Tower hamlets education business partnership jobs

ID: 1670Assistant Director of Partnership, Services and Innovation

Service:           Bromley by Bow Centre, Family Action

Salary: £61,000 (inclusive of ILW and market allowance)

Location: Based at the Bromley by Bow Centre in Tower Hamlets.  Given the leadership and collaborative nature of the post, the Assistant Director will be expected to have a strong presence and attend the Centre multiple times a week.  There will be travel within the London area and occasionally outside of this region.

Hours: Full Time – 37 hours a week

We offer flexible working arrangements - please see below for more details.

Contract: Permanent Contract

Family Action & the Role’s Impact:

At Family Action we support people through change, challenge or crisis. It’s what we’ve done for over 150 years. We protect children, support young people and adults and offer direct, practical help to families and communities.

We see first-hand the power of family to shape lives, for better or worse, so we speak up for the importance of family in national and local policymaking, amplify family voices and represent the changing needs of families in the UK today.

At Family Action we transform lives by providing practical, emotional and financial support to those who are experiencing poverty, disadvantage, and social isolation. We have been building stronger families since 1869 and today we work with more than 60,000 families in over 150 community-based services, as well as supporting thousands more through national programmes and grants.

About the Role:

The Assistant Director position offers an exciting opportunity for an ambitious individual who is passionate about working within a strong, vibrant community to drive positive change. 

Are you an innovative, strong team player and leader, who is solution focused and passionate about making a difference in everything you do?  Do you have a proven track record of partnership working, creating growth and retaining services, delivering excellent, inclusive services and cultivating quality and diversity?  Are you looking for a diverse, ambitious and fast paced organisation – if so, you have found it.

The role’s primary function is to provide strategic direction, development and growth.

The Bromley by Bow Centre (BBBC), established in 1984, has grown into a nationally recognised model for community regeneration. Today, it serves as a key hub for the East London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with a mission to help the community thrive through person-centred, holistic, and integrated health and wellbeing support.

BBBC works in close partnership with a range of stakeholders, its services span integrated advice, employability and enterprise programmes, learning opportunities, community and wellbeing support, social prescribing, and activities that foster inclusion. In addition, the Centre collaborates across organisations and communities to deepen understanding, share learning, and develop its principles and model.

BBBC is merging into Family Action early in 2026 and will become a part of Family Action’s vibrant London region, which works in and with diverse London communities and adapts to their evolving needs. Our work is underpinned by service user involvement, robust partner engagement, and a strong commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. We strive to create a sense of belonging for both staff and the people we support, and we are dedicated to innovating and co-designing services alongside those with lived experience.

The role requires a strategic thinker who is confident in developing and working with external stakeholders and partners while maintaining a clear oversight of operational delivery.  

You will be creative, promote innovation, and contribute to the ongoing growth and strategic development of BBBC and services within the wider Family Action.

Responsibilities:

· Lead and manage strategic partnerships at a local and national level.

· Provide leadership and drive innovation across BBBC.

· Operational line management of the Heads of Delivery and Impact ensuring the successful integration of BBBC into Family Action.

· Oversee budgets, manage financial risks, generate income, and contribute to sustainable service development.

· Represent BBBC and Family Action externally and build strong partnerships to support integrated service delivery.

· Ensure high-quality, safe, and compliant services through overseeing effective monitoring, auditing, and continuous improvement in line with Family Action’s polices and frameworks.

· Be a key member of Family Action’s London team and the wider Senior Leadership Group.

Main Requirements (for details check the job description and person specification):

· Strong track record in stakeholder engagement and cross-sector partnership working.

· Proven experience leading services for children, young people, adults and families.

· Ability to manage teams, budgets, income generation and service performance to a high standard.

· Knowledge of safeguarding, regulatory frameworks, and quality assurance processes.

· Commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, with an understanding of structural disadvantages.

· Appointments are subject to Family Action receiving a satisfactory disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service – Enhanced

Benefits:

- an annual paid leave entitlement that commences at 25 working days, rising each April by one day, subject to a maximum of 30 working days plus bank holidays

- up to 6% matched-pension contributions

- flexible working arrangements and new starters have the right to make flexible working requests from day one of employment

- enhanced paid sick leave and paid family leave provisions

- eye care and winter flu jabs vouchers

- cycle to work scheme

- investing in your professional development with ongoing quality training and career development opportunities

We are forward looking, ambitious and committed to continuous improvement. We are a people focused, can-do organisation, which strives for excellence in all we do and operates with mutual respect.

To Apply:

· complete an application form on the Family Action portal

· Closing Date: Monday 9th February 2026 9am

Interview dates – panel interview and presentation – Wednesday 4th March 2026 with visit to the centre and staff focus group prior to this – date to be confirmed.

For direct queries or if you would like to discuss any aspect of the selection process or flexible working requests, please email: Lee Denton (full email address located on the advert document)

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion:

We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process and you will be asked whether you require any adjustments if shortlisted for interview. We also make reasonable adjustments on the job, where required.

We are committed to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in all that we do and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Intersectionality is important to us and we particularly welcome applications from ethnically diverse communities, LGBTQIA+ candidates and disabled candidates because we are committed to increasing the representation of these groups at Family Action. We know that greater diversity will lead to even greater results for families, children and adults and strive for our workforce to be truly representative of the diverse communities we support. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role and will reimburse your travel cost if you attend an interview.

For this vacancy, we are also applying positive action to improve the representation of people of colour in senior operational management roles at Family Action. As such, the guaranteed interview scheme is extended to applicants of colour who meet the minimum criteria.

*Ordinarily Family Action appoints new starters at the starting point of the salary scale (with subsequent annual pay progression), unless you have experience that would justify appointment further up the salary scale or there are any other exceptional reasons.