Southampton System Lead

The Southampton System Lead provides strategic and operational leadership for the citys integrated drug and alcohol service, acting as Inclusions principal lead within the partnership with the Society of St James. The role oversees key service areas and pathways, including alcohol treatment, hospital liaison, health and wellbeing, and harm reduction, ensuring services are safe, coordinated, accessible and evidence based. Responsibilities include leading and developing staff; managing recruitment, supervision, training and workforce cover; and working with clinical and operational leads to maintain effective service delivery. The postholder will strengthen relationships across health, social care, criminal justice, housing, commissioners and the voluntary sector, developing integrated pathways that improve access and recovery outcomes. They will lead clinical governance, audit, quality improvement, safeguarding, risk, serious incident and mortality review processes, while monitoring contractual performance, clinical standards, case-record quality and the locality budget. The role also promotes meaningful service-user and carer involvement, provides specialist substance-use advice or interventions where required, prepares and presents complex performance information, implements relevant policy, promotes an inclusive and anti-discriminatory culture, and deputises for the Service Manager when required.