Regional Clinical Manager

Position Summary: 

This Regional Clinical Manager position is a senior leadership role, responsible for overseeing the quality and safety of clinical practice in a number of Jigsaw services across the country. The post holder will work as part of a dynamic team of Regional Clinical Managers and with the Clinical Director to further develop and implement Jigsaw’s clinical governance framework to ensure that Jigsaw delivers a high quality, effective, youth mental health service for young people aged 12-25 years. As a member of the national Jigsaw Management Team, the post holder will also actively contribute to the development and evolution of the Jigsaw service model.  

This role is suited to experienced social workers, psychotherapists, mental health nurses, occupational therapists and clinical/counselling/educational psychologists. The successful candidate will have a strong track record as a mental health professional with significant experience of working in a leadership/management role to ensure high standards of clinical practice.   

The successful candidate will be energetic, flexible and passionate about the provision of accessible, youth-focused primary care mental health services.  

Please note:

• This position is on a full time, fixed term basis, with the contract due to end on 2nd July 2027.
• Interested candidates are encouraged to make informal enquiries with Jason Smith, Clinical Director at Jason.Smith@jigsaw.ie
• This is a regional role and offers elements of hybrid working. Home working is available, however regular travel to community-based services and Jigsaw National Office will be required in order to fulfill the requirements of the role. 

WHO WE ARE: 

We are Jigsaw, the National Centre for Youth Mental Health. Formerly known as Headstrong, we were established in 2006 and to this day, we remain committed to leading a nationwide transformation in the area of youth mental health. By joining the Jigsaw Team, you will help us to create an Ireland where every young person’s mental health is valued and supported. 

In Jigsaw we believe in intervening early with mental health difficulties, offering a therapeutic service to young people at primary care level. Our network of Jigsaw services provide young people aged 12-25 with a place, or a digital space, they can visit for free and receive confidential support from mental health professionals.  The organisation is currently transforming its clinical model, seeking to ensure timely and impactful intervention is the core to all we offer with the resources that we have. This includes a ‘single session first’ approach to our initial appointments and the diversification of clinical offerings including group work and support for parents. 

In addition to the provision of a brief therapeutic service, we also advocate for a holistic and integrated view of the individual person which is inextricable from the contexts of their lives. To that end we aim to better inform, support, educate and empower communities, enabling a better understanding of our collective responsibility in supporting young people’s mental health. Our youth mental health promotion work seeks to enhance community engagement and increase knowledge and understanding in relation to youth mental health.  

Youth voice is central to our work in Jigsaw. We believe that service user engagement and wider youth participation is about involving young people, listening to them and giving them a voice in how our services and supports are planned, designed, implemented and evaluated.  

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES: 

The successful candidate will hold responsibilities at a national level, as part of the national Jigsaw Management Team; and at a regional level in relation to assigned Jigsaw services.  

National Level Responsibilities:

• Play a lead role in ensuring safe, effective, high quality standards of mental health service delivery in line with Jigsaw’s Strategic Plan Together 2022- 2025. 

• Play an active role as a member of the Jigsaw Management Team in contributing to the continued evolution of the Jigsaw model, including implementation of new approaches and initiatives throughout the Jigsaw network.  

• Contribute to the development, implementation and review of Jigsaw Clinical Policies, Procedures and Guidelines.  

• Lead and/or contribute to the design and implementation of programmes and projects across quality improvement and service development initiatives. 

• Share learning from experience of local Jigsaw service delivery to inform the governance and development of the national network of services. 

• On a scheduled basis, be available as the point of escalation and/or consultation for Jigsaw services nationally 

Responsibility for Individual Jigsaw Services in Leinster Region:

• Act as Regional Clinical Manager for a designated number of Jigsaw Services across the network. 

• Provide clinical supervision and line management to the Clinical Managers of these Jigsaw services, including performance management responsibilities associated with these activities. 

• Work closely with the Clinical Managers and Service Managers of these Jigsaw services to ensure, through coaching, support and challenge, the effective management of their teams.  

• Together with the Regional Services Manager (and working closely with the local service leadership team), ensure the effective delivery of Jigsaw services as follows: 
• Ensure targets, KPIs and quality standards are met across all areas of the service’s work  

• Contribute to seamless collaboration between the clinical and operational aspects of the Jigsaw model.  

• Ensure appropriate governance structures are in place to support the range of activities of the Jigsaw service.  

• Oversee the implementation of Jigsaw’s Polices, Procedures & Guidelines.   

