Service Development Officer (Best Start Family Hubs)

Grade G SCP 23 £34,434- SCP 27 £38,220 plus Essential Car User Allowance up to £963pa
Contract: Permanent. Please note this role requires occasional evening and Saturday working.
Essential Requirement: Full Driving Licence, DBS
Interview date: 28th April 2026
For further information about this role, contact John McSwiggan John.mcswiggan@bolton.gov.uk

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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Applications that rely too heavily on AI may be rejected during shortlisting, however we understand that AI may be used as a reasonable adjustment, if using AI to support your application, please give a brief explanation why to help ensure fair selection process.
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The Role
Join us at Bolton Best Start Family Hubs and become part of an ambitious, creative team leading innovation for children and families across our eight Family Hubs. Guided by the Best Start in Life Strategy, we’re transforming how services connect and collaborate to make a real difference to local families. With a model that blends vibrant hub activity and strong community based work, this is a fantastic opportunity to help shape new approaches, strengthen partnerships and contribute to a bold vision that puts families at the centre of everything we do.

We are seeking an enthusiastic and highly organised Service Development Officer to support the ongoing development, improvement and successful delivery of Bolton’s Best Start Family Hubs. This dynamic role combines project coordination, service improvement and partnership working to ensure our Family Hubs provide integrated, responsive and highquality support to families. You will contribute to the development of business cases, project plans and implementation activity, using data, insight and strong stakeholder relationships to drive innovation and ensure the government’s programme requirements are met.

You will play a key role in coordinating engagement across the Best Start in Life programme, supporting networks, workshops, consultation activity and community events, as well as producing highquality communications, including digital content, campaigns, social media, newsletters for staff, partners, parents and providers.

This post is office based across the eight Best Start Family Hubs and an essential car user allowance is payable as boroughwide travel is required between different Hubs and to other community-based locations.

You can also meet us at the Bolton Council Recruitment Event on 31 March, between 10am and 1pm at Great Lever Best Start Family Hub (Leonard Street, Bolton, BL3 3AP) where you can explore wider Council vacancies and speak directly with colleagues from the Start Well and Family Hub Service about this role.
About You
You will bring experience of supporting service or project development within a public sector or partnership environment with strong analytical, organisational and digital skills. You will bring a strong ability to work with and interpret data, using insights to inform decision making and service development. You will be able to inspire and motivate others through positive partnership at all levels, managing multiple workstreams, and using evidence to shape improved ways of working. With excellent verbal and written skills, you will produce high quality communications for a range of audiences and contribute effectively to stakeholder engagement. Highly proactive and organised, you will be confident managing your own workload, prioritising effectively and progressing multiple workstreams with minimal supervision. You will thrive in a varied role that contributes directly to better outcomes for families in Bolton.

You will be asked to deliver a 10 minute presentation on a project you have managed, outlining your specific role across the planning, design and implementation stages, the impact of your contribution, and how you engaged stakeholders throughout.

Please submit your presentation in advance, by no later midnight on Sunday 26th April to john.mcswiggan@bolton.gov.uk.
About Us
This is your opportunity to join us at an exciting time as we have strong ambitions for the borough.

Bolton is a great place to work. We are a welcoming organisation that wants to contribute to a place where people feel active, connected and prosperous. We are passionate about improving the outcomes and experience of Bolton people. We want Bolton to be a vibrant place built on strong cohesive communities, successful businesses and healthy, engaged residents.

As an employer we want to thank our employees for their hard work and commitment, by giving them the opportunity to access a range of exclusive rewards and benefits, including discounts and exclusive gym membership prices and salary sacrifice schemes. In addition, we offer a generous annual leave allowance, flexible work opportunities, access to a Pension Scheme, as well as a range of employee wellbeing and support services.

Our Values are really important to us, read all about them below, along with all our great staff benefits, the job description/person specification for the role and the important legal bits, and our Top Tips too.
Ready to apply? Then please click Apply and upload your anonymised CV and supporting statement discussing your relevant skills and experience and explain how you believe they make you a strong fit for this role.

Within Greater Manchester, local authorities have made a commitment to improve the employment opportunities for people with disabilities, care leavers, carers, and ex-military personnel. Please see greater.jobs for further information before you apply.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable adults and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) clearance - this post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (amended in 2013). Employment offers are conditional subject to satisfactory clearances. For roles where a criminal records check from the DBS is required, this includes satisfactory clearance of this check. The possession of a criminal record will not necessarily bar an individual from working with us. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of an individual’s offence/s. Information provided by you or the DBS will be dealt with in a confidential manner and in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice which can be viewed here. Bolton Council’s policy on the Employment of Ex-Offenders is available here.

This post is a designated customer facing role under the fluency duty and requires a specified level of spoken English as per the person specification.

This organisation has signed up to the Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment. That means we will recognise your continuous or ‘unbroken’ service in any Greater Manchester local authority or NHS organisation that has signed the commitment, Transport for Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service or Greater Manchester Combined Authority, giving you access to our service-related benefits. Please see the home page of greater.jobs for more information.

For more information about working for Bolton Council, please see greater.jobs; for advice and support with your application, contact recruitment@bolton.gov.uk