We are recruiting for a Service Manager for our services in Essex, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk.
We are Forward, the social enterprise that empowers people to break the cycle of crime and addiction to move forward and live fulfilling lives .
We deliver a range of MOJ Commissioned Rehabilitative services (CRS) directly for Probation in three key areas: Accommodation, Personal Wellbeing and Dependency & Recovery. Accommodation is delivered in Wales, Dependency and Recovery in London and Humberside, Personal Wellbeing in East of England, Sussex, Surrey and as a subcontractor in Kent and Cheshire.
These services work with Men 18+ who are under probation supervision, supporting them to navigate through their desired outcomes in order to achieve transformational change, break the cycle of offending and achieve long-term integration into society.
Our services have supported thousands of people to make positive changes and build productive lives with a job, family, friends, and a sense of community. No matter what your past, we believe anyone is capable of lasting change
Roles Responsibilities
The Services Manager is a role which integrates a joint strategic and operational approach to service management in our new Probation Personal Wellbeing Contract.
Overseeing the Personal Well Being Services across multiple areas supporting young and adult males involved in the Criminal Justice systems. You will be supporting a team of Managers, practitioners and services who will be delivering a range of programmes within the categories of Family and Significant others, Lifestyle and associates, Emotional Well Being and Social Inclusion.
In this role, operationally, you will be responsible for line managing Team Leaders and will act as the single point of contact for all the subcontractors across a cluster of services in a Community setting, ensuring the effective running and development of each service in line with The Forward Trust strategy and business objectives.
You will work a combined pattern of remote working, including home working and travelling across the cluster of services you are responsible for to manage and support the frontline teams, attend essential meetings and ensure smooth project delivery and contractual agreements and targets are met.
From a strategic perspective, you will work in conjunction with senior management and develop improvement plans, produce performance reports for commissioners and attend and present at contract meetings for the services within your remit. You will also be responsible for ensuring data accurately reflects output and is submitted within set deadlines which includes ensuring services are audit compliant.
The specific units/projects for which you have responsibility may be subject to change, depending on the needs and changes within the organisation at any given time.
All prison-based roles will require enhanced DBS and HMPPS security vetting. Please note this process can take up to 3-6 weeks. All offers are subject to receiving both HMPPS vetting and DBS clearances.
Checks will require you to provide information on the below:
- Yourself (personal information, financial information, police information, criminal history)
- Your family (parents, parents’ partners, siblings, partner(s), children)
- Co-residents
- Associations that may cause a conflict of interest with your role or the prison service.
- Background checks across police information systems on you, your family and other associates
- Credit reference checks
- Social media and Open-Source checks (these are checks on content about you that's publicly available on the internet to ensure there's nothing linked to you that could undermine public trust and confidence in the prison service)
- Other government and overseas agency or police checks.
The Ideal Candidate
Please see below a list of skills and experience needed for this role.
- A demonstrable commitment to the aims, ethos and objectives of The Forward Trust.
- Understanding of Psychosocial interventions and community provision.
- Previous experience of developing and implementing service improvements.
- Demonstrable in the successful and effective management of people and performance, with evidence-based, tangible outcomes.
- Demonstrable ability to effectively lead and motivate teams, including through change processes.
- