Service assistant jobs

Contract: 8-month fixed term maternity cover, full time - 37.5 hours per week

Salary:  £25,787 - £27,886 per annum

Location: Southampton, SO30 2HL

Closing date: Wednesday 18th February 2026

Interview date: Thursday 26th February 2026 

We’re looking for a passionate and driven Assistant Manager – Client Services to join our team at the Southampton rehoming centre and help lead our work supporting people and pets. If you have a talent for delivering outstanding customer service, strong people management skills, and a genuine love for animal welfare, this is your opportunity to make a meaningful impact. This is a fixed term role until 30th September 2026.

More about the role

Our Southampton rehoming centre plays a vital role in supporting animals and their people, with on-site kennels and a cattery providing direct care and rehoming services. As part of a compassionate and dedicated team, you’ll help oversee day-to-day operations, support our clients, and ensure we’re making a positive difference in the lives of pets and their owners every day.

As Assistant Manager – Client Services, you’ll be at the forefront of this work. You’ll:

· Lead and line manage the client services team to deliver exceptional care from first enquiry through to adoption or other support

· Work closely with the team to assess and admit pets, match them with the right adopters, and guide clients through every step of their journey

· Use data and insights to shape services and continuously improve client experience

· Collaborate with the local leadership team to meet targets and drive pet welfare outcomes

· Be hands-on with day-to-day operations including managing enquiries, prioritising admissions and promoting pets in our care

This is an 8-month maternity cover position until 30th September, working full time at 37.5 hours per week on a rota that includes 1 in 3 weekends and bank holidays. The working day is from 8.30am to 5.00pm.

At our Southampton rehoming centre, we provide onsite accommodation for pets in our care 24/7.  Overnight shifts are usually undertaken by team members who live on site.  Occasionally you will be expected to carry out night checks when the resident team members are either not working or away for a period of time.

About you

You understand what it takes to match pets with new homes and are passionate about delivering an outstanding client experience. With a sharp eye for detail and a drive for improvement, you know how to assess what’s working – and what’s not.

As a people manager, you're confident in leading by example, setting expectations, and ensuring your team has the support they need to succeed.

A natural leader, you bring out the best in your team, supporting and coaching them to grow. You're calm under pressure, thrive in busy environments, and communicate clearly with people from all walks of life.

Your resilience and empathy shine through in emotional situations, helping you build trust, handle challenges with care, and create a compassionate, high-performing team.

Knowledge, skills, and experience

· Significant experience of managing a team.

· Experience in delivering high level customer service.

· Experience of working in a fast-paced environment.

· High standard of verbal and written communication.

· Proven decision-making ability.

· Current full driving license.

· The ability to demonstrate, understand and apply our Blue Cross Values 

It would be great (but not essential) if you also had: 

· Performance management and improvement experience.

· Understanding of safeguarding issues.

· Experience of admission and adoption processes in a rescue environment. 

Want to know more detail? Great! We have attached the job description which hopefully gives you everything you need. 

How to apply 

Click the apply button below and complete the online application process before the closing date Wednesday 18th February.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive an overwhelming response.

Blue Cross benefits

Our people are the most important part of delivering our purpose. If it were not for their amazing efforts and commitment, we would not be able to make the difference that we do today.

In return, Blue Cross wants to ensure we provide you with the best working environment we can. We want you to be happy working for us and will do everything we can to make sure you are.

Our generous benefits package includes:  

· Enhanced annual leave entitlement: 30 days plus bank holidays   

· Pension scheme with enhanced employer contribution

· Health cash plan 

· Life assurance

· Unlimited access to an employee assistance programme 

· Programmes for physical and mental wellbeing support 

· Free access to GP via MetLife 

· Recognition scheme Annual volunteer days

· Claim for professional fees 

To read more about the benefits Blue Cross has to offer, please visit the 'why work for us' page on our website. 

We are looking for an effective and flexible service delivery assistant to cover a fixed term 6 month secondment in Lancashire. The role will initially be temporarily working from home with any future office base to be confirmed. Therefore, you will need to live within a commutable distance to Lancashire.

