Independent Living Skills Coach

Salvation Army Housing Association (saha); Manchester; On-site; GBP 19,000 - 23,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

26 days annual leave

Bank holidays

Westfield Healthcare Cash Back

Matching pension 6%

Enhanced family leave

Season ticket loans

Cycle to Work

Private medical insurance

Career development

Inclusive culture

Job summary

Salvation Army Housing Association (saha) in Manchester seeks two Independent Living Skills Coaches to support residents who are or have recently experienced homelessness. You will assess needs, build trust, and help clients gain independence through social and daily living activities.

You’ll work as a keyworker, employing a coaching approach, addressing physical, emotional, social and behavioural needs, and supporting residents to progress toward their goals within a trauma‑informed framework.

Qualifications

• Excellent communication skills and the ability to de‑escalate difficult situations.
• Ability to build trusting, professional relationships and to maintain boundaries.
• Experience or knowledge of working with homeless people or vulnerable groups.
• Understanding of local community resources and services to support clients.

Responsibilities

• Act as a keyworker for a caseload of residents and co‑produce their My Journey plan.
• Use a coaching approach to address physical, emotional, social and behavioural needs.
• Build supportive relationships while maintaining professional boundaries.
• Handle challenging behaviour in a trauma‑informed way within policy boundaries.
• Complete support and risk management plans and conduct regular reviews.

Skills

Communicator

De-escalation

Resilience

Asset-based approach

Homeless experience

Community resources

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity for two Independent Living Skills Coach to join our team in Manchester.

Working in an environment that is dedicated to providing comprehensive, good quality housing services, support and resettlement, you will work with people who are or have recently experienced homelessness and who are in need of support and accommodation. Assessing needs, building trust, enabling and unlocking our clients potential to live independently, you will need to get to know your clients, enhance their social integration and abilities by encouraging them to participate in social and leisure programmes, help residents with their support needs and with the practicalities of everyday living.

What you’ll be doing

- Act as a keyworker to a caseload of residents, coproducing their personal “My Journey” plan and enabling them to achieve their goals and aspirations

- Work with residents using a coaching approach, addressing their physical, emotional, social and behavioural needs, supporting them to progress towards independence

- Build supportive relationships with residents living in our services whilst maintaining professional boundaries

- Deal with challenging behaviour in a trauma informed way, keeping within the boundaries of policies and procedures.

- Completing Support and risk management plans, undertaking regular reviews to ensure goals are identified and achieved

What you’ll bring

- Be a confident and capable communicator, with the ability to de‑escalate difficult situations

- Be able to build trusting, professional relationships and have a high level of resilience.

- Take an asset‑based approach to empowering people to develop their skills, strengths and talents.

- Have good knowledge or experience of working with homeless people, and / or supporting vulnerable people or groups,

- Understand or learn about community resources and organisations that can help our clients

Working Arrangements

- Service based in Manchester

- Rota based including weekends

Our Offer

In return, we offer a competitive and supportive benefits package, including:

- 26 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing to 31 days

- Westfield Healthcare Cash Back Plan (including cashback for optical, dental, therapies, plus 24/7 GP access and counselling support)

- Matched pension scheme up to 6% (with salary sacrifice option)

- Enhanced family leave from day one, including enhanced maternity/adoption and paternity pay

- Financial support options, including season ticket loans, emergency loans, mortgage advice and wellbeing support

- Cycle to Work Scheme

- Discounted private medical insurance

- Support to learn, broaden your skills and develop your career

- A fun and inclusive work culture where individual differences are valued and championed

About The Company

Founded in 1959, Salvation Army Homes is a registered provider and exempt charity, and a subsidiary of The Salvation Army. We are a specialist provider of housing and support services across England, owning and managing around 4,500 homes in partnership with 79 local authorities. We provide general needs housing, supported accommodation, and homes for older people.

If you join our passionate staff team you will be contributing to our mission; “Safe Homes. Transform Lives” where you will make a positive difference to residents, who are at the heart of everything we do.

