Head of Services
Merseyside Society for Deaf
Liverpool, based out of Queen’s Drive office and community hub (L13 0DJ), with some travel to attend meetings and some flexibility for home working
Salary £35,000-£38,000 per annum, dependent on experience
Permanent
Full time, 35 hours per week with flexibility to meet needs of the role and the service with on-call rota system
Excellent benefits including 27 days annual leave per year, rising to 32 days after 5 years’ service, Employee Assistance Programme, pension with 3% employer contribution, professional development opportunities, 5 days paid study leave, sick pay
Are you an inspiring leader with a passion for people, purpose, and operational excellence? Are you looking for a new role within a values-led, community-focused organisation where you will change lives, lead teams and develop your own professional skill set?
Charity People are delighted to be supporting Merseyside Society for Deaf (MSDP), a charity which advances equality for people with hearing loss across Merseyside and beyond, with their recruitment for a new Head of Services.
MSDP is a charity with a long history, with roots traced back to 1864, making them one of the oldest d/Deaf charities in the country. Communities are central to MSDP’s services and as a result, the charity are an important part of the d/Deaf and hard of hearing community in Merseyside. MSDP are devoted to helping Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing people achieve a full, active and influencing role in mainstream society.
The Head of Services is a senior role that plays a vital part in shaping and delivering MSDP’s mission. You will help lead the day-to-day delivery of services, ensuring they are effective, inclusive, and high-quality. Working alongside Service Managers, you’ll coordinate projects and contracts to meet the needs of the people and communities MSDP serves. You’ll help ensure services are delivered with integrity, impact, and compassion.
Key responsibilities
* Operational Leadership and Service Delivery: Oversee the effective day-to-day running of services, ensuring compliance, quality outcomes, confidentiality, and accurate record-keeping.
* People and Performance Management: Supervise and support Service Managers and teams, set performance standards, promote staff development, and ensure safe and effective recruitment practices.
* Project, Contract and Financial Oversight: Lead project delivery and contract management, monitor risks, support tender submissions, and manage budgets and resources in line with strategic and contractual priorities.
* Data, Reporting and Strategic Insight: Analyse and present key performance data to support service improvement and inform decision-making and prepare high-quality reports for internal and external stakeholders.
* Legal, Risk and Safeguarding Compliance: Ensure robust safeguarding practices, manage operational risks, and uphold legal, regulatory, and confidentiality requirements across all service areas.
The successful candidate will have proven experience in managing operational services in health, social care or charity sectors, with strong project management and delivery experience. You will also have a strong track record in staff supervision and team leadership with excellent leadership and team motivation skills. You will understand safeguarding, confidentiality, and data protection (DPA, GDPR) with knowledge of service performance frameworks and contract compliance. A strong communicator, you will be able to create reports and presentations and be able to analyse data and derive insights. You will have budget and resource management skills with strong planning, organisational and risk management experience. You will be able to work independently and manage time effectively with a flexible, adaptable and problem-solving attitude. You will be committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion and to the values and mission of the organisation. A willingness to learn British Sign Language (BSL), if not already proficient, is essential.
You may have experience working with or in Deaf or disability services and familiarity with Deaf culture and BSL. The ideal candidate would have experience in tender writing and funding applications, experience of contract management and reporting to commissioners and funders, and knowledge of adult social care commissioning, but these are desirable criteria. A willingness to learn British Sign Language (BSL) if not already proficient is essential.
Being part of the MSDP team is hugely rewarding, and what makes MSDP different is their culture and specialisms. Most of the staff team are Deaf and they have frontline staff who are able to communicate in British Sign Language and Deaf-Blind Manual/Hands on. New staff will benefit from learning about deafness, the inequalities that exist in access to mainstream services and the impact of those barriers on our beneficiaries. Meetings are fully accessible so we welcome people from across the d/Deaf and hearing communities to apply. The role is based in Liverpool and you will need to be able to travel across Merseyside and surrounding areas.
How to apply
The application process is via an Application and Equal Opportunities Monitoring form. Please click apply to be directed to the MSDP website to download the application pack.
If you have a query or would like to request an informal conversation with by phone or video call with the CEO, please follow the instructions on the last page of the recruitment pack to email the MSDP Recruitment Team.
The closing date is 4pm on Wednesday 9 July 2025. Interviews will take place week commencing 21 July.
Charity People actively promotes equality, diversity and inclusion. We match charity needs with the skills and experience of candidates, irrespective of age, disability (including hidden disabilities), gender, gender identity or gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. We do this because we know greater diversity will lead to even greater results for the charities we work with.
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