Referral Hub Director
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Job Title: Referral Hub Director
Location: National role with travel
Contract Type: 6 month fixed term contract
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Salary: Competitive dependent on experience
Our Core Benefits include: Up to 39 days annual leave (including BH, One Moment in Time day and opportunity to buy 5 extra days), Minimum 9% Contributory Pension, Life Assurance, ‘The Hub’ discount marketplace, EAP, Occupational Health, Sick pay, Family Friendly leave, Expenses and Mileage, Tech Scheme.
About the Group
Its official, we have been rated as a Great Place to Work 2025! 83% of employees at National Fostering Group say it is a great place to work, compared to 54% of employees at a typical UK based company!
With over 20 years experience, National Fostering Group is the largest independent children's fostering group in the UK with a community of over 2,500 foster carers.
All of our fostering agencies across the UK are officially recognised by Ofsted, Welsh and Scottish regulators as either ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Good’ which we are extremely proud of.
We also offer a 4 day working week - this means 80% of the hours for 100% pay! This will be given following a successful 6 month probationary period and is a performance based benefit.
About the Role
The Referral Hub Director will provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for all referral hubs across England, with potential links to Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. The role is responsible for ensuring the consistent delivery of high-quality, child-focused placements for children referred by local authorities, many of whom have complex needs. A key focus will be on achieving timely, well-matched and stable placements that support the best possible outcomes for children and young people.
The postholder will lead national efforts to drive consistency across referral operations, promote best practice and embed innovation. This includes improving placement success rates while maintaining robust safeguarding standards, meeting regulatory requirements and delivering against key performance targets.
You can find a full list of responsibilities on the attached Job Description.
Who we are looking for
We are seeking an experienced senior leader with a strong background in children’s services or fostering, and a proven ability to lead multi-site teams and deliver strategic objectives at a national or regional level. You will have in-depth knowledge of fostering legislation, safeguarding requirements and regulatory frameworks, alongside experience of improving referral and placement matching processes for children with complex needs.
The ideal candidate will be highly skilled in performance management, using data, KPIs and insight to drive continuous improvement and achieve positive outcomes for children and young people. You will be an excellent communicator and relationship builder, confident in working collaboratively with local authorities, foster carers and internal stakeholders. A recognised social work qualification, professional registration and the ability to travel regularly across the UK are essential for this role.
You can find a full list of criteria on the attached Person Specification.
Why work for us?
At National Fostering Group, our employee’s health and wellbeing are important to us. We offer an exceptional rewards package as well as access to our flexible benefits platform - so you can choose extra benefits that are suited to you. Below includes some of our offerings:
* Up to 39 days annual leave each year (25 base entitlement + 1 One moment in time + 8 bank holidays + ability to buy up to 5 extra days)
* Minimum 9% pension contributions
* Life Assurance
* ‘The Hub’ – a discount marketplace
* Home & Tech Scheme – tax and interest free retail vouchers to support you
Plus so much more physical and mental health flexible benefits for you to choose from!
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and we expect all employees to share this commitment and undertake appropriate checks.
We are an Equal Opportunities Employer