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Job summary
The Children & Young Peoples (CYP) Speech and Language Service is operationally managed within the Children Young People & Families Service (CYPFS) directorate, together with other physical and mental health, community and inpatient services.
This exciting role is pivotal in providing leadership during a period of continued service transformation and improvement. The Service Manager will lead the delivery of high-quality, safe and effective services, ensuring that children, young people and families receive timely, responsive and person-centred care in Plymouth.
This service is offered to children and young people aged 0-19 years and their families, registered with a Plymouth General Practice, supporting those who experience difficulties communicating, speaking clearly, understanding language, or swallowing.
The service promotes speech, language and communication development and offers Early Help, providing more advice and help at an early stage, working with system partners. This involves delivering training to early years settings and schools and acting in a consultative capacity to manage requests for help. Specialist services are then offered as required.
Please note that Livewell may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline if a high number of applications are submitted. Therefore, we recommend you submit your application at the earliest opportunity
Main duties of the job
The post holder is responsible for the development & delivery of high-quality speech &language services for children & young people through leadership &management &deployment of resources within a defined budget.
The Service Manager will develop & maintain strong relationships across health, education, social care & voluntary sector partners, creating opportunities for integrated &collaborative working. The Service Manager will support the ongoing development of services across Plymouth.
The Service Manager will work closely with Team Managers, Clinical Lead & Professional Leads & will contribute to the wider CYPFS Senior Leadership Team to enhance quality, performance and service delivery across children's speech & language services.
The role provides a visible & accessible management presence within the service. The post holder will define & assure high standards of care through strong leadership, effective governance & a clear vision for service development. Promoting excellent clinical practice, safeguarding, quality improvement & positive outcomes for children & young people will be a crucial part of the role.
All Livewell Southwest staff are expected to able and willing to work across a 7 day service.
Job Share(s) Considered
please note that this role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route, please refer to the Direct Gov website for more information with regards to eligibility
About us
Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning social enterprise delivering integrated health and social care services across Plymouth, South Hams, and West Devon, with specialist services in parts of Devon and Cornwall. Our teams work in community hospitals, GP practices, sports centres, and health hubs.
As an organisation with a strong social conscience we are guided by our values, kindness, respect, inclusivity, ambition, responsibility, and collaboration. We focus on transforming services to ensure sustainability, while empowering staff and those we serve.
We involve the people we care for, along with their families and carers, in shaping the care they receive, striving to deliver the right care at the right time and place. Centering our work on individual needs helps people lead healthy, independent lives.
We prioritise employees' development, offering protected CPD time, training pathways, leadership programs, and funding for qualifications like the Care Certificate and Nurse Training Scholarships. Our induction and preceptorship programs ensure a smooth transition into our organisation.
Livewell Southwest values diversity and encourages applications from all sections of the community, including those with armed forces experience, lived experience of mental health, neuro-diverse conditions and learning disabilities. If you need assistance or reasonable adjustments during the application process, contact the Recruiting Manager listed in the job advert.
Details
- Date posted: 19 August 2026
- Pay scheme: Agenda for change
- Band: Band 8a
- Salary: £57,528 to £64,750 a year pro rata
- Contract: Permanent
- Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time, Job share, Flexible working
- Reference number: B9832-2026-PTA-1643
- Job locations: 200 Mount Gould Road, Mount Gould, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 7PY, United Kingdom
Job responsibilities
JOB PURPOSE
The post holder is responsible for the development and delivery of high-quality speech and language services for children & young people through leadership and management and deployment of resources within a defined budget.
The Service Manager will develop and maintain strong relationships across health, education, social care and voluntary sector partners, creating opportunities for integrated and collaborative working. The Service Manager will support the ongoing development of services across Plymouth.
The role is pivotal in providing leadership during a period of continued service transformation and improvement. The Service Manager will lead the delivery of high-quality, safe and effective services, ensuring that children, young people and families receive timely, responsive and person-centred care.
The Service Manager will work closely with Team Managers, Clinical Lead and Professional Leads and will contribute to the wider CYPFS Senior Leadership Team to enhance quality, performance and service delivery across childrens speech and language services.
