Project Manager (Childrens Services)

6 month Project Manager role

Inside IR35

Immediate Start

Hybrid - Onsite Dorset County Hall, Dorchester (2days)
£400 to £450 a day

Should have experience in children's services and be an experienced project manager.

About Us

Connect2Dorset is a managed service agency owned by Dorset Council, providing temporary, contract and interim opportunities within Dorset Council. Our service is built on our values of being ethical, trustworthy and caring, with profits returned to our Local Authority shareholders.

This role is central to delivering a multi-year transformation agenda that improves outcomes for children and families, strengthens early intervention and enables more efficient, integrated service delivery.

This role will lead the implementation of projects ensuring transformation is evidence-led, aligned with local needs, and delivers measurable impact. Working across early help, education, SEND, and social care, you will oversee projects where directed by the Delivery Lead. These will modernise services, embed digital innovation, and put children, young people, and families at the heart of every change.

The role requires working across organisational boundaries to reduce duplication, break down silos, and design services around the lived experiences of children and families. The role will champion co-production, inclusive design, and continuous learning ensuring that transformation is not only strategic and sustainable but also rooted in relationship-based practice and child-centred care.

This role works as part of a multi-disciplinary team to deliver the specified projects for children's services and take responsibility for the end to end strategic direction and delivery of commissioning, transformation and service improvement activity through the provision of senior programme leadership across a portfolio of projects.

The post holder will:

be responsible for delivery within the Children's Continuous Improvement programme
embed effective project, change and risk management frameworks
lead on the identification and management of interdependencies between projects and programmes of work
manage a range of complex and contentious matters requiring a high degree of personal ability to influence and support others
lead cross-functional multi-disciplinary project teams
facilitate the engagement of stakeholders
manage risks and ensure compliance in relation to governance arrangements

Operating within the Children's Delivery Team within the Transformation Management Office, the role requires working in a matrix environment.

This role will report to the Delivery Lead for Chidren's within the wider Transformation Management Office .

Connect2Dorset is a trading style of Dorset & Kent Commercial Services LLP - A joint venture between Dorset Council & Commercial Services Kent Ltd. Connect2Dorset is an equal opportunities Employment Agency & Business. It positively encourages applications from all suitably qualified and eligible candidates
Only candidates based in UK and eligible to work in UK are allowed