Guaranteed interview scheme: Please let us know if you have a disability, are a Salvation Army Homes resident or ex‑resident, are a care leaver, or ex veteran as we guarantee an interview if you meet the minimum requirements of the role.

As an equal opportunities’ employer, Salvation Army Homes is committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and does not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership. We invite and welcome applications to apply for Salvation Army Homes opportunities without concern of bias or discrimination.

If you require any adjustments or support to enable you to participate fully in the selection process, please let us know. We are committed to ensuring an inclusive and accessible recruitment experience.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

Independent Living Skills Coach

Company: Salvation Army Housing Association (saha) Salary: £21,063.34 to £21,063.34 a year Hours: Full‑time Location: Manchester, M14 5GL Job type: Permanent Posting date: 30 Oct 2026 Closing date: 28 Nov 2026

Summary

We have an exciting opportunity for two Independent Living Skills Coach to join our team in Manchester.

Working in an environment that is dedicated to providing comprehensive, good quality housing services, support and resettlement, you will work with people who are or have recently experienced homelessness and who are in need of support and accommodation. Assessing needs, building trust, enabling and unlocking our clients potential to live independently, you will need to get to know your clients, enhance their social integration and abilities by encouraging them to participate in social and leisure programmes, help residents with their support needs and with the practicalities of everyday living.

What you’ll be doing

- Act as a keyworker to a caseload of residents, coproducing their personal “My Journey” plan and enabling them to achieve their goals and aspirations

- Work with residents using a coaching approach, addressing their physical, emotional, social and behavioural needs, supporting them to progress towards independence

- Build supportive relationships with residents living in our services whilst maintaining professional boundaries

- Deal with challenging behaviour in a trauma informed way, keeping within the boundaries of policies and procedures.

- Completing Support and risk management plans, undertaking regular reviews to ensure goals are identified and achieved

What you’ll bring

- Be a confident and capable communicator, with the ability to de‑escalate difficult situations

- Be able to build trusting, professional relationships and have a high level of resilience.

- Take an asset‑based approach to empowering people to develop their skills, strengths and talents.

- Have good knowledge or experience of working with homeless people, and / or supporting vulnerable people or groups,

- Understand or learn about community resources and organisations that can help our clients

Working Arrangements

- Service based in Manchester

- Rota based including weekends

Our Offer

In return, we offer a competitive and supportive benefits package, including:

- 26 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing to 31 days

- Westfield Healthcare Cash Back Plan (including cashback for optical, dental, therapies, plus 24/7 GP access and counselling support)

- Matched pension scheme up to 6% (with salary sacrifice option)

- Enhanced family leave from day one, including enhanced maternity/adoption and paternity pay

- Occupational sick pay

- Financial support options, including season ticket loans, emergency loans, mortgage advice and wellbeing support

- Paid volunteering days

- Cycle to Work Scheme

- Discounted private medical insurance

- Support to learn, broaden your skills and develop your career

- A fun and inclusive work culture where individual differences are valued and championed

About The Company

Founded in 1959, Salvation Army Homes is a registered provider and exempt charity, and a subsidiary of The Salvation Army. We are a specialist provider of housing and support services across England, owning and managing around 4,500 homes in partnership with 79 local authorities. We provide general needs housing, supported accommodation, and homes for older people.

If you join our passionate staff team you will be contributing to our mission; “Safe Homes. Transform Lives” where you will make a positive difference to residents, who are at the heart of everything we do.

Guaranteed interview scheme: Please let us know if you have a disability, are a Salvation Army Homes resident or ex‑resident, are a care leaver, or ex veteran as we guarantee an interview if you meet the minimum requirements of the role.

As an equal opportunities’ employer, Salvation Army Homes is committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and does not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership. We invite and welcome applications to apply for Salvation Army Homes opportunities without concern of bias or discrimination.

If you require any adjustments or support to enable you to participate fully in the selection process, please let us know. We are committed to ensuring an inclusive and accessible recruitment experience.

About Disability Confident Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.