Learning Disability Community Leader, L'Arche London
ABOUT THE ROLE
Hours of work: 37.5 hours per week (including some evening and weekend working, and regular on-call)
Salary: £55,000 (including London weighting)
Reports to: L’Arche UK Director of Care and Communities
Place of work: L’Arche London Community, West Norwood, SE27. Some travel and overnight stays will be required within the UK.
Contract type: Permanent
Closing date: Thursday, 16th April, at midday
Notes: If you have already applied for this role and received an update on your application from us, please do not submit another application.
Main purpose of the role
The Community Leader is responsible for ensuring that the Community is living the mission of L’Arche, by providing excellent and sustainable care and support services, support for spirituality, and engaging with our neighbours and the wider community around us.
The Community Leader will:
- Lead the Community by responding to the needs, choices and context of our members while being faithful to the L'Arche UK Vision and Values, the L'Arche International Identity and Mission Statement, and to a co-created Community Mandate and plan.
- Maintain and enhance high-quality, person-centred care, support, and housing for people with learning disabilities, both at home and in our day services in partnership with the Registered Manager, the Team in London, the National Leadership Team, individual circles of support, and external partners;
- Ensure the Community's financial sustainability through robust financial planning and management, including setting budgets, controlling spending, maximising occupancy, negotiating care contracts, growing day services, and spotting fundraising opportunities;
- Foster a culture that maximises the voice and power for people with learning disabilities, building listening and collaboration between Community members with and without learning disabilities;
- Contribute to the national work programmes of L'Arche UK, as part of the National Council, collaborating with Community Leaders of other L'Arche Communities, to share skills, best practice, and resources
Key essential criteria
- Senior leadership experience in support to adults with learning disabilities (or transferable skills and experience in a closely related field);
- Experience in leading, managing, and developing an organisation or large teams to deliver results, maintain compliance and quality, and to respond to risks and opportunities;
- Good financial planning skills and experiences of successfully managing a substantial budget;
- Ability to think strategically and work collaboratively to develop and implement community plans;
- Experience of living or working alongside people with learning disabilities and/or autistic individuals;
- Passionate about person-centred support and the values and mission of L'Arche;
This role is subject to an enhanced DBS criminal record check.
You may have held these job titles in the past: Registered Manager, Service Manager, Head of Care, Senior Operations Lead, Community Director, Head of Community Services, Country or Regional Lead, Learning Disability Services Manager, Head of Mission and Community Life, Health & Social Care Manager, Local Authority Commissioning Lead;
You can find more details about L'Arche London here.
Additional details about L'Arche can be found here.
Discover what makes L’Arche a rewarding place to work—explore our employee benefits here.
A full job description and person specification can be found in the Recruitment Pack.
To apply, please submit your CV and include a cover letter via our online application form.
The closing date is: Thursday, 16th April at midday
First round interviews are expected to take place either on 22nd or 23rd April 2026 online via Microsoft Teams.
Second round interviews will take place on 30th April 2026 and will take place within the L'Arche London Community.
We encourage you not to wait until the closing date to submit your application, as we may begin interviewing strong candidates before then.
We also reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive enough suitable applications.
Please also read our privacy notice for job applicants.
Registered Charity
501 - 1000
Our inclusive communities challenge people to think differently about disability
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Sheffield Cathedral stands at the heart of the city as both an iconic Christian landmark and a living centre of prayer, worship, and mission. Guided by our commitment to be “A Place for All People,” the Cathedral is investing in new forms of sacramental mission across the Diocese of Sheffield.
The Community of St Paulinus (CsP) is a pioneering, non-residential community focused on resourcing sacramental church planting, forming disciples, and strengthening partnerships across the diocese.
This newly created role of Marketing & Content Lead reflects a strategic investment in building the public voice, identity and reach of CsP. We are seeking a creative and strategically minded marketing professional who will establish and grow CsP’s digital platforms from the ground up, developing a distinctive brand voice and presence that is rooted in Sheffield Cathedral while clearly expressing the unique identity of the Community of St Paulinus.
The postholder will shape CsP’s emerging communications strategy, build audiences, develop campaigns, and contribute to wider marketing thinking within the Project Resource Team.
The Marketing & Content Lead will sit within the Project Resource Team (PRT), alongside the Project Manager, Administration Assistant, and Fundraising Officer. The postholder will be line managed by the Project Manager and will be a key part of the agile Project Resource Team, which serves the CsP. The postholder will also collaborate with the Cathedral Marketing and Communications Team, where appropriate, to ensure alignment and shared opportunity, with the wider Cathedral communications strategy and work.
[This is a post which is funded by a grant from the National Church currently up to the end of 2028. There will be further opportunity for us to review and extend the role if further funding is available with the current expectation that this could be until 2031. Regular reviews on this will take place. We have a strong record for applications and grants, but we are not in a position to give guarantees.]
£27,278 per annum (4 days per week or 30 hours per week) - Flexible working arrangements available by negotiation
A full job information pack is available from Sheffield Cathedral website. Please visit.[A CsP Explainer document forms part of this job pack.]
Applications must be made on the Cathedral's own application form (which is also available on the Cathedral website).
Applications must be submitted by 12 noon on Thursday 9 April.
Short-listing by the panel will take place on Monday 13 April 2026.
Interviews will take place at Sheffield Cathedral Thursday 30 April 2026.
For an informal chat about this role, please email or telephone Paul Trathen, Project Manager, Community of St Paulinus. [Details through Cathedral website.]
