We're looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Service Manager to join our Nimrod House service in Newham.
£42,000.00 per annum, working 40 hours per week.
Want to feel in control of your career? You'll feel at home here.
Making you feel at home here means helping you thrive in every way. That's why we offer a wide range of benefits, award-winning Learning & Development and a culture that welcomes all. These aren't token gestures - we've thought long and hard about how best to support our team. After all, our people are doing something amazing: helping to transform lives every day.
All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.
What you'll do:
As the Service Manager you will be required to successfully apply for CQC registration for regulated activity and/or registered services within 6 months of appointment. You will ensure that your teams meet all statutory requirements and that all support is delivered in compliance with CQC expectations and Look Ahead's policy and procedures. You will take responsibly for maintaining compliance with the regulations and ensure that the appropriate notifications are made where necessary.
You will be responsible for the effective management of all aspects of service delivery, including line managing the relevant front line staff as well as effectively managing all stakeholder relationships in partnership with the Head of Operations. You will lead and manage the teams ensuring that Positive Behaviour Support is embedded in the service and provide ongoing coaching and support to allow staff to effectively support customers with high needs.
Leadership Accountabilities:
- Successfully lead and motivate your team to ensure the championing and ongoing maintenance of a positive performance culture within your service
- Work to continuously improve staff competence, ensure ownership of all staff issues and speedy and effective conflict resolution - this includes but is not limited to staff supervision, coaching, team meetings, reflective practice and training
- Responsible for reporting all staff changes to HR and Payroll departments, as appropriate e.g. starters, leavers, additional hours etc.
- Deliver effective, professional and commercially focused briefings and supervision meetings with staff and ensure that information, reporting & communications flow up/down is effective
- Responsible for managing and allocating customers to support staff (casework management)
- Where appropriate to role, carry client group specialism activities, linking in with other Managers and Heads of Operations to ensure focussed integration of specialisms across the whole organisation
- Develop and maintain excellent internal management relationships with all other Look Ahead departments and functions, ensuring sharing of best practice and supporting initiatives to improve organisational performance
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Operational Accountabilities:
- Drive business planning activities within your contract, ensuring relevant and challenging objectives are set and ongoing performance tracking, developing turn around action plans as necessary
- Using sound financial and accounting principles, manage contract budgets to deliver on corporate and local contract financial targets
- Develop key business relationships with all relevant customers/external parties to ensure service delivery excellence and maximise new business opportunities in own patch
- Have sound knowledge of the customers living in the service and be able to promote their wellbeing and quality of life
- Plan, organise and prioritise operations within your contract to ensure maximum efficiencies/utilisation of all resources
- Working with your team, lead creative and ambitious customer involvement plans across the patch and ensure successful implementation
- Lead quality visits, using Look Ahead's local indicators to monitor quality/performance, set targets and lead action plans to ensure highly rated services that reflect requirements of local funders and local and national standards
- Responsible for producing and submitting Monthly Management Reports to the Performance team, ensuring that all data gathered on local KPI's are accurate and up to date
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives across contract portfolio ensuring Look Ahead continues to set and achieves sector best practice standards and is held as a benchmark to competitors
- Within your service, ensure competent use of all relevant business IT systems and all company policies and frameworks
- Responsible for managing petty cash for the service in accordance with Look Ahead procedures
- Deliver an out of hours on-call service for region
- Ensure Look Ahead Health and Safety policies are adhered to throughout the service, to review at local level and ensure staff are competent and suitably trained
- Ensure that all safeguarding cases are managed in line with safeguarding protocols and are reported to Head of Operations Managers
- Ensure that all other Look Ahead policies and procedures are adhered to
This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead
Please see our website for the full job description.
Action for Refugees in Lewisham (AFRIL) is seeking our next Executive Director to lead our small, dynamic charity. You will be joining an impactful local organisation at a crucial time in our development. Since 2021 we have grown significantly and sustainably, developing new services based on client needs. You will be leading a highly competent and passionate team who are community minded and experts in their fields.
The Executive Director has overall responsibility for the day-to-day management of the charity, including finance and fundraising, as well as supporting the development and delivery of services. They will work with four experienced project leads to deliver and develop our core services: Casework and Advocacy Service, Rainbow Club Supplementary School, Destitution Service and Food Bank, and our Allotment of Refuge, as well as our Policy and external influencing work led by our Deputy Director for Casework and Policy.
We are seeking to appoint an exceptional candidate who can balance the demands of strategic leadership with the operational execution and development of our services and policy work. We are seeking someone with a high level of operational skill and accountability in operational management and governance. You will be responsible for the central services of the charity including finance, fundraising, legal, HR and communications. We are looking for a thoughtful leader who is passionate about staff and volunteer support. You should have experience and understanding of small charities and the external context within which we operate.
About us:
Founded in 2004, AFRIL supports refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants to lift themselves out of poverty, assert their rights, and rebuild their lives in the heart of our community. We provide both crisis support to meet immediate need, and longer-term, flexible programmes to tackle the underlying issues that result in poverty. We engage in policy and legal interventions to affect change. Our work is grounded in the values of professionalism, inclusivity, and solidarity, and our approach to service delivery is one of co-production and empowerment. We work with partners locally and nationally to deliver high quality services and advocacy.
Our Services:
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Casework and Advocacy – AQS and IAA accredited advice, casework and legal interventions in housing and homelessness, complex welfare rights, community care, asylum support, immigration, access to education and employment, healthcare and related matters.
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Destitution Project - supporting families to overcome extreme food poverty through regular food vouchers, fresh culturally appropriate food, toiletries, and essential household items plus small grants and a free café.
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Rainbow Club Saturday School - improving educational attainment, wellbeing, confidence and self-esteem, and raising the aspirations of disadvantaged primary age children.
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Allotment of Refuge - a welcoming and integrated community of food growers improving the health, wellbeing and healthy food access of children and adults seeking sanctuary in Lewisham.
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Immigration Project in partnership with Southwark Law Centre - free legal advice and representation to support families to regularise their UK immigration status in the UK.
In addition, we hold a monthly Members Forum, and use the evidence from our frontline work together with the testimony of our members to influence improved policy and practice.
AFRIL is currently in a good position, with the several long-term grants and statutory funding secured, and good relationships with community and individual donors. The Executive Director position represents an exciting opportunity to work with a passionate and highly competent team and the wider community to bring about real, positive change for vulnerable migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees in South East London.
AFRIL is an equal opportunities employer. We are a diverse staff team and particularly encourage applications from BAME candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and those with lived experience of asylum/irregular migration. We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to support our staff to flourish.
We are proud to be a member of the Experts by Experience Employment Network which aims to increase representation of people with lived experience in the charitable sector. Please feel free to use their information and resources which may help in preparing your job application.
Please read full Job Description and Person Specification. Applications will only be accepted through CharityJob - please submit a CV and cover letter (no more than 2 sides of A4) detailing how you meet the person specification.
We support asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable migrants to lift themselves out of poverty and rebuild their lives in the heart of our community.




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