Services Engagement Officer - Catering & Healthcare

Crisis is the national charity for people experiencing homelessness. We have embarked on our 10-year strategy for ending homelessness. We know it is not inevitable. We know together we can end it.

We are now recruiting the team that will deliver Crisis at Christmas 2026/27. This unique project mobilises a huge volunteering effort to provide warmth, companionship and vital services in temporary centres across London to people facing homelessness.

Contract: Fixed Term parental leave cover contract – starting in Aug/Sept 2026 and ending on Feb 26th, 2027

Hours: 35 hours per week however some evening, weekend and bank holiday work will be required. TOIL can be accrued and taken as leave in line with Crisis’ TOIL policy.

Location: Canning Town Warehouse, E16 4ES - three days per week onsite. Additional days and locations across London will be required during the Christmas period when our sites are operational.

About the role

We are looking for someone to manage our catering, healthcare and guest welfare services for this year’s Crisis at Christmas. These services offer a diverse opportunity to grow and expand your knowledge in different areas whilst using project management and volunteer management skills to ensure they are delivered in a safe and effective way for our guests. The role requires an ability to recruit, train and manage your own teams of volunteers at the same time as maintaining professional partnership relationships to ensure we can put on a diverse programme of services for our guests.

About you

To be successful in this role you will have…

• Experience recruiting or managing volunteers (essential) as well experience managing or supporting staff (desirable).
• Experience managing relationships with partnership organisations.
• Experience working in the homelessness sector or similar social work settings either directly working with vulnerable adults or to provide services for them.
• Excellent spoken and written skills to communicate effectively and confidently with a wide range of audiences.
• Ability to prioritise tasks and work to tight deadlines in ambiguous or challenging situations.
• Experience of customer service and ability to deal with high volumes of enquiries via phone and email in a professional and friendly manner.
• Be able to work over the Christmas period.

Please see the full Job Pack linked below, for a full list of requirements for this role. We realise that long lists of criteria can be daunting, and you may not want to apply for a role unless you feel 100% qualified. However, if you feel you have relevant examples to answer the screening questions, we encourage you to apply.

We believe diversity is a strength, and our aim is to make sure that Crisis truly reflects the communities we serve. We are actively working towards our organisation being a place where everyone can thrive and make their best contribution to our mission of ending homelessness for good. We know that the more perspectives, voices, and experiences we can bring to this work, the better. We particularly welcome applications from people who have lived experience of homelessness, and people from all marginalised groups, communities, and backgrounds.

Working at Crisis

Our values, Bold, Impactful, Collaborative and Equitable, are at the heart of everything we do as we continue in our mission to end homelessness.

Our staff, members and volunteers are vital to getting the right government policies in place, providing breakthrough services, and building a supportive community. We’ll lead by example to nurture a positive and ambitious workplace guided by ending homelessness.

As a member of the team, you will have access to a wide range of employee benefits including:

• A competitive salary. Please note our salaries are fixed to counter inequity and we do not negotiate at offer stage.
• Interest free loans for travel season ticket, cycle to work, and deposit to secure a tenancy.
• Pension scheme with an employer contribution of 8.5%
• 28 days’ annual leave (pro rata) which increases with service to 31 days and the option to purchase up to 10 additional days leave.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, shared parental, and adoption pay.
• Wellbeing Leave to be used flexibly
• And more! (Full list of benefits available on website)

Alongside our excellent staff benefits, we will support your ongoing development to build your skills, experience, and career.

When you join us, you will have the opportunity to join our staff diversity networks, which aim to champion issues across the organisation, enable staff to be their authentic and best selves and contribute to making Crisis a truly diverse organisation.

How do I apply?

Please click on the 'Apply for Job' button below. Our shortlisting process is anonymised as part of our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. We do not ask for CVs, instead we ask you complete the work history section and answer the screening questions for us to be able to assess you fairly and objectively. At least two members of staff score all applications.

Closing date: Sunday 12 July 2026 23:59

Interview process: Competency-based interview + written task

Interview date and location: Wednesday 22 July 2026 at Canning Town warehouse, E16 4ES

AI in Job Applications

We understand some candidates use AI tools when applying. Whilst we welcome the use of technology to support clear communication and structure, we want to learn more about you, so please ensure that your application reflects your own skills, knowledge and experiences