Team Manager - IPS Employment Services

Southdown; Brighton; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health cost cash-back scheme

Interest-free loans

Access to the Easit Network

Blue Light card

Free advice and counselling service

25 days paid holiday

Job summary

Southdown is seeking a proactive Service Manager for Mental Health and Wellbeing Services in Brighton. You will lead a frontline Employment Specialists team, nurture relationships with external partners, and oversee contractual performance against KPI targets.

The role requires extensive experience in supported employment and managing complex client groups, with a DBS check paid by the employer. The package includes a technical premium and generous holiday entitlement.

Qualifications

• A good understanding of all aspects of supported employment and vocational services (including IPS and Retention Framework Models).
• Proven experience managing a team of staff working with complex/vulnerable client groups.
• Experience developing and maintaining professional joint working relationships with external, statutory and voluntary agencies.
• Enhanced DBS check will be paid for by Southdown.
• Proven experience in managing performance against KPIs.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain stakeholder relationships by representing the service at provider events and forums and contributing to contractual performance monitoring meetings with commissioning teams.
• Provide excellent line management support to a frontline team of Employment Specialists, including delivering team meetings, appraisals, supervision, and support with complex cases.
• Lead contractual performance by reviewing and updating KPI and client data, coordinating compliance checks and sending data to commissioners and partners to ensure contractual obligations are fulfilled.

Skills

Team management

Stakeholder engagement

Communication skills

Job description

Department

Mental Health and Wellbeing Services

Location

Brighton and Hove - Brighton

Salary

£34,800 / year

Application Deadline

21 September 2026

Description

Location: Brighton and Hove

Hours: 37 hours per week

Base Salary: £34,800 per year

Technical Premium*: 5% additional to salary of £1,740 per year (based on base salary) effective from 1 April 2026 - reviewed annually.
*The technical premium is paid in addition to the base salary in recognition of the external benchmarking for the role. Conditions apply.

Who We Are

Southdown is the largest not-for-profit provider of care, support, and housing in Sussex. We’ve been helping people access stable accommodation, mental health and care services since 1972, now counting over 900 people as part of our team

What you’ll be doing

• Building and maintaining stakeholder relationships by representing the service at provider events and forums and contributing to contractual performance monitoring meetings with commissioning teams.
• Provide excellent line management support to a frontline team of Employment Specialists, including delivering team meetings, appraisals, supervision, support with complex cases, and managing performance.
• Lead contractual performance by reviewing and updating KPI and client data, coordinating compliance checks and sending data to commissioners and partners to ensure contractual obligations are fulfilled.

Perks and benefits

• Health cost cash-back scheme: access to our health insurance scheme which covers dental, optical, physical therapies and other medical treatments with the option to add greater levels of cover.
• Interest-free loans: assistance with larger costs that arise such as tenancy deposits, season travel tickets or buying a car.
• Access to the Easit Network: discounts and incentives on train, bus and car journeys such as 15% off eligible daily and season rail tickets.
• Blue Light card: access to discount services for the social care sector with savings across thousands of online shops, restaurants, and high-street vendors.
• Free advice and counselling service: confidential emotional support and practical guidance from our independent telephone service.
• 25 days paid holiday plus bank holidays.

Knowledge, skills and experience

What you’ll need for the role

• A good understanding of all aspects of supported employment and vocational services (including Southdown’s IPS and Retention Framework Models)
• Proven experience managing a team of staff working with complex/vulnerable client groups
• Experience of developing and maintaining professional joint working relationships with external, statutory and voluntary agencies.
• Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, which will be paid for by Southdown
• Proven experience in managing performance against KPI’s

What would be nice

• Broad knowledge/awareness of Mental Health Services
• Skills in supervising and co-ordinating a dispersed team.

Training

Our award-winning in-house training team will help you to gain valuable qualifications, continually develop your skills and build a great career with the largest provider of housing, care and support in Sussex.