What we offer

At Victim Support, we are committed to attracting and retaining the best talent. Our competitive rewards and benefits package includes:

• Flexible Working Options: Including hybrid working.
• Generous Annual Leave: 28 days plus Bank Holidays, increasing to 33 days plus Bank Holidays, with options to buy or sell annual leave.
• Birthday Leave: An extra day off for your birthday.
• Pension Plan: 5% employer contribution.
• Enhanced Allowances: Enhanced sick pay, maternity, and paternity payments.
• Exclusive Discounts: High Street, retail, holiday, gym, entertainment, and leisure discounts.
• Financial Wellbeing: Access to our financial wellbeing hub and salary-deducted finance.
• Wellbeing Support: Employee assistance programme and wellbeing support.
• Inclusive Networks: Access to EDI networks and colleague cafes.
• Sustainable Travel: Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loans.
• Career Development: Ongoing training and support with opportunities for career progression.

About the Role

This role provides help and support to our frontline services, to deliver an effective service by processing referrals in a timely manner, processing post and responding to miscellaneous

enquiries, delivering our social media strategy and contributing to wider engagement - particularly with children and young people.

Although we intend to appoint one person to this role, the responsibilities are divided across two service areas: 25 hours per week will support our Children and Young People's Services, and 10 hours per week will support the Lancashire Sexual Violence Service. For contractual purposes, this will be issued as two linked contracts- one for 25 hours and one for 10 hours.

Key Responsibilities:

• Process referrals into the service and upload to the CMS in a timely manner
• Plan and publish regular updates on the service's social media platforms
• Respond to general enquiries and provide accurate information
• Remain up to date with organisational and professional policies, procedures and best practice and legislation connected to your work
• Work closely with the Operations Manager on developing and delivering online and in person engagement strategies

About You:

Ideally, you will have work experience providing administrative and client facing support in a service working with vulnerable and/or traumatised clients. You will be accustomed to data entry into case management systems and able to tailor your approach to meet priorities like service level agreements (deadlines). You will also have experience using and delivering targeted messages on social media and feeding into engagement and outreach strategies.

You will need:

This role can involve regular travel across Lancashire, and due to the wide geographic area we cover, you will need to have reliable means of travelling across the county.

About Us:

Victim Support is an independent charity dedicated to supporting people affected by crime and traumatic incidents in England and Wales. We put them at the heart of our organisation and our support and campaigns are informed and shaped by them and their experiences.

Victim Support are committed to recruiting with care and to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Background checks and Disclosed Barring Service checks may be required.

At Victim Support, we're proud to celebrate diversity and create a workplace where everyone feels they belong. We're committed to being an antiracist organisation, and we actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, including those from Black and Asian and other minoritised communities.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we will offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet all essential criteria for a job where it is practicable to do so. We are also happy to make reasonable adjustments during the recruitment and selection process.

How to apply:

To apply for this role please follow the link below to the Jobs page on our website and complete the application form demonstrating how you meet the essential shortlisting criteria.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, if we receive enough suitable applications to take forward to interview prior to the published closing date. If you have already registered & started an application, then we will contact you to advise of the amended closing date wherever possible.

ID: 1670Assistant Director of Partnership, Services and Innovation

Service:           Bromley by Bow Centre, Family Action

Salary: £61,000 (inclusive of ILW and market allowance)

Location: Based at the Bromley by Bow Centre in Tower Hamlets.  Given the leadership and collaborative nature of the post, the Assistant Director will be expected to have a strong presence and attend the Centre multiple times a week.  There will be travel within the London area and occasionally outside of this region.

Hours: Full Time – 37 hours a week

We offer flexible working arrangements - please see below for more details.

Contract: Permanent Contract

Family Action & the Role’s Impact:

At Family Action we support people through change, challenge or crisis. It’s what we’ve done for over 150 years. We protect children, support young people and adults and offer direct, practical help to families and communities.

We see first-hand the power of family to shape lives, for better or worse, so we speak up for the importance of family in national and local policymaking, amplify family voices and represent the changing needs of families in the UK today.

At Family Action we transform lives by providing practical, emotional and financial support to those who are experiencing poverty, disadvantage, and social isolation. We have been building stronger families since 1869 and today we work with more than 60,000 families in over 150 community-based services, as well as supporting thousands more through national programmes and grants.

About the Role:

The Assistant Director position offers an exciting opportunity for an ambitious individual who is passionate about working within a strong, vibrant community to drive positive change. 

