Head of Service - Community Services

 Head of Service – Community Services

Location:          One of Age UK Lancashire offices

Salary:               £45,300 Full Time Equivalent

Hours:               28-35hrs

Job Ref:             HOS001

About us:

Age UK Lancashire are a leading Charity, proudly delivering services to over 20,000 older people across Lancashire each year, we are dedicated to supporting and empowering older adults to live fulfilling and independent lives.

We are committed to providing innovative and impactful services that address the evolving needs of older people in our community.

About the role:

If you want a role with real purpose, commercial challenge, and the chance to shape services that make a tangible difference every day, this is it.

Age UK Lancashire is recruiting a Head of Service to provide operational leadership across a diverse, growing portfolio of charged‑for community services.

This is a senior role with significant breadth: multi‑site teams, commercial accountability, service development, quality and compliance, and strategic influence.

You’ll be at the heart of our mission to ensure older and vulnerable people across Lancashire can live well, safely, and independently.

As Head of Service you will:

Lead our charged‑for services – including Day Clubs and Support at Home – ensuring they are sustainable, commercially strong, high‑performing and delivering excellent outcomes.

You’ll support operational strategy, drive growth, and ensure every service meets quality, regulatory and financial expectations.

This role also carries responsibility for additional services as they arise, giving you the chance to influence and grow a dynamic portfolio.

You will provide operational leadership across your services, working collaboratively with the Senior Management Team to shape the strategic direction of services and operational priorities.

You will also lead on budget management, income generation and cost control across services, building and maintaining strong relationships with commissioners, partners and stakeholders.

To be successful in this role you must have:

• Strong operational leadership experience including leading multi-disciplinary teams across dispersed locations, ideally supporting older or vulnerable adults.
• Experience leading charged‑for or commercially delivered services.
• Strong commercial awareness and confident budget management and confidence in using financial and performance data to inform decisions.
• Excellent communication, relationship‑building and organisational skills.
• An understanding of safeguarding, risk and quality frameworks.
• Experience embedding quality and operational standards alongside continuous improvement.
• An ability to work effectively with partners and commissioners.
• A decisive, proactive and solution‑focused approach

Great to have:

• Experience leading charged‑for or commercially delivered services.
• Background in service development or launching new services.
• Experience working with NHS, Primary Care Networks or Local Authorities.
• Knowledge of contract management, audit or quality assurance.
• Experience managing remote teams or working in the voluntary sector.
• Project or change management experience.

If you’re driven by purpose, commercially sharp and ready to shape services that make a real difference across Lancashire, we’d love to hear from you.

We know you will understand why we want to make sure we recruit the right person with the right skills, experience, and abilities to join our team, so it is important that you give us as much information as possible about what makes you the right person for this role on your application form.

What’s in it for you?

• Full training and comprehensive induction to ensure you have the support you need to succeed and thrive in your new role
• A friendly and inclusive culture
• 25 days annual leave increasing to 30 with length of service + bank holidays
• Workplace pension scheme “for eligible employees”
• Access to Employee Assistance Programme
• Financial wellbeing and planning support
• Staff discount card for hundreds of High Street shops and online services.
• Blue Light card eligibility
• Travel expenses will be paid for all journeys required for work, excluding travel from home to base.

DBS: This post is eligible for an enhanced DBS check and all the associated costs will be met by the employee.

Closing Date:                           18^th August 2026  

Proposed interview date:       27^th August 2026

A full job description and the link to the application form can be accessed below:

Please make full use of the job description when applying.

If you require any additional support with the application process, or any reasonable adjustments, please email recruitment@ageuklancs.org.uk

Use of AI 

At Age UK Lancashire we recognise that technology is changing the way people apply for jobs and Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be a valuable tool to support your journey. However, it’s important to ensure your application still reflects your own voice, skills and experience. AI should support, not replace your experience. Always review AI-generated content carefully and be ready to talk about it in interviews.

Application Form