Operational Manager – Youth Justice Service Salary - £52,413 - £56,730 (Grade 8) Hours – 37 hours per week Contract type – full time, permanent. Location – Various About the Role: Wolverhampton Youth Justice Service (YJS) is recognised as a Quadrant 1 YJS, reflecting its proven track record of delivering outstanding, innovative services to children and families at risk or involved in the Criminal Justice System. As a forward-thinking and ambitious organisation, we are committed to improving outcomes for children, supporting victims, and building a safer community. Our multi-disciplinary team works collaboratively with key partners to address the increasing complexity of needs and risks faced by our young people. We continue to embed Child First and Trauma-Informed practice, guided by Positive Youth Justice and the ARC framework. You will have a central role within the established management team in continuing to embed this practice and demonstrate an outstanding ability to motivate and support staff to achieve the best possible outcomes for young people, using a range of supervisory and quality assurance techniques and skills. In addition, you will have an excellent understanding of the safety issues within a criminal justice setting and demonstrate the necessary skills and experience to balance the needs of the child, victim and the public within our work. Key Responsibilities: To effectively delivery YJS services achieving desired outcomes for children and young people at risk of offending or in the Youth Justice system through the development of appropriate partnerships and services both within the YJS and the wider partnership. To ensure that the team works within the requirements of statute and local policy in achieving quality services and local/national targets by proactively contributing to the quality assurance and evaluation framework. Ensure that risks and safety concerns for both children and young people, victims and the community are effectively co-ordinated with appropriate managerial support and oversight. To supervise and develop staff and volunteers working within the team. As part of the YJS management team lead areas of practice development, training and workforce planning and delivery. To represent the YJS at multi-agency meetings and contribute to policy and practice developments within the YJS partnership. Person Specification: Significant experience of working within a criminal justice context with children and young people with complex safety and wellbeing needs. Knowledge of the issues impacting children and young people, families, and victims within the CJS, including those with protective characteristics or overrepresented within the system. Experience of managing high levels of safety concerns within the community. Line management experience within an YJS or partnership environment. Evidence of effective interagency working Experience of quality assuring practice and evaluating impact and outcomes. Leading change and practice development to support innovation and creativity. Demonstrate excellent communication, written and analytical skills. Hold a degree and/or equivalent qualification NVQ or BTEC in a related subject i.e. Youth Work or a professional qualification recognised within YJS partnership. I. e professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP) Evidence of consistent commitment to learning and development through professional training programmes For your valued contribution, we offer: A career development pathway and substantial training offer. Over 85% of our workforce are happy with the learning and development offer and 90% say there is a positive learning culture. Reimbursement of Blue Light card membership costs and Social Work England renewal fees Four vibrant and active employee networks including four staff equality forums (Race Religion and Belief; Disability and Age; Gender Maternity and Paternity and LGBT) Well embedded strengths-based practice framework which supports us to build strong relationships and connections to help people find long lasting solutions using the Three Conversations© approach. A commitment to eliminating discrimination and supporting employee wellbeing to ensure a good work/life balance, which includes a strong employee assistance scheme and access to numerous wellbeing resources. Supportive and flexible working arrangements, which includes some home working. Retail, leisure, legal and ethical savings and loans through our competitive rewards portal For more information: Working for us | WV Jobs | City of Wolverhampton Council This post is subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. As part of the interview process, candidates will be required to undertake: o An exercise prior to panel interview o A panel interview, including an element involving children and young people Interviews will take place 27th March 2026 at YJS Office, Retreat Street. Closing Date: 21st March 2026 For further information on this post please contact Stephanie Howell (Operations Manager) Stephanie.Howell@Wolverhampton.gov.uk or Celia Payne (Head of Service) via email to Celia.Payne@wolverhampton.gov.uk For full details of the responsibilities and requirements of this role please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification. NJC Pay Award for 2026 / 2027: The annual pay increases for 2026/27 for NJC Local Government Employees are currently being negotiated and, once agreed, will be effective from 1 April 2026. Our working arrangements All council roles are allocated to either a fixed, field or flexible work style. Some roles are agile which enable and empower employees to maximise their performance and productivity, whilst maintaining a healthy work life balance. Roles with a fixed workstyle work in a fixed permanent council location. Roles with a field workstyle are usually allocated where employees are required to be out working in the community with a minimum requirement for 'touch down' space at any council location. Roles with a flexible workstyle have a flexible base location to meet the needs of the business and employees can work from a mixture of home or any council office, partner/client, or external location, as required to meet service requirements. Please refer to the Job Description for further information on the workstyle assigned to the role you are applying for. For more information about working for our organisation including the culture of the Council, the Council plan and vision, staff equality forums, core HR policies and much more please click here. Diversity We are committed to building a workforce that is reflective of the diverse community we serve. We want to attract the best applications from people of all backgrounds and underrepresented groups because we strongly believe in adding value through diversity, inclusion, and equality. Our employees enable us to deliver services that are accessible, inclusive, and reflective of Wolverhampton residents. Our status as a Disability Confident Employer showcases our commitment to people with disabilities or health conditions, advocating for their opportunities and potential. We've received the Stonewall Gold Award, emphasising our dedication to the LGBT community by nurturing an inspiring, inclusive, and equal workplace. As of March 2023, the RACE Code Quality Mark signifies our active engagement with racial equality. These recognitions validate our continuous efforts towards fostering an inclusive work environment that respects and values our diverse employees. As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the essential criteria for the post. We encourage, inspire and value an inclusive culture here at the council where employees can flourish, thrive and be themselves. We have four staff equality forums for employees to join. These help to ensure our employees have a voice, they feel empowered to speak up and where everyone is treated with respect - Learn more about the staff equality forums here Recruitment of Ex-Offenders We are committed to the fair treatment of all our employees, potential employees, or users of our service regardless of offending background. The Council uses the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for any vacancies that require a DBS check to obtain information about applicants to assess their suitability for employment in positions of trust. We do not discriminate unfairly against any individual on the basis of a conviction or any other information revealed as a result of a DBS disclosure - Learn more here Employment Information & Support If you are considering applying for an apprenticeship or a role where the salary is (Grade 2-5), and would like to visit us to learn about the application, interview process and what it is like to work for the council, please click on this link to find out more - Learn more here Attached documents YJS Operational Manager JD YJS Operational Managers PS