness.
• Act as an authorised signatory and ensure services meet required standards within agreed service level agreements and contracts.

Workforce Leadership and Management

• Provide line management to senior staff as required and ensure robust systems are in place for staff appraisal, job planning and performance management.
• Ensure effective communication systems are in place so staff are informed, engaged and involved in decisions that affect them.
• Promote strong multidisciplinary team working and positive staff engagement across services.
• Support workforce development through shared learning, new ways of working across professional and organisational boundaries, and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Contribute to the Learning Disability on‑call rota as required.

Partnership Working and External Relationships

• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with commissioners, local authorities, service user groups, police, voluntary sector organisations and wider system partners.
• Promote the services positively at local, regional and national level.
• Ensure the involvement of service users and families in operational and strategic planning and decision‑making.

Policy, Equality and Professional Responsibilities

• Ensure full compliance with Trust policies, procedures, standing orders and financial instructions.
• Promote equality, diversity and inclusion in service delivery and employment practice.
• Maintain professional standards of conduct and ensure continued professional development and mandatory training compliance.
• Adhere to confidentiality, information governance and data protection requirements at all times.
• Comply with health and safety, infection prevention and control policies and report incidents appropriately.