Professional Development Manager

• Location: Woodhatch Place, 11 Cockshot Hill, Reigate, RH2 8EF

We are committed to the development of our workforce. This position is only available to applicants who already work for Surrey County Council. We thank you for your interest in our roles and would encourage you to review our vacancies which are open to all.

The starting salary for this position is £60,033 per annum based on a 36 hour working week (reduced hours can also be considered).

The role is offered on a secondment basis until May 2026. Please note, you will need to have agreement from your line manager before applying.

Are you an experienced, registered Social Worker or Occupational Therapist with experience of managing teams, driving forward practice improvements and leading projects?

If you are passionate about professional development, education, and innovation in practice, we are offering an exciting opportunity for a Professional Development Manager to step into a pivotal role within the Academy, where you will lead and shape key strategic projects that impact the future of occupational therapy and social work in the AWHP directorate!

Reporting into the Head of Academy, the role will be based at Woodhatch in Reigate, but will involve travel across all SCC offices, in a hybrid workstyle.

Rewards and Benefits

• 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 30 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About the Role

Our Academy is here to support and grow a strong, skilled and confident workforce. We lead on the training, career development opportunities and practice improvement activities to staff in our directorate, including registered professionals, non-registered and reablement team colleagues. We focus on supporting our workforce, improving how teams work, and making sure we're ready for future challenges. We use data and feedback to guide what we do, including learning from audits, staff feedback and resident insights.

The Academy is a space for learning, reflection, and support; helping staff build their skills, share good practice, and feel confident in their roles.

The role of Professional Development Manager draws on our vision to have the right workforce with the right skills in place, for all operational staff to do their job well. A typical day would include managing the team, overseeing key programmes, quality assuring and delivering training, as well as being part of strategic meetings to shape our training and development offer to all staff within our directorate. The role is also expected to deputise for the Principal Social Worker when needed.

This is a highly varied role, with key responsibilities including:

• Managing a team of registered and unregistered staff
• Championing equity, diversity and inclusion by being an EDI lead across our directorate. Building strong working relationships within, and beyond, our directorate to support joined-up, inclusive practice
• Developing, overseeing and leading the Oliver McGowan training programme that directly links in with our Autism Strategy. This includes working with key partners across the ICB as well as exploring sustainable options for future delivery of this programme
• Working with the Head of Safeguarding and safeguarding advisors to ensure our safeguarding training offer is sustainable and meets the needs of the directorate. Delivering Safeguarding training to practitioners and managers, and developing and running bespoke best practice sessions using learnings from serious incidents, audits and SARs
• Managing and overseeing our training budget
• Leading on Quality Assurance of training courses that are being offered as part of their Academy. Undertaking training gap analysis when needed
• Working in collaboration with knowledge experts in the directorate, you will Lead on our training and development offer for senior staff, developing a robust and sustainable learning and development offer

Shortlisting Criteria

To be considered for shortlisting for this position, as well as submitting your CV, you will be asked a series of questions that clearly evidences the following:

• You are a registered Social Worker or Occupational Therapist with significant experience working in a statutory social care team, with experience working with older people, people with learning difficulties, mental health needs and neurodiverse needs
• A proven track record of managing a team, demonstrating a high level of communication skills with a variety of stakeholders. This includes skills in supervision, coaching and performance management
• High level knowledge and experience around social care matters, especially managing safeguarding enquiries and leading on multi-agency safeguarding responses
• Exceptional written communication skills with the ability to articulate complex concepts and information in clear, concise, and easily understandable language, to a variety of audiences
• Experience OR understanding in holding and / or managing a budget
• Experience of developing, facilitating and leading workshops, reflective practice sessions and development activities

Application Questions

• Can you share your experience of leading a team and managing staff in a social care or similar setting? Please include how you have supported team development, handled performance management, and created a positive and inclusive team culture
• Can you share your experience of designing, developing and delivering learning opportunities for practitioners in a social care or similar setting? Please describe how you identified learning needs, collaborated with others to shape the content, and ensured the learning was impactful and sustainable
• Can you share your experience of embedding safeguarding best practice and championing equity, diversity, and inclusion across a multi-disciplinary team? Please include how you influenced team culture, supported learning, and worked across agencies to drive improvement

Contact Us

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment. For an informal discussion please contact Anja Barker (Head of Academy/ PSW) by e-mail at

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 21/07/2025 with interviews planned for end of July.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Local Government Reorganisation

Surrey County Council is preparing for Local Government Reorganisation which will allow us to implement the Government led policy of devolution, which is all about giving more powers to local areas.

Currently, Surrey has a two-tier council system, with 11 district and borough councils and a county council, all responsible for different services. All these councils will be reorganised into a smaller number of new unitary councils which will come into effect in April 2027. At this point, this role will be transferred, with all existing terms and conditions intact into one of the new unitary councils.

Our values are as important as our abilities and shape who we are as an organisation. Discover more about our values .

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description. Our Life at Surrey handbook also provides insights of the culture at Surrey and how as a valued employee, you can help shape our Council.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applicants where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role.

We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.