Head of Service - Risk Management & Business Unit

Salary £77,833 to £85,119 per annum | Permanent | Full Time 37 hours per week 

This is your chance to lead and shape critical business support and risk management functions across the Adults, Health and Wellbeing Directorate, ensuring operational excellence and strategic readiness for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). As a member of our senior leadership team, you will play a key role in ensuring Adult Services continues to deliver safe, effective and high-quality services to some of Lancashire's most vulnerable residents. 

Working within the Leading Lancashire Framework, you’ll play a pivotal role in safeguarding statutory responsibilities, driving digital transformation, and building resilient systems that support high-quality care for our residents.

As an existing colleague, this is your opportunity to take the next step in your leadership journey, using your strategic expertise to influence county-wide change and improve outcomes for Lancashire residents.

This is a highly visible leadership role where you will: 

• Lead the directorate’s risk management strategy, ensuring robust governance, health and safety practices, and effective audit processes. Maintain accurate risk registers and oversee preparations of evidence and action plan compliance with internal and external regulatory frameworks.
• Drive the directorate’s preparations for LGR, ensuring smooth transition of statutory functions and regulatory responsibilities. Collaborate with senior leaders and partners to deliver safe and effective change, with close collaboration with the Adults, Health and Wellbeing Transformation Programme Director.
• Lead the implementation of “digital by design” change activity to improve outcomes and productivity, modernising business processes and enabling operational and commissioning teams to maximise technology and workforce efficiency.
• Ensure that the directorate business planning, governance, and interface with corporate functions contributes effectively to the delivery of the corporate priorities. Including the directorate leadership team meetings. Responsibility for working closely with strategic business partners from resources, transformation and business intelligence so that all statutory returns and grant conditions are responded to within timescales

What we're looking for:

Senior Leadership Credentials: It goes without saying you'll be a confident and influential leader with significant senior management experience in Adult Social Care, Health and Wellbeing, or a similarly complex and regulated council environment. You'll bring the credibility, resilience and strategic perspective required to lead at scale, navigate complexity and deliver exceptional outcomes for residents.

Strategic Leadership Experience: Proven ability to lead large-scale, complex operational change, with a strong track record of delivering high-quality outcomes in a regulated environment.

Expertise in Risk and Governance: Deep understanding of risk management, health and safety, and governance frameworks in a local authority environment with a focus on improving outcomes, efficiency and productivity.  

Business management and leadership experience able to lead across multi disciplinary environments: Demonstrated success in leading transformational change programmes, particularly those involving digital innovation, service redesign, and cross-organisational improvement initiatives.

Collaborative Influencer: Skilled in building strategic partnerships and influencing senior stakeholders across corporate services, health, social care, and community networks, with the ability to represent the council at external forums and shape wider policy agendas.

Closing Date: 16th August 2026

For an Informal discussion about the role please contact, [email protected]

Job Description & Person Specification

Local Government Reorganisation

The Government has confirmed that local government across Lancashire will be reorganised, with the current 15 councils being replaced by four new unitary councils covering North, South, East and West Lancashire from April 2028.

If you are successful in your application, you will initially join Lancashire County Council. 

However, as part of the planned transition, your employment will transfer to one of the new unitary councils from April 2028, subject to the implementation of the reorganisation and relevant employment legislation.

Throughout this period, our focus remains on delivering excellent services to our communities. By joining us now, you'll play an important role in shaping the future of local government and helping to build a strong new organisation that will serve residents for years to come.