About

• Suffolk County Council
• Address: West Suffolk House, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 3YU - Hybrid
• Salary: £48,163 per annum (pro rata if part time or under 12 months)
• Hours: 37, flexible working options available
• Contract: Secondment or Fixed term - 12 months
• An exciting opportunity has arisen to apply for a 12-month Secondment covering maternity leave in Suffolk County Council's Adult Social Care as an Occupational Therapy Lead for Social Care. This post is aligned to the Flexible Care and Support team West, covering the whole of the West Locality.
• Reimagine the possibilities.

• Your role and responsibilities

You will be

• Providing clinical and professional leadership to the Occupational Therapists in West Suffolk integrated neighbourhood teams (INTs) and other teams i.e. Flexible Care and Support Team, HomeFirst, as appropriate.
• Supporting the creation of a high-performance culture within the teams that is flexible, innovative, responsive to changing priorities and delivers excellence, best value and continuous improvement for the people of Suffolk, supporting the ambitions and delivery plans of the West Suffolk Alliance.
• Professionally leading and supporting the Occupational Therapists ensuring good, efficient, and effective practice in West Suffolk.
• Working in close partnership with other senior and specialist clinicians in the Alliance and wider health and social care environments, including Health Occupational Therapy Lead counterparts and Lead/Principal Occupational Therapists, to provide high quality occupational therapy expertise in a wide range of circumstances as part of the integrated teams and services
• Engaging with health and social care Occupational Therapists to develop, support and review collaborative projects, implement service improvements whilst promoting practice changes in line with evidence-based practice and the wider alliance priorities.
• Providing highly developed specialist assessment and interventions for those people who present with diverse and complex presentations
• Working alongside the lead/principal advisor occupational therapist, and he delivering an evidence based and efficient occupational therapy service as part of the persons health and care needs.
• You will be aligned to the Flexible care and Support team. You will be supporting the creation of a high-performance culture within the teams that is flexible, innovative, responsive to changing priorities and delivers excellence, best value and continuous improvement for the people of Suffolk, supporting the ambitions and delivery plans of the West Suffolk Alliance.
• You will be supporting the Occupational Therapist’s with complex cases where required.
• You will need
• HCPC registration as an Occupational Therapist.
• Strong clinical expertise in managing complex conditions.
• Experience in supervision, service coordination, and collaborative working.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and problem‑solving skills.
• Knowledge of service transformation, budget management, and governance.
• You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile (Word) you believe you can succeed in this role, apply. Even if you don't meet all requirements, still apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.
• The team

You will be aligned to the Flexible Care and Support Team (FCST). The FCST is a multidisciplinary service covering the whole of West Suffolk. It brings together

• Social Workers
• Independence and Wellbeing Practitioners
• Occupational Therapists
• Workflow Lead
• Together, the team provides flexible, person‑centred support that promotes independence, wellbeing, and safe living at home. By combining professional expertise across health and social care, FCST ensures responsive interventions, effective resource use, and improved outcomes for individuals, families, and communities.
• Empowering Everyone
• We’re big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We’re always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report.
• For more information
• For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Fiona Smith via email fiona.smith@suffolk.gov.uk or by calling 07872 421566.
• If you want to apply for a secondment, read the secondment policy first. Make sure you get permission from your current manager before submitting your application.
• How to apply
• Step 1 - Read the Job and Person Profile (Word).
• Step 2 - Click ‘Apply Now’ to start your online application.
• Step 3 - Upload a supporting statement indicating how you meet each of the criteria in the ‘Person Profile’ section of the JPP.
• You should use the Supporting Statement template.
• Please use Arial font size 11 and keep your statement to a maximum of two sides of A4.
• We value authentic applications that showcase your genuine skills and experiences. Applications suspected of being generated by AI may be rejected. We ask you to present your own work and ideas throughout the application process.
• Please note: Without a supporting statement, your interest will not be progressed. If you require any reasonable adjustments to the application process before the next selection stage, please contact our Recruitment Team by emailing recruitment@suffolk.gov.uk or calling 03456 014412. If you are invited to the next stage of selection, you will have another opportunity to request adjustments for the next stages of the process.
• Closing date: 11.30pm, 07 December 2025
• Interview date: TBC
• This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts. #LI-Hybrid