Head of Services/Designated Safeguarding Lead
At Inspire, we support thousands of young people each year to build confidence, develop skills, and move forward positively in their lives. Everything we do is shaped by our commitment to being Led by youth, driven by insight, and growing with purpose.
We are now looking for a Head of Services & Designated Safeguarding Lead (maternity cover) to join our Senior Leadership Team and continue leading our delivery across Suffolk during this period.
This is a key leadership role within Inspire, responsible for providing both strategic and operational oversight of all youth-facing services. You’ll lead 5 Service Leads across our core areas of:
- Youth & Community Work
- Wellbeing
- Personal Development
- Skills
- Employer Partnerships
Working closely with the CEO and wider SLT, you’ll ensure our services are high-quality, impactful, and centred around the needs of young people. You’ll also act as our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), playing a vital role in maintaining a strong safeguarding culture across the organisation.
You will be responsible for:
- Line management responsibility of our team of Service Leads, creating a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement
- Strategic oversight of service delivery, ensuring alignment with Inspire’s vision and strategic priorities
- Budget responsibility
- Acting as Designated Safeguarding Lead, ensuring best practice and compliance across all services
- Using insight, data, and youth voice to demonstrate quality and impact of services
- Building strong relationships with funders, partners, and stakeholders
- Contributing to organisational strategy and planning as a member of the Senior Leadership Team
We are looking for someone who:
- Has experience leading youth-focused services and driving impactful delivery
- Has management experience
- Has strong safeguarding knowledge and experience
- Can manage budgets, contracts, and funding relationships effectively
- Is insight-driven, using data and feedback to improve services
- Builds strong partnerships and works collaboratively
- Has a genuine passion for supporting young people to reach their potential
If you’re ready to take on a senior leadership role where you can influence real change for young people, we’d love to hear from you. Please send your CV and covering letter to Andy Crump, CEO at andyc@inspirecharityuk.org
Closing date for applications is 1700 hours on Monday, 8th June 2026. Interviews will be held on Monday, 29th June 2026 and Tuesday, 7th July 2026 and we are looking for the successful candidate to start mid August 2026.
Please fill in the form below to register your interest and we’ll be in touch!
Enquire today!
For further detail please contact Rachel Reddington, HR Manager at rachelr@inspiresuffolk.org.uk
