Development and Opportunities Lead

Role/Job Title: Development and Opportunities Lead
Location:
Office Base to be either 19 High Street, Battle, TN33 0AE or Cornford Lane, Pembury, TN2 4QU
Hybrid role but regular travel required (Battle, Hastings and Pembury)
Mileage expenses will be paid for travel to locations away from your main workplace, in accordance with the organisation's mileage policy. 

Hours:  37 hours per week (Monday – Friday)
Salary: £40,000 to £45,000 per annum

Closing date for applications: 14^th August 2026
We encourage early applications, as we reserve the right to close this vacancy before the advertised closing date should we receive a high volume of suitable applications.

Equal Opportunity/Accessibility and Accommodations Statement:
As a Disability Confident employer, Aspens Charities is committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for individuals with disabilities. We actively promote the recruitment, retention, and career development of people with disabilities, recognising the invaluable contributions they make to our organisation. We are dedicated to ensuring an accessible recruitment process for all candidates. If you require any accommodations during the application or interview process, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Aspens is entering an exciting new chapter. Following a recent organisational restructure, we've strengthened the way we deliver care, creating an even more effective, responsive and sustainable model of support for the people we support.

As part of this transformation, we've created new opportunities to join our leadership team - roles that didn't previously exist. We're looking for passionate, values-driven leaders who are committed to delivering outstanding, person-centred support, driving continuous improvement, and embedding high-quality, consistent standards across our services.

This is an opportunity to make a real impact: empowering teams, sharing best practice, strengthening governance, and ensuring every person we support receives exceptional care, regardless of where they live or who is supporting them.

If you're ready to shape the future of social care, inspire others, and be part of an ambitious organisation dedicated to improving lives, we'd love to hear from you. Join us and help lead the next stage of the Aspens journey.

Lead Innovation. Drive Growth. Create Opportunities.
Aspens is seeking an exceptional Development & Opportunities Lead to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our services and creating meaningful opportunities for the people we support.

This is a high-impact leadership role for an ambitious, strategic thinker who is passionate about innovation, service development, and delivering outstanding outcomes for autistic people and people with learning disabilities. Working closely with the Head of Service Development and PBS and the wider leadership team, you will identify opportunities for growth, develop new services, lead transformational projects, and ensure our services continue to evolve and thrive.

About the Role:
As Development & Opportunities Lead, you will lead service innovation and growth across our day and community-based services. You will oversee the strategic development of our day opportunities provision while identifying new ways to diversify services, generate income, and respond to emerging community needs.

This role combines strategic leadership, operational oversight, project management and quality improvement, making it an exciting opportunity for someone who enjoys turning ideas into reality and influencing positive change at organisational level.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development, expansion and scaling of high-quality services across the organisation.
• Embedd co-production throughout the organisation so the voices of the people we support are heard at all levels
• Identify opportunities for innovation, growth and service diversification. 
• Develop business cases and support funding applications for new initiatives.
• Drive continuous improvement and embed best practice across services.
• Lead the strategic development and operational oversight of day services.
• Build strong relationships with commissioners, funders, families, regulators and key partners.
• Use data, evidence and insight to shape decision-making and measure impact.
• Lead, coach and support managers while developing talent across the organisation.
• Horizon-scan for emerging opportunities, research and sector developments.
• Support organisational strategy and contribute to long-term sustainable growth.
   

About You:
We're looking for a forward-thinking leader who combines commercial awareness with a genuine passion for inclusion and person-centred support.

Essential Experience & Skills

• Significant senior leadership experience within health and social care.
• Proven experience leading service development, growth and transformation initiatives.
• Experience overseeing day services or community-based support models.
• Experience managing multi-site services.
• Strong strategic thinking and programme management skills.
• Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder engagement abilities.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to turn evidence into action.
• Financial, commercial and operational awareness.
• Values-driven leadership with high emotional intelligence.
  
  

Qualifications

• Degree-level qualification in Health & Social Care, Education, Psychology or a related field. 
• Commitment to ongoing professional development.

What We Offer:

• Comprehensive paid training and excellent career progression opportunities, including recognised qualifications in health and social care
• Paid DBS check
• Flexible work arrangements, with the option to take on additional bank shifts
• Nest Pension and Death in Service benefit
• Access to a dedicated Employee Assistance Programme and Mental Health First Aiders
• Blue Light Card discounts
• 20% discount at Aspens High Street Stores for all staff
• Discounted staff menu available at the Bluebell Café (Pembury)
• Refer a Friend scheme - earn up to £250 for every successful referral
• Employee recognition programmes, including ‘Employee of the Month’

Apply now and one of our team members will reach out to discuss the role further.

If shortlisted, we will contact you directly to schedule an interview. We strive to respond to all applicants; however, if you have not received a response within a reasonable timeframe, please feel free to contact us for a status update or feedback (where available). After the interview, you will be notified of the outcome. If successful, you’ll receive a formal offer in writing. Upon acceptance, we’ll guide you through the onboarding process, providing you with all the details you need

Please note, any offer of employment will be subject to Disclosure and Barring checks (which we will arrange on your behalf if you don’t already have one) and satisfactory employment references.