Service Manager (Durham)

Depaul UK; Bishop Auckland; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 40,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme with employer up to 7%

Employee Assistance Programme with 24/

26 days annual leave

Discounts across retail, travel, food,

Cash health plan

Death-in-service benefit

Flexible working options whereSuitable

Job summary

Depaul UK in Durham seeks an experienced Service Manager to lead the Bishop Auckland and Tow Law Supported Accommodation services, directing a team of Progression Coaches and Outreach staff to provide safe, person-centred support for young people aged 18-24.

You will drive service performance, manage budgets and partnerships with local authorities while upholding safeguarding, housing management and staff development standards, enabling smoother pathways to independence.

Qualifications

• Significant management experience supervising teams and individuals.
• Experience in risk management and safeguarding for young people.
• Experience delivering services to young people at risk in both accommodation and community settings.
• Experience using Risk Assessments and Support Planning.
• Good literacy, numeracy and IT skills.
• Experience with safeguarding requirements and procedures.
• Commitment to diversity, equality and health and safety.

Responsibilities

• Ensure health and safety of clients, staff and visitors through regular risk assessments and checks.
• Liaise with internal departments to ensure smooth service operations.
• Manage budgets and financial processes in line with policy.
• Maintain high standards of housing management and support delivery to meet KPIs.
• Build local relationships with commissioners and partner agencies.

Skills

Significant management experience

Decision-making under complex risk

Safeguarding experience

Service delivery to vulnerable young

Risk assessments & planning

Staff supervision & development

Collaborative working

Job description

Join Us and Help Shape Brighter Futures

At Depaul UK, we believe in people’s potential — and we take action every day to help unlock it. Whether you’re supporting young people directly or strengthening our organisation behind the scenes, your work will create real, lasting impact.

About the Role

Service Manager - Durham
£36,080 Per Annum + Pension and Excellent Benefits

Are you an experienced manager with a passion for supporting young people to overcome homelessness and achieve their potential? Do you have the leadership skills, resilience, and commitment needed to inspire teams and deliver high-quality support services? If so, we'd love to hear from you.

We're recruiting for a Service Manager to lead our Bishop Auckland Supported Accommodation Service and Tow Law Dispersed Supported Accommodation Service. This is an exciting opportunity to join a values-driven organisation committed to preventing homelessness and helping young people build brighter futures. You'll lead a team of Progression Coaches, Night Progression Coaches and Outreach Progression Coaches, ensuring young people aged 18-24 receive safe, effective and person-centred support.

In this rewarding role, you'll work closely with young people who may be experiencing:

• Homelessness and housing insecurity
• Social exclusion and disadvantage
• Barriers to education, employment or training
• Complex support and safeguarding needs
• Challenges developing independent living skills

You’ll provide leadership across supported accommodation and community-based services, ensuring the highest standards of support, housing management, safeguarding and service delivery. Working collaboratively with local authorities, commissioners and partner agencies, you’ll help young people build resilience, sustain tenancies and move towards greater independence and positive futures.

This role combines strategic leadership with operational oversight. You’ll manage staff performance and development, oversee budgets and property standards, monitor service outcomes, and maintain strong stakeholder relationships. We’re looking for someone with experience managing teams, delivering services to vulnerable young people, and using risk assessment, support planning and safeguarding practices to achieve excellent outcomes.

This vacancy is currently based across our Durham services in Bishop Auckland and Tow Law. The role includes participation in our national on‑call service and offers the opportunity to play a key role in shaping support services for young people across the region. An enhanced DBS check is required.

If you’re motivated by purpose, thrive on leading people and services, and want to be part of an organisation where your contribution creates lasting change, we’d love you to join us. In return, you’ll benefit from excellent training and development opportunities, reflective practice, supportive leadership, a fantastic benefits package, and the chance to make a meaningful impact on the lives of young people who need it most.

KEY DELIVERABLES

In this role, you will:

• You will hold specific responsibilities for ensuring the health and safety of the environment for clients, staff, visitors and volunteers through regular risk assessment, health and safety checks and reporting in accordance with the Depaul Health and Safety Policy.
• You will liaise with Depaul’s internal departments including Finance, HR, Quality and Compliance, Fundraising, Communications and Business Development as necessary to ensure the smooth running of the service.
• You will have specific responsibilities to ensure budgets are maintained as directed by the Executive Director of Finance and Resources and are managed throughout the year by working with the finance team and Assistant Director using its systems and processes.
• You will ensure the highest standards of support for young people are provided and that housing management is effective, and you will work to KPI targets in these areas.
• You will build and manage local relationships, including regular meetings with commissioners, stakeholders, delivery partners and other service providers for homelessness services.
• You will undertake further duties commensurate with the role, in line with Depaul Policies and Procedures and as identified by your line manager.

About You

What we are looking for from you – Person Specification

When completing your application form please address all the points set out below.

• Significant management experience, including experience of supervising the work of teams and individuals.
• Experience of sound decision‑making process on a wide range of complex situations where there is a requirement to consider a range of options/courses of action and risk management, including safeguarding children and young people.
• Experience of safe service delivery to young people at risk, both in accommodation based and in the community.
• Experience of using Risk Assessments and Support Planning.
• Good literacy, numeracy and IT skills
• Experience of operating safeguarding requirements and procedures
• Commitment to working in a manner which promotes diversity and equality, ensuring that everyone is treated with respect and dignity, and no one suffers from discrimination.
• Commitment to promoting an environment which has the highest regard for the Health and Safety of others.
• Personal and professional integrity
• Effective collaborative working
• Ability to effectively reflect on own practices for ongoing learning and development
• Respect for the values and ethos of Depaul and its founding partners
• High level understanding of professional boundaries and ability to maintain boundaries

What You’ll Receive

• Tailored training and development
• Flexible working options where suitable
• 26 days annual leave, rising with service
• Family‑friendly leave policies
• Pension scheme with employer contributions up to 7%
• Employee Assistance Programme with 24/7 GP access
• Discounts across retail, travel, food, fitness and more
• Cash health plan for you and your family
• Death‑in‑service benefit
• Access to legal and practical support

Safer Recruitment

Depaul UK is committed to fair and inclusive recruitment, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. If a role requires it under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975, we will carry out the appropriate Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check. We only look at information that is relevant to the role, and a criminal record will never be treated as an automatic barrier to employment. All DBS information is handled sensitively, confidentially and in line with the DBS Code of Practice, and we encourage applicants to discuss any concerns with us openly.