The role provides a visible and accessible management presence within the service. The post holder will define and assure high standards of care through strong leadership, effective governance and a clear vision for service development. Promoting excellent clinical practice, safeguarding, quality improvement and positive outcomes for children and young people will be a crucial part of the role.
The Service Manager will also hold line management responsibilities for designated operational managers. This role will support workforce development, service innovation and the continued improvement of childrens speech and language provision across Plymouth.
Accountable to the CYPFS Directorate Manager, they will lead on service development and re-design, ensure recommendations from After Action Reviews (AARs), near misses, complaints, incidents and service user involvement are implemented and lead staff to deliver a high quality and effective service, which meets commissioner requirements.
SCOPE AND RANGE
The service is made up of speech and language therapists, assistants and administrative staff.
The service has undergone significant re-design over recent years and delivers services in line with the iThrive model, which puts prevention at the heart of everything we do. Operating an open referral system, parents, caregivers, and professionals can submit a "Request for Help" form directly into the service.
There are strong links with Plymouth Marjon Universitys Speech and Language Therapy degree programme with Livewell providing clinical placements and opportunities for research and development.
For full details regarding this role, please see the document entitled Job Description with Personal Spec.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Person specification
Skills
Essential
- Ability to provide and receive highly complex and emotive information with staff, service users, carers and other stakeholders
- Good project management skills and the ability to see through tasks to their successful conclusion within timescales and budgets.
- Good performance management skills combining clarity around expectations, direction and holding others to account
- Excellent organisational skills with the ability and flexibility to deal with more than one task at a time and move between tasks in order to respond to changing priorities and demands
- Developed interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate at a variety of levels
- Ability to present information clearly to a variety of audiences, verbally and in written reports
- Ability to analyse and interpret performance and financial information
- Resilient and self-motivated with drive and vision that is able to work on own and manage a range of priorities often with completing agendas
- Can use constructive criticism and openly seeks to review and reflect on own style and presentation
- Demonstrate support for the values and beliefs of Livewell Southwest and commitment to the aims and values of the NHS combined with high personal integrity
- Must have self-confidence to challenge traditional practice and the persistence to address difficult enduring issues
- Competent IT skills and knowledge of databases
- Ability to travel between locations
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of current NHS policies/processes and structures especially relating to CSLT e.g. SEND Reforms and Families First frameworks.
- An understanding of multi-agency working across the Health, Education and Social care spectrum and voluntary and independent sector.
- Operational experience and knowledge across a range of Health, Education and Social Care service areas.
- Excellent understanding and application of business management skills and financial acumen.
- Excellent project management skills.
- Well-developed leadership skills
- Ability to work on own initiative and also as an effective team member
- Ability to manage substantial programmes of change
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to prioritise own workload
- Able to manage difficult situations effectively
- Excellent verbal and written skills
- Good numerical skills
- Excellent facilitation and arbitration skills
- Good IT/word processing skills
Experience
Essential
- Experience of senior public sector management (NHS and/or Local Government) demonstrating effective track record of managing complex services and large budgets.
- Change management experience
- Experience in project management
- Experience of leading and developing local services
- Significant, relevant experience of managing CSLT services or other equivalent position
- Experience of wider Health, Education and Social Care
- Managing budgets and ability to monitor and assess financial information
- Implementing strategy and guidance
- Presentation skills
- Experience of conducting audits
- Experience of managing teams within a Performance Framework
- Developing, interpreting and implementing local service/Trust/National policies and using these to inform the strategic direction for teams/services
- Evaluating workforce development and skill mix in addition to participating in recruitment and selection of staff
Desirable
- Management experience within health, education or social care provision including working with senior clinicians/professionals
- Experience of working with complex data and alongside Business Intelligence and Finance colleagues to inform performance trajectories and workforce plans
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to masters level with a relevant clinical or management/leadership qualification or equivalent experience.
Desirable
- Degree in clinical area i.e. SLT, Nursing, Social Work, Therapy
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Service Manager with Livewell Southwest in 200 Mount Gould Road, Mount Gould, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 7PY, United Kingdom, United Kingdom. It is listed as a Band 8 Manager and corporate role. The advertised salary is £57528.00 to £64750.00. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 02 Sep 2026.
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