Director of ASC Workforce and Quality

DHSC are seeking an outstanding senior leader to join the Adult Social Care Group as Director of Adult Social Care Workforce and Quality. This high-profile role will lead delivery of major workforce priorities, including the Workforce Action Plan, Fair Pay Agreement, establishment of the adult social care negotiating body and international recruitment work. The role will lead work on how to shape a new approach to driving quality across adult social care, and will lead policy and delivery on specific aspects that drive quality including safeguarding adults, support for unpaid carers and health protection in social care.

The successful candidate will bring substantial experience of leading complex, high-profile policy and delivery programmes, excellent strategic judgement and the ability to build trusted relationships with ministers and senior stakeholders across Whitehall.

This is an opportunity to provide visible leadership and make a significant contribution to transforming adult social care in England.

Key responsibilities

As Director of ASC Workforce and Quality your key responsibilities will include:

• Lead delivery of the Government’s workforce reforms for adult social care, including implementation of the first Fair Pay Agreement, establishment of the new Adult Social Care Negotiating Body, and delivery of the Adult Social Care Workforce Plan, ensuring reforms deliver a skilled, valued and sustainable workforce.
• Provide authoritative strategic advice to Ministers and senior leaders on complex and high-profile adult social care workforce, quality and safeguarding issues, navigating significant public, sector and cross-government interest and translating long-standing challenges into clear policy and delivery choices.
• Strengthen workforce capacity, capability and professional practice across the 1.5 million-strong adult social care workforce, driving improvements to recruitment, retention, training, skills and standards, professionalisation and workforce supply, including the future approach to the international care workforce. Ensure value for money and excellent results through the delivery of workforce grants and contracts.
• Drive improvements in quality, safeguarding and people’s experience of care, strengthening protections for adults at risk, national safeguarding leadership and accountability, statutory guidance and learning systems, while delivering priorities for unpaid carers, visiting, health protection and emergency preparedness. Lead the government’s response to Module 6 of the Covid 19 Inquiry and the development of the adult social care pandemic preparedness action plan.
• Build influential partnerships across government and the health and care system, working closely with the Home Office, Cabinet Office, HM Treasury, local government, providers, sector partners and people who draw on and provide care to develop and deliver sustainable solutions through genuine co-production.
• Lead and develop a high-performing Workforce and Quality Directorate, comprising around 70 people across Leeds and London, three Deputy Directors and a new NDPB negotiating body, with responsibility for around £100m of workforce grants and contracts. As a senior leader, you will build capability, support excellent delivery and help shape the structure, culture and ways of working of the new Department as NHS England is brought into DHSC.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

The Recruitment Process

Application Process

To apply for this post please submit the following documents no later than 23:55 on Sunday 22nd November 2026.

• A CV (which is for information purposes only) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
• A Statement of Suitability (no more than 1250 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the criteria in the person specification.

Applications will be sifted against personal statements. Please note that your CV is for information purposes only and will not be scored.

Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only has limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.

As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say'. The information you provide when submitting your application will help us monitor our progress towards the Civil Service becoming the most inclusive employer by 2025.

Please note that we are unable to provide feedback to those candidates who are not shortlisted for interview. Written feedback will be made available (on request) to those candidates who attend interview.

If you are unable to apply online please contact scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Selection Process

Christopher Pilgrim a Civil Service Commissioner, will chair the process. The Civil Service Commission has two primary functions:

• Providing assurance that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. For the most senior posts in the Civil Service, the Commission discharges its responsibilities directly by overseeing the recruitment process and by a Commissioner chairing the selection panel.
• Hearing and determining appeals made by civil servants under the Civil Service Code which sets out the Civil Service values – Impartiality, Objectivity, Integrity and Honesty - and forms part of the relationship between civil servants and their employer.

More detailed information can be found on the Civil Service Commission website.

In addition to Christopher Pilgrim, the panel will also consist of:

• Sally Warren – DG Adult Social Care
• TBC
• TBC

Alongside other departments, DHSC is committed to making the Civil Service more inclusive and recognises the value of diverse interview panels. Helping candidates, particularly those from diverse backgrounds, to feel comfortable and at ease during the interview process, to reduce bias and increase the objectiveness of decisions. In line with the Civil Service’s Inclusive Board initiative we aim to ensure that, as well as being gender diverse, DHSC’s interview panels for Senior Civil Service will include at least one panellist who is from an ethnic minority background and/or who has a physical or non-physical disability (which may not be visible).

Shortlist

You will receive an acknowledgment of your application through the online process.

Candidates applying under the Disability Confident Scheme and A Great Place to Work for Veterans Scheme who meet the minimum selection criteria in the job specification are guaranteed an interview.

The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, all candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter, and we will advise on any delays.

The panel will select a shortlist of candidates whose applications best demonstrate suitability for the role, by considering the evidence provided against the essential criteria set out in the ‘Person Specification’

Shortlisted candidates who attend an interview will also be offered verbal feedback from a member of the interview panel.

Assessments

If you are shortlisted, you may be asked to take part in a series of assessments which will include an individual leadership assessment and a stakeholder engagement exercise. These assessments will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather, they are designed to support the panel’s decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview.

Discussion with Vacancy Holder

Shortlisted candidates may have the opportunity to speak to Sally Warren – DG Adult Social Care, DHSC prior to the final interview. This is an informal discussion to allow candidates to learn more about the role, and is not part of the assessment process.

Discussion with Minister and / or Perm Sec

Candidates may have also the opportunity to speak to a DHSC Minister and/or Perm Sec prior to the final interview. This is an informal discussion to allow candidates to learn more about the role, and is not part of the assessment process.

Interview

You will be asked to attend a panel interview in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification.

Shortlisted candidates may be asked to prepare a 5-minute presentation at interview. Full details will be provided prior to interview.

You will be asked a series of questions at interview around the essential criteria earlier in this pack.

Interviews will take place in person at 39 Victoria Street, London, full details of the interview format will be provided to shortlisted candidates prior to interview.

Feedback

Feedback is only available to shortlisted candidates, please contact scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk at Government Recruitment Service to request feedback on your application or interview.

A reserve list will be held for up to 12 months, which we may use to fill future suitable vacancies for candidates who are considered appointable following interview.

Expected Timeline

We will try and offer as much flexibility as we can, but it may not be possible to offer alternative dates for assessments or interviews. You are therefore asked to note the below timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process, in order to meet the dates given. Please note that these dates may be subject to change.

The anticipated timetable is as follows:

Advert Closing Date 23:55 Sunday 22nd November 2026

Short List Meeting Tuesday 1st December 2026

Assessments – Stakeholder Engagement Exercise (SEE) Wednesday 9th December 2026

Final Interviews Tuesday 15th December 2026

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service at: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
• Complete the ‘assistance required’ section in the ‘personal information’ page of your application form to provide information we should be aware of that will enable us to support you further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Reserve lists

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, which the Civil Service may use to fill future suitable vacancies across government for candidates who are considered appointable following interview.

Further Information

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Complaints

Civil Service Commission Selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles, our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of appointment on the basis of merit by fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance you should contact; DHSCSCSrecruitment@dhsc.gov.uk

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk and more information can be found at www.civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.