• Establish and maintain relationships with key stakeholders in statutory, community and voluntary agencies operating in the youth mental health landscape. 

• Oversee the development and implementation of annual service plans. 
• Maintain connection to clinical practice by carrying a small caseload. 

• Participate in clinical supervision and line management meetings as required.  

• Participate in ongoing professional development including clinical supervision, line management, Jigsaw Learning Networks and relevant training opportunities. 

• As a clinical leader within the Jigsaw network, contribute to the continued development of the Jigsaw model of service delivery.  

• Prepare and oversee the writing of reports to meet the requirements of Jigsaw internal governance structures.   

• Practice according to all Jigsaw Policies, Procedures and Guidelines. 

• Fulfill obligations as per The Children First Act 2015, including oversight of the implementation of Jigsaw’s Child Protection and Welfare Policy. 

• Comply with responsibilities under the Data Protection Acts 1988, 2003 & 2018 (GDPR). 

• Undertake any other duties as determined by Jigsaw. 

Essential Criteria: Qualifications & Registration - It is essential that you meet one of the below: 

• Doctorate or equivalent in clinical/counselling/educational psychology. Qualifications obtained overseas must be validated by the Department of Health at the time of application. 

• Mental Health Nurse registered with An Bord Altranais. 

• Social Worker registered with CORU. 

• Occupational Therapist registered with CORU. 

• Psychotherapist accredited by the Irish Council for Psychotherapy(ICP) or the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP)

Essential Criteria: Experience  

• A minimum of five years’ post qualification full time or equivalent experience working clinically/therapeutically in a mental health service/setting.  

• A minimum of three years’ experience providing clinical supervision to allied health/mental health professionals. 

• A minimum of three years’ leadership/management experience in the area of mental health that includes reporting on service performance and staff management.   

• Excellent mental health knowledge and skills; assessment, formulation, evidence informed therapeutic intervention and evaluation. 

• Experience of applying evidence informed practice with young people in a mental health setting. 

• Significant experience of risk assessment and risk management.  
• Extensive experience of external multi-agency stakeholder engagement in a mental health/social care context .

Desirable Criteria:

• Strong understanding and experience of the statutory and voluntary mental health service systems. 
• Proven ability to work on own initiative within a flexible, co-operative, multidisciplinary / transdisciplinary team structure. 
• Proven ability to lead by example and influence teams and individuals to attain high performance levels.  
• Excellent team management, interpersonal and motivational skills. 
• Ability to provide leadership and sensitively and effectively manage and negotiate difficult situations that may arise. 
• Experience of using data to inform decision making and continuous quality improvement.  
• Experience of leading mental health related projects from inception through to implementation and review.   
• Ability to reflect on practice in order to facilitate personal learning, professional development and service improvement.  
• Effective presentation and facilitation skills including the ability to present information in a clear and concise manner. 
• Ability to organise a complex and varied workload and prioritise competing demands.  
• Ability to manage and be adaptable in a complex and evolving work context, including managing change. 
• Competent in Information Technology tools and applications, i.e. MS office, Office 365, Microsoft Teams and Zoom. 

Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience. Factors taken into account in determining an appropriate scale include the candidate’s knowledge, skills, experience and qualifications relevant to the job.

The salary range for this role will be €70,000 - €93,600. 

Jigsaw operates the following benefits for its employees :

• Defined contribution pension scheme.  

• Annual leave 27 days, exclusive of public holidays and 1.5 company days.  

• Comprehensive annual CPD schedule  

• Discounted Group Health Insurance Scheme 

• Travel pass Scheme/ Bike to Work Scheme 

• Financial support for further education  

• Flexible working   

Please note

• The closing date for applications is  12pm on 20th January 2025. First round interviews are scheduled to take place in person on Wednesday 29th January 2025. Second round interviews will likely take place in early February with a date to be confirmed.   
• Application is by online application form only & CVs will not be accepted. Please complete all fields of the application form. Incomplete application forms will not be considered. 
• It is intended to form a panel as a result of this competition, from which permanent and specified purpose vacancies, on a full or part-time basis may be filled. 
• The above Job Description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to them from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office. 
• The successful candidate will be required to obtain Garda vetting as a condition of their initial and continued employment. 
• Jigsaw is an Equal Opportunities Employer. 
• All documentation received by Jigsaw will be processed in accordance with the Data Protection Acts, 1988 and 2003 and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR; 2018). The information will only be used by Jigsaw in the processing of job applications and for ongoing administrative purposes with job candidates.