Visitor operations manager jobs

The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024 - Medium Organisation

MAIN PURPOSE OF JOB:

The sanctuary offers a home-from-home environment for all our residents.  Under direction you will be required to always provide and maintain a high standard of care and quality of life for all sanctuary residents in a safe and happy environment.  To offer love, comfort, stimulation, compassion, stability and security to all residents including the wildlife, ensuring their environment is the perfect sanctuary.

Under direction, you will be responsible for the welfare and happiness of each resident, ensuring the physical and emotional wellbeing of all residents in your charge, through constant interaction, whilst still maintaining consistently high standards of hygiene for each resident and throughout the sanctuary with daily cleaning duties.

There are many physical elements including cleaning, grooming, lifting residents, bending and working outdoors, so the capability to carry out all such tasks is essential. 

A love of animals together with the commitment and dedication needed to enrich their time at the sanctuary, during their latter years of life, and for those pets undergoing palliative care is also essential.  Full training will be given.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under direction you will be required to:-

i. Care for each resident like your own family, to build bonds with each resident in your charge, to understand each individual character, their likes, dislikes, personality and needs, to be receptive and understanding and have the ability to spot when things are not quite right.

ii. Minimise the trauma to any resident at a time of illness with compassionate care and, if needed, staying with them to reassure and “not clock off” when the shift ends.

iii. Provide stability by way of a routine with regard to meal times, exercise, grooming and cleaning, so all residents feel safe and secure. 

iv. Provide meals, ie breakfast, lunch and evening meals as well as any extra meals required for residents’ needs.

v. Ensure bedding, towels and coats are washed, bowls, toys, grooming implements and curtains are cleaned.  The living quarters for all residents to be spotlessly clean, utensils washed, floors hoovered and mopped.  To be able to add the extra little touches to further enhance their living quarters and surroundings. 

vi. Pick up animal waste from rooms, patio areas and whilst out walking and dispose of in a safe and hygienic fashion.

vii. Daily cleaning duties to include outside areas of the sanctuary ie stables, aviaries, paddocks, yards and cat gardens having regard for the general tidiness and cleanliness of the entire sanctuary.

viii. Communicate with all residents throughout your shift, be compassionate, patient, gentle and fun.

ix. Prioritise own workload as well as work within a team, communicate effectively with other team members, give and receive emotional support at difficult times when a resident dies. 

x. Meet and greet visitors to the sanctuary as and when required.

xi. Liaise with all other staff of the Trust in a flexible manner.

xii. Be familiar with and adhere to The Trust’s procedures, disciplinary and applicable rules and ensure compliance with legislation (Health and Safety, Data Protection, especially the privacy of members, petitioners and volunteers alike).

xiii. At all times to ensure and maintain a compassionate, professional and efficient public image for the Trust.

Together with such additional general duties as the Employer shall reasonably require, having regard to the needs of the Employer’s business as a Charitable Trust.

About Us

Our vision is for every child and young person to be safe, loved and happy, to achieve their potential and have a bright future.

St Christopher's is a leading charity for children and young people. We are proud of our history of providing fostering, children's homes and innovative leaving care services across the UK & Isle of Man.  We have a passionate commitment to our young people, placing them at the centre of everything we do.  We provide positive life experiences for young people who are unable to sustain a placement in their parental or foster home.

We are an equal-opportunity employer keen to develop an inclusive workforce where people feel they belong.We hope to attract applications from under- represented groups, including people from different cultures, nationalities, socioeconomic backgrounds, ages, disabilities, religions, faith, sex, orientation, childcare responsibilities, and gender-diverse identities.

About the role

As an Experienced Practitioner, you will provide direct support and care for our young people who have complex emotional and mental health difficulties (such as trauma and loss) and can struggle to regulate their emotions.

Working within a therapeutic framework, you will develop a direct programme of work aimed at developing authentic relationships with our children and young people (aged 12 – 17 years old), you will also have responsibility for making sure our residents are safe, providing support, liaison with other professionals and completion of support documents to record information.

Applicants should have

• Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare or equivalent (i.e. Level 3 Diploma Children and Young People Workforce with the children's social care pathway) or be willing to achieve the Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare within 2 years as per Children’s Homes Regulations 2015 (England).
• Minimum of 1 years’ experience working and supporting children and Young People to achieve their full potential.
• Genuine commitment to working with and supporting children and Young People to achieve their full potential; with the ability to build and promote trusted relationships while maintaining professional boundaries.
• An understanding of the issues facing children and Young People and a basic understanding of safeguarding Regulations and Procedures.
• The ability to cope effectively with challenging behaviour.
• Good communication and team working skills.
• Flexibility to work shifts, including weekends and bank holidays.
• Commitment to undertake any mandatory training (outside of working hours) and continuous learning to ensure a high level of service.
• Creativity, enthusiasm and energy to inspire and encourage young people to achieve their goals.

What you should expect from us

• Salary: £27,248 per annum
• A friendly working environment, a fun, open and honest culture.
• 25 days holiday rising to 27 days after 3 years’ service, plus Bank Holidays, pro-rata.
• Industry leading training programme including access to level 3 qualifications, children’s right and participation, CSE, empowerment, mental health and social pedagogy.
• Contributory pension scheme, enhanced maternity and company sick scheme.
• UK Life Assurance (Death in service) to the value of 3 times your annual salary.
• BUPA employee assistance programme, offering counselling, financial advice and legal support.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Bluelight card; discount shopping scheme at hundreds of retailers across the UK.
• Discretionary funded training programs.
• Employee awards based on performance and length of service.
• Fantastic opportunities to develop your career within our range of services.

Recruitment Process

At St Christopher’s we are committed to the safeguarding of all children and young people in our care. During the recruitment process you will be expected to complete an online application form to ensure we capture essential information to meet legislation, best practice and vetting requirements.

Applicants will ideally already be on the DBS Update Service; if this is not the case St Christopher's will carry out a DBS (police) check prior to starting.

First Stage Interview – Tuesdays & Thursdays throughout April and May 2025

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an interview at our Head Office

Second Stage

Successful candidates will then attend the second stage interview at the home they have applied for.

We advise you to apply as soon as possible as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Please note:

• This post has a minimum age restriction of 21 year for roles working directly with children and young people in our residential and supported accommodation Homes in line with the Equality Act ‘occupational requirement’.
• It is illegal to apply for any role that involves working with children and young people under the age of 18, if you know you are barred from working with children.
• All shortlisted candidates invited to interview will be asked to submit a Self-Declaration and Disclosure form which will need to be returned prior to an interview being booked.