Are you an innovative, strong team player and leader, who is solution focused and passionate about making a difference in everything you do?  Do you have a proven track record of partnership working, creating growth and retaining services, delivering excellent, inclusive services and cultivating quality and diversity?  Are you looking for a diverse, ambitious and fast paced organisation – if so, you have found it.

The role’s primary function is to provide strategic direction, development and growth.

The Bromley by Bow Centre (BBBC), established in 1984, has grown into a nationally recognised model for community regeneration. Today, it serves as a key hub for the East London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with a mission to help the community thrive through person-centred, holistic, and integrated health and wellbeing support.

BBBC works in close partnership with a range of stakeholders, its services span integrated advice, employability and enterprise programmes, learning opportunities, community and wellbeing support, social prescribing, and activities that foster inclusion. In addition, the Centre collaborates across organisations and communities to deepen understanding, share learning, and develop its principles and model.

BBBC is merging into Family Action early in 2026 and will become a part of Family Action’s vibrant London region, which works in and with diverse London communities and adapts to their evolving needs. Our work is underpinned by service user involvement, robust partner engagement, and a strong commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. We strive to create a sense of belonging for both staff and the people we support, and we are dedicated to innovating and co-designing services alongside those with lived experience.

The role requires a strategic thinker who is confident in developing and working with external stakeholders and partners while maintaining a clear oversight of operational delivery.  

You will be creative, promote innovation, and contribute to the ongoing growth and strategic development of BBBC and services within the wider Family Action.

Responsibilities:

· Lead and manage strategic partnerships at a local and national level.

· Provide leadership and drive innovation across BBBC.

· Operational line management of the Heads of Delivery and Impact ensuring the successful integration of BBBC into Family Action.

· Oversee budgets, manage financial risks, generate income, and contribute to sustainable service development.

· Represent BBBC and Family Action externally and build strong partnerships to support integrated service delivery.

· Ensure high-quality, safe, and compliant services through overseeing effective monitoring, auditing, and continuous improvement in line with Family Action’s polices and frameworks.

· Be a key member of Family Action’s London team and the wider Senior Leadership Group.

Main Requirements (for details check the job description and person specification):

· Strong track record in stakeholder engagement and cross-sector partnership working.

· Proven experience leading services for children, young people, adults and families.

· Ability to manage teams, budgets, income generation and service performance to a high standard.

· Knowledge of safeguarding, regulatory frameworks, and quality assurance processes.

· Commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, with an understanding of structural disadvantages.

· Appointments are subject to Family Action receiving a satisfactory disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service – Enhanced

Benefits:

- an annual paid leave entitlement that commences at 25 working days, rising each April by one day, subject to a maximum of 30 working days plus bank holidays

- up to 6% matched-pension contributions

- flexible working arrangements and new starters have the right to make flexible working requests from day one of employment

- enhanced paid sick leave and paid family leave provisions

- eye care and winter flu jabs vouchers

- cycle to work scheme

- investing in your professional development with ongoing quality training and career development opportunities

We are forward looking, ambitious and committed to continuous improvement. We are a people focused, can-do organisation, which strives for excellence in all we do and operates with mutual respect.

To Apply:

· complete an application form on the Family Action portal

· Closing Date: Monday 9th February 2026 9am

Interview dates – panel interview and presentation – Wednesday 4th March 2026 with visit to the centre and staff focus group prior to this – date to be confirmed.

For direct queries or if you would like to discuss any aspect of the selection process or flexible working requests, please email: Lee Denton (full email address located on the advert document)

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion:

We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process and you will be asked whether you require any adjustments if shortlisted for interview. We also make reasonable adjustments on the job, where required.

We are committed to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in all that we do and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Intersectionality is important to us and we particularly welcome applications from ethnically diverse communities, LGBTQIA+ candidates and disabled candidates because we are committed to increasing the representation of these groups at Family Action. We know that greater diversity will lead to even greater results for families, children and adults and strive for our workforce to be truly representative of the diverse communities we support. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role and will reimburse your travel cost if you attend an interview.

For this vacancy, we are also applying positive action to improve the representation of people of colour in senior operational management roles at Family Action. As such, the guaranteed interview scheme is extended to applicants of colour who meet the minimum criteria.

*Ordinarily Family Action appoints new starters at the starting point of the salary scale (with subsequent annual pay progression), unless you have experience that would justify appointment further up the salary scale or there are any other exceptional reasons.