Package Description
Responsible to: Head of RCC Delivery
Salary: £79,961 to £92,129 per annum (Full-time equivalent). It is our normal policy to appoint at the entry point of the salary range.
Working Hours: 35 per week
Contract details: This role is a full-time, fixed- term contract (FTC) until 31 March 28. Monday to Friday. 9:00 am to 5 pm. Hybrid working, some mandatory office days required. Secondments welcomed.
London Councils operates in a hybrid working environment as an agile employer, working across its Strategic Directorates.
If you have any queries or would like to informally discuss the role, please contact the LRCC Team at LRCC@londoncouncils.gov.uk .
For any issues with your application please contact recruitment@londoncouncils.gov.uk
- Application deadline: 11:59pm on 04/11/2026
- Interviews: Anticipated to take place during the week commencing 16/11/2026
Job Introduction
The London Innovation and Improvement Alliance (LIIA) is the Association of London Directors of Children's Services (ALDCS) sector-led improvement partnership and is hosted by London Councils. We exist to facilitate collaboration to address ALDCS priorities, provide a platform for innovation, identify and share effective practice, and produce and make accessible shared datasets.
As part of the exciting London Regional Care Cooperative (RCC) programme, we are seeking an experienced and motivated Family Placements Strategy Lead to join our growing team.
This is an exciting opportunity to play a leading role in shaping the future of family-based care across London. Working closely with Directors of Children's Services, commissioners, London Fostering Hubs, and partners, you will help drive collaboration across boroughs to improve outcomes for children and young people while supporting delivery of programme objective.
Role Responsibility
The London Regional Care Cooperative (RCC) is a key strategic initiative designed to strengthen collaboration across London and improve the way services for children in care are commissioned and delivered.
As the Family Placements Strategy Lead, you will lead the co-ordination and ongoing delivery of the ‘Family Placements’ workstream within the Regional Care Cooperative, managing a portfolio of strategic programmes designed to increase the number of children living in family-based care settings. This includes overseeing key regional initiatives focused on foster carer recruitment and retention, short-break care, kinship care, fostering hub integration, and the pan-London Foster Friendly programme.
Working closely with the Head of RCC Delivery, you will ensure programmes are delivered effectively and in line with agreed objectives, timescales and governance arrangements. You will lead on programme reporting, provide regular updates to sponsors and governance boards, and prepare high-quality briefings, reports and presentations for senior stakeholders, including Directors, elected Members and partner organisations across London.
You will build strong relationships with regional and national partners, providing professional advice, challenge and support to drive collaborative solutions and best practice.
The role also includes oversight of programme budgets and resources, ensuring robust financial management and value for money, supporting communications, representing the programme at conferences and events, and deputising for the Head of RCC Delivery when required.
This is a politically restricted post, under Section 2 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.
Read about the job activities in more detail in the Job Description and Person Specification document attached below.
The Ideal Candidate
We are looking for a highly motivated and experienced individual with strong programme and stakeholder management skills, and significant knowledge of children's commissioning and fostering services, ideally within London.
You will have a proven track record of delivering complex projects, managing competing priorities, and working collaboratively across multiple organisations to achieve successful outcomes. You will be confident influencing and negotiating with multiple stakeholders, building trusted relationships, and providing strategic advice to a range of audiences.
We are looking for someone who is collaborative, resilient and outcome-focused, with a strong commitment to integrity, inclusion and improving outcomes for children and young people across London.
Read about the job activities in more detail in the Job Description and Person Specification document attached below.
About the Company
London Councils is the collective of London local government, the 32 boroughs and the City of London Corporation. They come together through London Councils to work in collaboration to deliver their shared ambitions for London and Londoners.
Through lobbying, collaboration and partnership, we ensure the voice of the London boroughs are united, and heard at a local, regional and national level.
We also run a number of services on behalf of the boroughs including the Freedom Pass, Taxicard and Health Emergency Badge (HEB) and London Lorry Control Scheme (LLCS).
Read more about London Councils - London Councils
Our Recruitment Approach
The application process involves answering a small number of application questions aligned to the essential criteria for the role. All applications will be processed using a blind sifting method. This means that personal identifying details will be removed to ensure fair and unbiased shortlisting of applications.
The panel sees only the anonymised generated CV that Tribepad builds from the Education and Employment History sections of the application form.
Uploading a personal CV is optional and only helps auto-populate these sections - it does not replace completing them.
Please ensure these sections are fully completed. If they’re left blank, key information won’t appear in the anonymised pack and fair review becomes harder.
Your full details and original CV are not shared with the panel until after the shortlist is agreed and you are invited to interview.
We are committed to equal opportunities and encourage applications from all backgrounds. Reasonable adjustments will be made to support candidates during the recruitment process.
