General Manager

Friends of the Elderly; Reading; On-site; GBP 65,000; Full time

Job summary

An established charity seeks a passionate General Manager to lead a new care home, Friends Place, in Calcot, Reading. This role offers the chance to create a nurturing and respectful environment for older residents while managing a dedicated team. You will oversee operations, ensuring compliance with regulations and maintaining high standards of care. With a focus on personalized, compassionate care, you will help shape the culture of this state-of-the-art facility, making a significant impact on residents' lives. Join a team that values dedication and resilience, and be part of a mission to provide exceptional support to those in need.

Benefits

Group Pension Plan

Generous annual leave

Wellbeing support

Learning and development opportunities

Monthly prize draw

Retail discount schemes

Access to loans

Health cash plans

Cycle to work scheme

Long service awards

Qualifications

• Minimum 2 years experience managing a care home for older people.
• Strong understanding of Health and Social Care Act and CQC regulations.

Responsibilities

• Oversee all aspects of the care home, ensuring quality of care.
• Drive and maintain occupancy within budget and manage staff effectively.

Skills

Leadership

Team Management

Sales and Marketing Principles

Problem Solving

Person-Centred Care

Education

NVQ Level 4 or 5 in Health & Social Care

Nursing Qualification

Academic Qualification in Management or Leadership

Job description

General Manager

Friends Place, Calcot, Reading

Salary: Circa £65,000 per annum

Permanent – Full Time (37.5 hours per week)

Monday to Friday (including some evenings and weekends).

Friends of the Elderly (FotE) is a charity dedicated to providing excellent care with a family feel. We have been supporting older people for 120 years, offering care home and day care services, as well as a grants programme for those in financial difficulty.

We are searching for a General Manager to lead the opening and running of our brand-new care home, Friends Place, in Calcot, Reading. Our state-of-the-art care home will feature:

• 66 luxury bedrooms with ensuite wet rooms.
• A cinema for residents to enjoy movie nights and entertainment.
• A stylish salon offering professional pampering.
• A peaceful library for reading and reflection.
• A vibrant bar for socialising and relaxation.

Our modern facilities are designed to create a warm and homely environment where residents feel safe, valued, and supported. Friends Place will be a vibrant, welcoming community, providing exceptional residential, dementia, and respite care.

About the Role

At Friends of the Elderly, we pride ourselves on delivering personalised, compassionate care. We are seeking a General Manager to lead our new care home, promoting a caring environment where everyone is treated with respect, dignity, and their rights to privacy, independence, and choice are upheld.

You will be the Registered Manager with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), responsible for driving and maintaining occupancy within budget, and effectively managing, motivating, and developing staff. Your day-to-day duties will include:

• Overseeing all aspects of the care home, including standards and quality of care, marketing, recruitment, and training.
• Building and maintaining a good working relationship with the team, ensuring the premises remain in excellent repair and comply with regulatory requirements.
• Recognising and assessing individuals’ needs, involving relevant professional agencies and relatives to develop personalised care plans.
• Complying with statutory and legal requirements, including Health & Social Care Act, Health and Safety, HACCP, and COSHH.
• Controlling and monitoring the budget and expenditure of the home, ensuring all legislative and regulatory requirements are met.
• Maintaining up-to-date and correct care, legal and statutory records.
• Marketing the care home to meet occupancy targets, using traditional and digital marketing channels, and working closely with the central marketing team.

About You

We are looking for someone qualified to NVQ 4 or 5, or QCF 5 in Health & Social Care, or holding a Nursing Qualification. An academic qualification in Management or Leadership is desirable. You must have at least two years of experience managing a care home for older people and have good experience effectively managing a team.

Ideally, you have experience in opening a care home and are willing to embrace the challenge once more. This is a unique opportunity to lead our fantastic team and help shape the future of Friends Place.

A team player and problem solver, you are dedicated, resilient, and approachable. You will be well versed in sales and marketing principles to ensure the home is marketed appropriately to meet occupancy targets, and skilled in recruitment and retention of staff.

With a strong understanding of the Health and Social Care Act and CQC regulations, you have knowledge of HR policies and processes, including investigations, grievances, and disciplinaries.

You are passionate about providing quality person-centred care for people who are living with dementia.

This isn’t just a job; it’s about making a difference to older people’s lives every day.

Why Join Friends of the Elderly?

• Heritage of Care: Work with a trusted organisation backed by over a century of expertise.
• Charity Ethos: Be part of a charity that prioritises people, not profit. While we take a commercial approach to our work, we are not for profit and are committed to our charitable values.
• State-of-the-Art Facilities: Lead a cutting-edge care home designed for comfort and community.
• Professional Development: Access training and career development opportunities.
• Make Your Mark: This is a unique opportunity to shape the culture and success of a brand-new care home, having a lasting impact on residents’ lives and their community.

In return for your hard work and dedication, you can look forward to a wealth of benefits:

• Group Pension Plan, with a 6% contribution from us.
• Generous annual leave.
• Wellbeing support through various initiatives, including an employee assistance programme.
• Learning, development, and progression opportunities.
• Monthly prize draw, with 3 prizes to be won.
• Retail discount schemes to make your salary go further.
• Access to loans at affordable rates, saving directly from salary and advance pay already earned.
• Health cash plans for you and your family.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Long service awards that increase with length of service.
• Refer a friend to work for us and receive a £200 bonus.
• Free DBS checks.

Safeguarding

Keeping everyone safe is one of the charity’s core values and is central to everything we do at Friends of the Elderly. All staff follow our Safeguarding Policy & Procedures and are expected to report any suspected abuse immediately.

Criminal Record Checks

As this role involves a regulated activity, successful applicants will undertake an enhanced DBS check, with barred lists check, and any offer of employment will be dependent on a satisfactory outcome. Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar a person from working for us; this will depend on the circumstances and background of any record.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

Friends of the Elderly strives to treat all staff equally and be a diverse and inclusive workplace, where everyone can be themselves and everyone accepts each other’s differences. Our ambition is to ensure equality and celebrate diversity, all working together to create an inclusive workplace that attracts and retains the best people. People that care and can make a difference.

We currently do not provide sponsorship, but we welcome applications from those who have the right to work in the UK.

Don’t delay in sending your application as we may need to close the vacancy early if we manage to appoint before the advertising closing date. We interview applicants as they apply.

If this role sounds like you then we look forward to hearing from you. Please apply below with your CV and a supporting statement (no more than two A4 pages), highlighting how you meet the requirements of the role.