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!
Are you passionate about the Samaritans’ mission and eager for a new challenge?
We’re looking for a part-time Executive Assistant (20 hours per week) to support our Executive Leaders and help Samaritans continue to be there for people when it matters most.
As an Executive Assistant, you’ll be highly organised and a great communicator. You’ll be responsible for providing highly efficient and effective support across all administrative and organisational activities. Working in a responsive team you will be one of the first points of contact for the Executive Leadership Team and will assist with administration and organisation of diaries for meetings and travel arrangements, preparing briefs and drafting a range of communications. You’ll attend key meetings in a supporting role and ensure efficiency and timely support to the Leadership team.
You’ll also assist with front-line reception administration services in the Ewell (Surrey) Office as required.
Contract terms:
£32,000 - £34,000 per annum, plus benefits (£18,285 - £19,428 pro-rata for 20 hours)
Permanent
Part-time, 20 hours per week
Predominately office Based in Ewell (Surrey), with occasional opportunity to work from home
Some occasional out of hours and weekend attendance at events/meetings.
We are passionate about flexible working. Talk to us about your preferences.
What you'll do:
- Manage the diaries of our Executive Leadership Team, prioritising demands where required
- Coordinate travel, accommodation and other logistical arrangements
- Prepare, check and administer paperwork for meetings, ensuring deadlines are communicated and met
- Provide coordination support to our Senior Leadership Team for key meetings and activities
- Draft correspondence for the Executive Directors and monitor responses
- Coordinate the preparation and dissemination of reports and documentation
- Liaise with key stakeholders on behalf of the Executive Leadership Team, building and maintaining positive relationships
- Provide reception cover when required
What you’ll bring:
- Strong written and oral communication skills, with the ability to build relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all levels
- Knowledge of general office administrational functions
- Excellent organisation skills with proven ability to prioritise competing deadlines and demands
- Ability to produce clear documentation
- Strong attention to detail
- Experience of working with sensitive and confidential information
- Ability to maintain a professional approach, even when working under pressure
- Experience of working within the charity sector, and project support or project management is desirable.
See full Job Description and Person Specification
Why Samaritans?
At Samaritans, you’ll be part of a people-first organisation deeply committed to inclusion, compassion and learning. You’ll contribute to a team where your voice matters, your expertise makes a difference, and your work helps save lives.
We welcome applications from individuals with lived experience and encourage those from underrepresented communities to apply. We are committed to creating an environment where all our people feel seen, heard and supported.
You’ll join a values-led organisation with a powerful mission and a collaborative culture. We offer flexible hybrid working, excellent benefits, and the chance to make a tangible difference in suicide prevention across the UK and Ireland.
For further information about Samaritans, including our charity structure, values, employee benefits, and application process, please read our recruitment brochure available here. You can also visit our careers website to access this.
We recognise the enormous benefits and the social justice imperatives of ensuring diversity at every level of our organisation. Samaritans is wholly committed to inclusion and diversity and to building a culture and environment where everyone is appreciated for the unique person they are. To ensure Samaritans is representative of those we support and who support us, we particularly welcome applications from disabled, racialised minority and LGBTQ+ candidates, as these people are under-represented at Samaritans.
Apply now
If this sounds like the opportunity for you, please apply. You will be asked to one application question and to upload your CV and cover letter.
Applications close: 09:00am on Monday 13th April 2026
Interviews will be held at our office in Ewell (Surrey) w/c 20th April
At Samaritans, human connection is at the heart of everything we do.
We do not use AI at any stage during the selection process. Your application will always be carefully reviewed by the recruiting manager or a member of the Talent Attraction Team.
We kindly ask that you avoid using AI tools to generate your application or interview answers. We want to hear your own ideas, insights, and writing style so your unique strengths can shine through.
Registered Charity
101 - 500
We prevent suicide through the power of human connection. Connecting people in crisis with trained volunteers who will always listen.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.