Independent advocate jobs in swanley, kent

Job title: Service Manager - Night Shelters

Location: On site at our office – Argon House, Argon Mews, London, SW6 1BJ

Contract type: Permanent

Reporting to: Head of Operations & Service Development

Hours of work: 35 hours per week (5 days per week)

About you

As the Service Manager for our night shelter service, you’ll be at the heart of Glass Door’s mission, delivering the largest network of night shelters in the UK.  This pivotal role offers you the chance to make a real difference by managing a dedicated team across multiple sites, ensuring high-quality, consistent service that supports our guests to build a route out of homelessness.  We’re looking for a dynamic, proactive leader with a passion for problem-solving and a compassionate service delivery.

What you will do as part of our team

The Service Manager is responsible for the following:

Service delivery 

· Lead all aspects of the planning, preparation, and delivery of the night shelter service. 

· Oversee the day-to-day operations of the service, directly engaging with staff and guests to ensure high-quality service delivery. 

· Ensure operational policies are consistently followed, providing guests with a reliable and uniform service experience. 

· Manage the rota across three night shelters to maintain adequate staffing at all times. 

· Manage a fleet of three vehicles used for the night shelters, ensuring their availability and maintenance. 

· Ensure all staff are fully aware of service provisions, requirements, and expectations. 

· Lead the continuous improvement of the shelter service to better meet guest needs. 

· Ensure due diligence is performed, and that reporting and records are accurately maintained. 

· Collaborate with the Head of Operations & Service Development to keep expenditures and income within agreed budget limits. 

· Liaise with casework colleagues to ensure seamless collaboration between night shelter and casework staff. 

· Ensure the night shelters are aligned with other statutory and charity services to best meet the needs of our guests. 

· Conduct and maintain annual general and fire risk assessments for each shelter venue; actively maintain the service-level risk register and contribute to organisational risk register. 

· Promptly raise concerns and safeguarding issues in accordance with relevant policies and procedures.

· Ensure policies and procedures are up-to-date with annual reviews, and provide staff with training and guidance on compliance and best practices. 

Management 

· Manage and supervise a seasonal staff team of approximately 40 individuals. 

· Oversee the full employee lifecycle management, including: recruitment, onboarding, training and performance management. 

· Lead the recruitment and training of seasonal shelter staff. 

· Provide high-quality support and line management to night shelter staff, delivering clear guidance, support, and effective leadership. 

· Ensure excellent performance management, support, and supervision of Night Shelter Managers and staff, including monitoring annual leave and addressing performance issues in line with Glass Door’s policies. 

· Empower seasonal managers to deliver high-quality, safe support and effective guest management in accordance with Glass Door policies and procedures. 

· Regularly monitor the quality of support and service by conducting site visits to the night shelters. 

· Organise and deliver a comprehensive training programme for shelter staff. 

· Facilitate regular supervision and team meetings to promote effective teamwork and communication. 

· Ensure the In-form system is utilised efficiently by shelter staff, with timely updates to reports, and prompt, accurate record-keeping. 

· Provide timely support, advice, and guidance to staff as needed. 

Service Development and Planning  

· Play a lead role in the annual planning of the night shelter service and contribute to the annual services business plan. 

· Drive the achievement of organisational targets and objectives as outlined in Glass Door’s business plan. 

Additional  

· Cultivate positive relationships with guests, staff, professionals, partners, suppliers, and the local community.

· To undertake any other duties that can be reasonably required to meet the operational needs of Glass Door.

· Carry out the functions of the post with proper regard to Glass Door’s Equal Opportunities Policy. 

Person Specification 

Essential: 

· Proven experience working with and understanding the needs of people experiencing homelessness or similar disadvantaged groups. 

· Experience in leading a service and managing frontline teams. 

· Demonstrated problem-solving abilities through proactive learning. 

· Understanding and appreciation of trauma-informed care. 

· Valid driving license for manual transmission with the willingness to drive the Glass Door vehicles. 

· Ability to work independently, with strong decision-making skills and initiative. 

· Highly organised with excellent time-management abilities. 

· Exceptional communication skills, adaptable to various styles and approaches. 

· Strong IT proficiency, including advanced Microsoft Office skills. 

· Willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends, with the flexibility to cover shifts in emergencies. Time off in lieu provided. 

· Proactive approach in resolving challenging situations and achieving desired outcomes. 

· Empathetic and professional in handling challenging circumstances. 

· Ability to implement and adhere to health and safety, HR, and operational policies. 

· Strong commitment to equal opportunities and diversity. 

Desirable: 

· Advanced IT proficiency, particularly in AI tools and technologies, with a proven ability to quickly learn and adapt to new software or web applications. 

· Relevant training or certifications (e.g., project management, trauma-informed care, IOSH Managing Safely). 

· A lived experience of homelessness. 

We value diversity, promote equality and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience of homelessness. 

Battersea is embarking on a transformative journey with our Launchpad Programme - a major cross-organisational initiative to consolidate all customer and animal data into one integrated CRM system. As part of this ambitious project, we are creating new roles to support our teams as they contribute to programme activity.

Supporter-Led Fundraising has been identified as a major growth opportunity in our Income Generation strategy, and we have ambitious plans for it going forward. This contract role will independently manage the planning, development, and delivery of Battersea’s Supporter-Led Fundraising programme, as well as provide support to the wider Events and Supporter-Led Fundraising team on other projects.

We are looking for a Senior Events & Supporter-Led Fundraising Officer (DIY/Community), with experience in Supporter Led Fundraising programme development, who can hit the ground running to lead on the delivery of our ambitious plans.

What we can offer you:
In return for your commitment to our cause and to recognise the value of our employees, Battersea offers a range of benefits to support the wellbeing of our employees. These include:

• 28 days of annual leave (plus 8 days paid public holidays) per year
• Discounted gym memberships and cycle to work schemes
• Employee Assistance Programme and access to Wellbeing Resources
• Generous pension contributions - up to 10% employer contribution
• Free healthcare cash plan, where you can claim for a range of treatment including dental, optical, physiotherapy, chiropody and acupuncture every year
• Annual interest-free season ticket loans

We are also committed to providing learning and development to our employees. During your time with us, we provide support for your professional and career development, including access to digital and in-person training programmes, leadership and management training, mentoring and much more.

Our hybrid working model:
We operate a 50% onsite hybrid working model, with our office-based staff splitting their time between site based and home working. This enables our office-based staff to balance the benefits of home working with onsite collaboration and maintaining a connection to our cause.

Diversity and inclusion:
We are committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive experience for all staff, volunteers and trustees and those hoping to join us. We operate an anonymised shortlisting process and actively seek to ensure our process is fair and equitable for all.

We understand the value of diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences to help us deliver even more for our dogs and cats, and we welcome applicants from all sections of the community.

As a Disability Confident Committed Employer we will ask about any adjustments you may need at application and/or interview stage, and if you are offered a role with us, we’ll talk to you about any workplace adjustments you may need to help you perform at your best.

More about us:
At Battersea, we aim to never turn away a dog or cat in need of help. We give each one lots of love, expert care and get to know their characters and quirks so we can find them a new home that’s just right for them. Join us and help us be here for every dog and cat, wherever they are, for as long as they need us.

Closing date: 27th July 2025*

Interview date(s): First round interviews: w/c 4th August 2025. Second round interviews: TBC

*All applications must be submitted before the closing date advertised. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications is received.