Janine Brown, joint director of partnership and commissioning, Sandwell Primary Care Trust

Employer: Sandwell Primary Care Trust
Age: 51
Time in job: Two and a half years
Salary range: £70,000-£80,000

Janine Brown qualified as a nurse 30 years ago and moved into general management about 13 years ago. By 2003, she had become a director of one of the Sandwell primary care trusts and, when that was reorganised, she moved to her present position as joint director of partnership and commissioning for Sandwell Council's children and young people's services.

Because of her background in health, she is still employed by the primary care trust but many of her colleagues are employed by Sandwell Council. Her role is to develop and commission a range of services such as those dealing with teenage pregnancy. Often, the focus is services that would otherwise fall between different agencies. "Our job is really working with service providers to work out what the strategy is, what gaps there are, best practice and service redesign," she says. "My team goes out and makes sure that everyone is working together and looks at what we need to change."

A key part of her role is to make sure that young people's views are reflected in service provision. The practicalities of her job - liaising with others to get different services to work seamlessly - are very different to nursing but still satisfying, she says.

"In my work as a nurse, I would feel I'd done well today if I'd helped someone to get better. In my current job it's harder to see the impact but I do feel we're making a difference," she says.

The hours are "closer to flexi than nine to five" and staff can access email from home, she says.

Her advice to those wanting to follow her career path is to be prepared to continue learning. She has a number of management qualifications, including a masters in management and leadership, and is doing a masters in commissioning.

"You learn on the job but every now and again you've got to go off and learn again," she says. She also advises people to talk to staff in as many different jobs as possible to gain a wider perspective. "Be prepared to take sideways steps, secondment opportunities and work shadowing. They can all help you get on," she says.

My day

9.00: Arrive at the office

10.00: Meeting of the local safeguarding board

12.00: Meeting to agree the final action plan for targeted youth support

13.00: Lunch

14.00: Meeting with the director of children's services to raise the profile of child poverty

15.30: Meeting with the Change for Children Executive to oversee the implementation of the change programme

17.30: Drive home.