Thank you for your interest in the Joint Assistant Director: Integrated Community Support role for Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen councils.
At Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent, we're doing something genuinely different.
Through our Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent Deals, we have made a clear commitment to our residents that we will design and deliver activity together focusing relentlessly on the things that improve wellbeing most in each local area. Between us, we are organising our shared work around five Missions that bring together communities, partners, services and residents together behind a shared ambition: reducing inequality, increasing independence and creating the conditions for people to live healthier, safer and more fulfilling lives.
Central to this is our belief that prevention must become core to what councils do, and how we spend our resources.
For too long, public services have been organised around responding to crisis. We are determined to change that. We have built a system that identifies need earlier, empowers communities to play an active role in supporting friends, neighbours, peers and colleagues, delivers effective targeted support, and helps people maintain their independence for longer. We want to tackle the root causes of poor outcomes, not simply manage the consequences.
We are confident in our model, but we want to drive this forward at pace now.
And that’s where you come in.
This is one of the most important leadership positions across our two councils. The services within the portfolio touch many of the factors that shape people's life chances and wellbeing: housing, homelessness prevention, community safety, anti-social behaviour, employability, adult and community learning, family support and wider preventative services. Together, these services have enormous potential to reduce health inequalities, improve wellbeing and help residents build better futures.
We're looking for someone with energy, determination and a relentless commitment to improvement. Someone who can inspire others, create momentum and maintain focus on what matters most: better outcomes for residents.
Someone who thrives on improvement, sees opportunities where others see barriers and is motivated by making a tangible difference to residents' lives. Someone who can bring people together around a common purpose and create the conditions for teams to succeed. Someone who will ask difficult questions, challenge accepted ways of working and relentlessly pursue better outcomes.
You do not need to have spent your entire career across every area within the portfolio. We recognise that the breadth of this role is unusual. What matters most is your ability to build high-performing teams, lead large-scale change, and deliver meaningful improvement in complex public service environments.
You'll be joining us at a pivotal moment. Together, our two councils are transforming how the whole prevention system operates, how resources are targeted and how success is measured. We are increasingly focusing on what changes in residents' lives rather than what services do. We want to know that people are healthier, safer, more connected, more resilient and better able to achieve their aspirations.
We have built the foundations. We have political commitment, strong partnerships and a clear model for change. The challenge now is scaling and accelerating delivery. We need someone who can turn momentum into lasting impact and ensure our residents experience the benefits of prevention in their everyday lives.
If you are an ambitious, values-driven leader who believes public services can do more to tackle inequality, strengthen communities and improve life chances, we'd like to hear from you.
Because this role isn't simply about managing services. It's about helping reshape the future of Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent.
Dave Leech
Deputy Chief Executive (Torfaen) and Joint Strategic Director Adults & Communities.