Director of Quality and Safeguarding
Trafford Council
Trafford Permanent £100,731 - £104,625 Full Time Hybrid Expires 26/06/2026
Trafford is a borough with ambition at its heart. We are proud of our communities, committed to improving lives every day, and determined to shape an adult social care system that is compassionate, forwardthinking and genuinely transformative. To support this journey, we are seeking an outstanding senior leader to join us as our Director of Quality and Safeguarding a pivotal role at the heart of our Adult & Wellbeing Directorate. This is an opportunity to shape the strategic direction of safeguarding and quality assurance across Trafford, ensuring that adults and carers are protected from harm and that our services consistently deliver the highest standards of practice. Working closely with the Corporate Director, you will ensure safeguarding remains a councilwide priority, with clear, effective policies, strong multiagency arrangements and a culture that promotes professional curiosity, accountability and learning. You will lead the development of a robust and consistent safeguarding approach across the directorate, ensuring that our systems, processes and practice reflect best practice and support excellent outcomes for residents. You will oversee our assurance and quality frameworks, embedding learning from audits, resident feedback, and serious incidents, and ensuring that our workforce is equipped with the skills, confidence and support needed to deliver highquality, personcentred services. This role also carries strategic responsibility for our readiness for the Care Quality Commission’s new assurance regime. You will ensure that our policies, procedures and practice standards reflect regulatory requirements, and that the organisation is wellprepared for inspection. You will work closely with colleagues across the Council, NHS partners, and wider system leaders to drive improvement, strengthen professional practice, and support the delivery of our Improving Lives Everyday transformation programme. As a key member of the Directorate Leadership Team, you will provide visible, valuesdriven leadership, modelling the behaviours and culture we expect across the organisation. You will work collaboratively with elected members, senior officers, external partners and national bodies, ensuring Trafford remains a trusted and influential partner within the wider health and care system. You will also deputise for the Corporate Director when required, contributing to the overall leadership of the directorate. We are looking for an inspiring, forwardthinking leader with a deep understanding of safeguarding, quality assurance and adult social care. You will bring strategic insight, strong partnership skills, and the ability to influence and drive change across complex systems. Most importantly, you will share our commitment to improving the lives of adults, carers and families across Trafford. If you are motivated by the opportunity to shape highquality, safe and compassionate services and to play a central role in Trafford’s transformation journey we would be delighted to hear from you. Please visit our microsite: https://join-trafford.co.uk/ , or contact our executive search partner, Gatenby Sanderson: Philip Emms (07590 225472) or Emily Lockwood (07384 258626).Supporting Documents
↗ Director of Quality and Safeguarding
Ready to apply?
Location
Talbot Road, , Trafford, M32 0TH, United Kingdom
Job ID
2075
Supporting You Through Every Step of Your Journey
We want every candidate to feel welcomed, informed and confident when applying for a role with us.
This section brings together everything you need to succeed - from guidance on writing an authentic application to understanding how to use AI responsibly.
You’ll also find information about our Greater Manchester commitments, including our inclusive employment schemes and standards, as well as tools to help you explore your potential pay, benefits and entitlements. We’re here to ensure you have the support you need at every stage.
Working for a local authority in Greater Manchester
Local authorities across Greater Manchester are proud to be part of a shared commitment to widening access to employment and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
These commitments span a number of long‑standing schemes and initiatives designed to open doors, remove barriers and ensure all applicants feel valued and respected throughout their employment journey.
Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter

Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter
Our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme

Our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme
Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment

Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment
Greater Manchester People Inclusion Standards

Greater Manchester People Inclusion Standards
Your Pay, Your Benefits, Your Future
Explore easy‑to‑use tools that help you understand your take‑home pay and how different employment situations may affect the financial support available to you and your household.
Calculate Your Take‑Home Pay
Use this salary calculator to estimate your net pay after tax, National Insurance, and pension contributions.
Estimate your Income Tax for the current year (Gov.uk)
Check Your Benefits Entitlement
See how changes in employment, hours or salary may affect your benefits and household income.
Turn2us Benefits Calculator
Applying Authentically With AI: Our Greater Manchester Approach
Across Greater Manchester’s local authorities, we want to hear your genuine experiences, skills and motivations, expressed in your own words.
To keep our recruitment process fair and inclusive, please complete your application personally and follow the instructions carefully. AI can be used to support you - for example, to help structure your answers or as a reasonable adjustment - but your application should still reflect your authentic voice.
Applications that depend too heavily on AI‑generated content may not progress to shortlisting.
This guidance outlines acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI, along with suggestions for using it in a way that supports you while keeping your application true to you.
What Is AI and How Do We Use It Across Greater Manchester?
AI refers to technology that can create or refine content, such as text, ideas, summaries, or planning. It can help improve productivity, problem-solving, and creativity.
We’re open to using innovative digital tools where they can help us work smarter and deliver better services for our residents. However, every use of AI is carefully considered to make sure it is ethical, responsible, and aligned with public-sector values.
When it comes to recruitment, we take a human-centred approach.
This means:
A trained hiring manager reads every application
Shortlisting is based on objective criteria required for the job
Interviews are conducted in person or via teams by the hiring manager for the role
All hiring decisions are made by hiring managers, not algorithms
AI does not make decisions in our recruitment process and our managers are being upskilled to spot AI in applications, particularly when this might have been used in a way that doesn’t feel genuine. If something in an application raises a question or concern, we will test this out with assessments or at the interview stage to confirm authenticity.
Our aim isn’t to catch anyone out but to make sure we’re getting to know the real you, giving every candidate a fair chance and finding the right person for the role.
Using AI in Your Application
When it comes to job applications, what matters most to us is you. We want to see your personality, your experience, and what excites you about joining our team.
We recognise that AI can be a helpful tool to support accessibility during the application process. If you choose to use AI for support, please read the instructions carefully and make sure your application is written in your own words, reflecting your genuine skills, knowledge, experience and enthusiasm.
We’re looking forward to hearing your story.
How to use AI Effectively and Responsibly
Your application is your chance to show us:
Who you are
What you can bring
The values you hold
Why you want to make a difference
AI can help you organise your thoughts or improve clarity but it cannot express your unique voice, experiences, or motivations.
AI is most helpful when used to:
Help you structure the information you are providing to evidence the criteria
Give examples of how to use STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result)
Proof-read to highlight grammar or spelling errors
Provide inspiration if you're finding it difficult to find the right words to explain something
But remember: your honesty, lived experience, and motivations are irreplaceable.
Do’s and Don’ts for Using AI in the Recruitment Process
Do:
Use AI as a supportive tool, not a replacement
Ask AI to help tidy up your writing or clarify structure
Use it to brainstorm examples, then rewrite them in your own voice
Reflect on AI suggestions and adapt them to match your experience
Use AI to help with research, but express your understanding yourself
Don’t:
Copy and paste AI-generated content directly into your application
Let AI exaggerate or invent experience you do not have
Rely on generic statements that don’t reflect the specific role requirements
Remove your individuality, we want to hear your voice
Stay Safe When Applying
To protect yourself from recruitment scams, please only apply for roles through the official greater.jobs website and associated recruitment systems. We will never ask for your personal information outside of this process.