Adults Professional Development Lead - Occupational Therapist

Job Introduction The starting salary for this role is £56,439 per annum, working 36 hours per week. Are you an experienced, registered Occupational Therapist with a high level of legal literacy? Are you passionate about professional development, education, and innovation in practice? Do you want to lead and shape key strategic projects that impact the future of occupational therapy and social work in the adult social care directorate at SCC? We are offering an exciting permanent opportunity to step into a pivotal role within the Adult Social Care Academy as a full-time Professional Development lead. You will report to Professional Development Manager and will be expected to have the ability to travel across SCC offices, using a hybrid model of working. The role will be expected to work from one of our offices at least twice a week and will be assigned to East Surrey Council after 1st April 2027. Our Offer to You 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service (pro-rated for part time opportunities) Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave A generous local government salary related pension Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year Paternity, adoption and dependents leave An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents About the Role In this role you will be central to driving practice improvement across the Adults, Wellbeing and Health Partnerships directorate by organising and delivering training, developing both e-learning and face-to-face learning opportunities, and leading learning events, reflective practice sessions and collaborative projects. Through this work, you will help strengthen consistency, legal literacy, clinical skills and professional connections across teams. You will also lead and contribute to quality assurance activity, using learning from audits, practice reviews and feedback to identify improvements, enhance professional practice and maintain high standards across services. As the lead for occupational therapy preceptorship and professional development, you will coordinate the preceptorship programme, support return-to-practice staff and international recruits, and promote professional identity, evidence-based practice and continuing professional development. The role also includes line management and mentoring responsibilities for Occupational Therapy and Social Work apprentices, alongside supporting Learning and Development Consultants and other staff to achieve their potential through effective performance, wellbeing and development support. Working closely with universities and education providers, you will expand Occupational Therapy and Social Work placement opportunities, promote leadership placements and income generation initiatives, and represent the Academy at regional and national forums. A key focus of the role is evaluating the impact of learning and development activity, ensuring that training leads to improved practice and better outcomes for residents while remaining inclusive, accessible and responsive to workforce and community needs. The role draws on our vision to have the right workforce with the right skills in place for all operational staff to do their job well for the benefit of our residents. A typical day would include supporting trainees on placements, quality assuring and delivering training, as well as being part of more strategic meetings to shape our training and development offer to all staff within our directorate. About the Team We are a small, friendly and supportive team made up of a diverse range of professionals, including Learning and Development Consultants, Carer Practice Advisors, Professional Development Leads and Professional Development Managers. In the Adults Academy, our vision is to cultivate a thriving, inclusive and compassionate learning culture where people are supported to grow and reach their potential. Through learning, practice improvement, quality assurance and inclusion, we strengthen practice, support recruitment and retention, and equip our workforce to deliver safe, high-quality services and the best outcomes for Surrey residents, carers and communities. Your Application In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours : A registered occupational therapist with substantial post-qualifying experience within health and/ or adult social care, with a strong understanding of professional standards and practice in a social care context. A proven track record of working effectively as part of a team, demonstrating a high level of communication skills with a variety of stakeholders. A high level of legal literacy relating to social care, with the ability to interpret and apply legal principles and guidance notes. Exceptional written communication skills with the ability to articulate complex concepts and information in clear, concise, and easily understandable language. Experience of supporting the learning and development of occupational therapists, apprentices, students and newly qualified practitioners through supervision, coaching, assessment and/or preceptorship. Previous experience in facilitating and leading workshops, reflective practice sessions and development activities Previous line management experience, including supporting staff performance, wellbeing and professional development. Proficiency in IT tools and systems, with experience and confidence in using Microsoft Teams and SharePoint to collaborate and share documents. To apply, we request that you submit a CV and you will be asked the following 3 questions (Maximum of 500 words per question): Tell us about a specific occasion when you designed and delivered training to a large and diverse audience. What need were you responding to, how did you make the learning inclusive and engaging, and what evidence showed that it made a difference? Describe a challenging staff management situation you have personally handled. How did you balance compassion, fairness and accountability, what actions did you take, and what did you learn about your own leadership? Give an example of a change to professional practice that you personally initiated or led. What evidence or feedback prompted the change, how did you involve and influence others, what resistance or barriers did you encounter, and how did you know the change was sustained? Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description & Our Life at Surrey handbook to get an insight into working at Surrey. 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 Jo Neish, Professional Development Manager, at joanna.neish@surreycc.gov.uk . The job advert closes at on 01/11/2026 with interviews planned for 11th November 2026. Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation and will move to new authorities in April 2027. This role is currently employed by Surrey County Council and will remain so until then. If you are employed by Surrey County Council on 1st April 2027, your employment will transfer under TUPE arrangements to one of the new councils, with your current terms and conditions protected. The provisional allocation for this post is East Surrey Council, subject to final confirmation through the wider transition process later this year. Please see more information here: Information for applicants on Local Government Reorganisation - Surrey County Council . Our Commitment We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum shortlisting criteria, as displayed on the advert, we guarantee you an interview. Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we’re committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs.