Deputy Care Manager

Routes Healthcare; North East; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary up to £35,000 + bonus

25 days holiday + bank holidays + your

Buy and sell holiday scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

Routes Healthcare is seeking an experienced domiciliary care leader to step into the role of Deputy Manager for our Sunderland and Newcastle service. You will lead the team, manage commissioned packages, and build strong commissioner relationships under the guidance of the Care Manager and senior leadership.

You’ll benefit from robust systems, central support, and Routes Academy training as you drive performance, maintain CQC compliance, and shape how the service is run on a day-to-day basis.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in domiciliary or community homecare — either in a similar management/lead role, or senior care work ready for this step
• Proven experience managing commissioned care packages and working with commissioner relationships
• Good working knowledge of CQC regulations and standards
• Experience managing or supporting care packages across a geographic area
• Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle
• Calm under pressure, solutions-focused, and genuinely invested in the people you support

Responsibilities

• Manage commissioned care packages and maintain commissioner relationships.
• Lead day-to-day operations with the Care Manager; own team development and performance; manage budgets against contract terms.
• Cover the Care Manager when absent and maintain CQC compliance.
• Work with commissioners, service users and families as the visible leadership of the service.

Job description

Salary up to £35,000 plus performance bonus

This is a real step up — with genuine support to make it work.

We're looking for an experienced domiciliary care leader ready to move into management. As Deputy Manager, you'll own real responsibility for our Sunderland and Newcastle service — leading the team, managing commissioned packages, building commissioner relationships, and driving performance. You won't be doing this alone: you'll have direct mentoring from our Care Manager and senior leadership team, proper systems behind you, and the space to develop, if that's your goal.

This isn't a stepping-stone role that gets ignored. You'll be integral to how the service runs.

Routes Healthcare has been delivering high-quality homecare for over 15 years. We know what good management looks like, and we've built the infrastructure to actually support our managers — centralised teams, recruitment handled, training in place. Your job is to lead the service and grow your team, not to plug gaps and fight for resources.

What you'll have behind you

• Direct mentoring from our Care Manager and senior leadership team
• Centralised HR, payroll, quality and marketing teams
• An in-house recruitment function with zero agency use
• Ongoing training and development through Routes Academy
• Regular access to senior leadership
• Digital care plans and dedicated IT support

What the role involves

You'll manage commissioned care packages and maintain commissioner relationships. You'll lead day-to-day operations alongside the Care Manager, own accountability for team development and performance, manage budgets against contract terms, cover the Care Manager when absent, and maintain CQC compliance. You'll work with commissioners, service users and families as the visible leadership of the service.

What we need from you

• Extensive experience in domiciliary or community homecare — either in a similar management/lead role, or senior care work ready for this step
• Proven experience managing commissioned care packages and working with commissioner relationships
• Good working knowledge of CQC regulations and standards
• Experience managing or supporting care packages across a geographic area
• Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle
• Calm under pressure, solutions-focused, and genuinely invested in the people you support

What you'll get

• Salary up to £35,000 depending on experience, plus performance bonus
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays plus your birthday off
• Buy and sell holiday scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme

If you've got extensive homecare experience and you're ready to step into real management with the backing to actually succeed, we'd like to hear from you.

Routes Healthcare — part of your journey

Deputy Care Manager Tyne and Wear, England, GB