Client Service Manager

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Hours: 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday, between 8am-6pm. Flexible working arrangements available for the right candidate. Hybrid working is also available.

Salary: £40,000 - £42,000 per annum (DOE)

Benefits: Holiday entitlement of 25 days per annum (pro-rata), pension, Birthday Day off, Medicash plan, flexible working and hybrid working.

On Call: The role will include participation in an out-of-hours on-call rota, covering Monday-Thursday weekly.

About York Road Project

York Road Project is a homelessness charity based in Woking, supporting people experiencing homelessness for over 30 years.

We provide emergency accommodation and a Day Centre offering practical support, advice, and pathways towards independent living. We are the only local safety net service for people experiencing homelessness in our area, working in a trauma-informed, person-centred way.

Purpose of the Role

The Client Services Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operational management of York Road Project's frontline services, ensuring people experiencing homelessness receive safe, high-quality, trauma-informed support.

The role provides leadership across the Today Centre, Tonight Centre and Tomorrow Houses, supporting staff and managers to deliver effective services and positive outcomes for clients. The postholder will oversee service delivery, safeguarding, operational performance and day-to-day health and safety practices, ensuring services run safely, consistently and in line with organisational standards.

A key part of the role is creating and maintaining a positive, supportive and accountable culture where staff feel valued, developed and empowered to perform at their best. Through visible leadership and performance management, the Client Services Manager will support staff to succeed whilst ensuring high standards of service delivery and professional practice.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide operational leadership across the Tonight Centre and Tomorrow Houses, ensuring safe, effective and client-focused service delivery.
• Provide line management and support to the Today Centre Manager, who oversees the day-to-day running of the Today Centre and its staff team. Maintain operational oversight of the Today Centre, Tonight Centre and Tomorrow Houses, ensuring high-quality service delivery, effective staff management and positive outcomes for clients.
• Maintain oversight of referrals, assessments, allocations, support planning and move-on processes.
• Monitor service demand, occupancy, client engagement and outcomes.
• Ensure organisational procedures, service standards and recording systems are followed consistently.
• Use service data, client feedback and staff insight to support continuous improvement and positive client outcomes.

Safeguarding & Risk Management

• Provide oversight of safeguarding across all services, ensuring procedures are followed consistently.
•  Ensure safeguarding, risk assessment and incident management processes are implemented effectively.
• Support staff to manage safeguarding concerns, complex needs and high-risk situations.
• Ensure concerns are appropriately recorded, managed and escalated in line with organisational and statutory requirements.

Health & Safety

• Maintain oversight of day-to-day health and safety practices across all services.
• Ensure staff complete all required daily, weekly and monthly health and safety checks in line with organisational procedures.
• Monitor completion of fire safety checks, welfare checks, room inspections, building checks and incident reporting requirements.
• Support staff to identify, record and escalate hazards, maintenance issues and health and safety concerns.
• Work closely with the Facilities Manager to ensure issues are reported and addressed appropriately.
• Ensure staff follow safe systems of work, including lone working and emergency response procedures.

Staff Leadership & Management

• Provide visible and supportive leadership across all services.
• Create and maintain a positive, supportive and accountable culture where staff feel valued, respected and motivated to perform at their best.
• Set clear expectations and hold staff accountable for their responsibilities, performance and professional standards.
• Lead supervision, reflective practice and performance management conversations.
• Support staff wellbeing, learning and professional development.
• Recognise and celebrate good practice and achievements.
• Oversee recruitment, induction and training.
• Manage rotas and staffing levels to ensure safe and effective service delivery.
• Support staff in managing challenging situations and complex client needs. 

Reporting & Service Improvement

• Monitor service performance, operational pressures and client outcomes.
• Maintain oversight of operational data, ensuring accuracy and reliability.
• Produce regular reports for the CEO covering activity, performance, risks and outcomes.
• Analyse data, trends and feedback to identify opportunities for service improvement.
• Support the development of effective client pathways and progression opportunities.
• Contribute to the ongoing development of services to ensure they continue to meet the needs of clients.

On-Call & Operational Cover

•  Participate in a Monday-Thursday on-call rota
•  Respond to urgent operational incidents, staffing issues and safeguarding concerns.

Professional Standards & Ways of Working

• Work in a trauma-informed, person-centred and non-judgemental way.
• Maintain confidentiality and comply with GDPR and organisational policies.
• Work collaboratively with external agencies and partners to support positive outcomes for clients.
• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries with clients, staff and stakeholders
• Manage workload effectively, balancing competing priorities and operational demands.

Experience

Essential

• Significant experience managing frontline, housing, support or community-based services delivering high-quality support to vulnerable individuals.
• Experience managing, supervising and developing staff, including performance management.
• Demonstrable experience of safeguarding adults and/or children at risk.
•  Proven ability to oversee operational service delivery and make sound decisions in complex or high-pressure environments.
• Experience using service performance information and outcomes data to improve delivery.
• Experience working collaboratively with external agencies and stakeholders.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities effectively.
• Experience supporting teams to deliver person-centred services.

Desirable

• Experience working within homelessness, supported housing, housing support or related sectors.
• Experience of trauma-informed practice.
• Experience of service development or improvement projects.
• Experience monitoring performance measures, targets or outcomes.
• Experience managing budgets or operational resources.

Personal Attributes

• Passionate about supporting people experiencing homelessness.
• Strong people manager who can motivate, support and develop others.
• Approachable, visible and supportive leadership style.
• Strong decision-making and problem-solving skills.
• Committed to continuous improvement and high standards.
• Collaborative and team-focused.
• Takes ownership and accountability for outcomes.
• Aligned with the values and mission of York Road Project