Care Specialist Team Lead

Sonder.io; Manchester; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free app access to Sonder 24/7 support

Parental leave benefits

Employee ESOP

Smart Pension employee pension

Bike2Work scheme

Wellbeing stipend

Volunteer leave

Job summary

Sonder is seeking a UK Care Specialist Team Lead based in Manchester to oversee our 24/7 UK Care Specialist team. Reporting to the UK Member Support Manager, you will drive performance, rostering, training and hiring while maintaining a Monday–Friday schedule for yourself.

You will lead by example in a high-volume, sensitive environment, ensuring timely, accurate and compassionate member support and continuous process improvement.

Qualifications

• Candidates with experience leading frontline teams in 24/7 contact centres.
• Proven ability to manage high volumes and sensitive cases.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and motivate Care Specialists; conduct monthly feedback sessions.
• Build and maintain a 24/7 roster ensuring continuity and fatigue management.
• Provide guidance during urgent issues outside standard hours and during surges.
• Own induction and ongoing training aligned with L&D framework; ensure compliance assessments.
• Act as hiring manager for Care Specialists; partner with People & Culture to grow the UK team.
• Contribute to QA and case reviews; audit 10% of active cases and drive coaching improvements.
• Manage payroll, leave and rostering administration.

Skills

People management

Frontline team leadership

Decision making under stress

Communication

Job description

At Sonder, we believe every person deserves to feel safe, supported, and empowered to be at their best, wherever they are. We’re redefining workplace health, safety, and wellbeing through a seamless blend of technology and human expertise. Sonder’s mobile platform provides 24/7, real-time support from a dedicated team of safety, medical, and mental health professionals, ensuring members receive immediate care when they need it most.

Since our founding in 2017, we’ve grown rapidly across Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. Backed by Seek and Blackbird, we now support over one million members and 200+ team members globally. We’re well-capitalised, scaling fast, and actively building toward an AI-native organisation.

About the Role

Reporting to the UK Member Support Manager, you’ll lead our UK Care Specialist team from our Manchester office, making sure every member gets timely, accurate and compassionate support. You’ll own performance, rostering, training and hiring for a team that runs 24/7, while working a Monday to Friday schedule yourself. If you’ve led frontline teams through high volumes, live incidents and sensitive cases, and you care as much about your team as the members they support, this role is for you.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Lead, coach and motivate your Care Specialists to deliver high quality support, holding monthly feedback sessions with every direct report
• Build and maintain a roster that guarantees 24/7 continuity of care while actively managing fatigue
• Provide advice and decisions when urgent issues arise outside standard hours, and step in during surges and high volume periods, including supervisor coverage
• Own induction and ongoing training in line with our L&D Framework, developing lesson content and making sure every team member completes their compliance assessments
• Act as hiring manager for Care Specialists, partnering with People & Culture to grow the UK team
• Contribute to quality assurance and case reviews, auditing 10% of active support cases and turning what you find into coaching and process improvements
• Manage your team’s administration across payroll, leave and rostering

What You’ll Bring

• At least two years leading frontline teams in a 24/7 contact centre, handling a high volume of diverse and sensitive inbound cases
• Experience managing live incidents, severe weather events and medical emergencies as they unfold
• Experience working with and coordinating medical professionals within a multidisciplinary team
• A track record of managing performance, both positive and corrective, through regular and structured feedback
• The ability to understand a complex product and make sure members get the right care at the right time across a range of pathways
• Clear, calm communication and sound prioritisation in a high pressure environment
• Empathy and emotional intelligence, with the self-awareness to support Care Specialists through personal and professional challenges
• Comfort with change and the ability to adapt quickly

Nice to Have

• A background in unscheduled care or telehealth
• A degree in business management, medicine or mental health

Why join Sonder?

At Sonder, we thrive in a fast-paced, high-performance environment with a strong commitment to our people. Our team is a collaborative, vibrant group of passionate professionals, dedicated to making a real impact on people’s lives every day.

• On-site in our Manchester office, Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:30pm, working alongside the UK Member Support team.
• Our employees and their families get free access to the Sonder app with 24/7 support.
• Paid parental leave with an attractive return to work policy, 12 weeks for Primary Carers and 4 weeks for Secondary Carers, plus our Primary Carers return to work at 80% for the first 3 months at full pay.
• True AI Native organisation with access to Claude, Gemini and other tools to encourage you to experiment, automate and get those real efficiency gains, no matter the role
• 2 days of study leave to invest in your professional growth.
• Employee Share Option Plan (ESOP), share in Sonder’s success.
• Workplace pension through Smart Pension, with up to 5% matched employer contributions.
• Bike2Work scheme, saving up to 43.25% on a new bike.
• Access annually to invest in your wellbeing, empowering you to choose the support that best fits your needs.
• Volunteer leave. 2 days per year to participate in meaningful causes and contribute back to the community.

At Sonder, we are committed to fostering a workplace that reflects the rich diversity of the communities we serve. Our members come from all backgrounds, and we know that a diverse team helps us better understand and support their needs. We encourage applications from people of all ages, abilities, cultural backgrounds, gender identities, sexual orientations, and religious beliefs. We are an equal opportunity employer and all hiring decisions are based on merit, capability, and alignment with the role.

Due to the nature of our industry, this role requires an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.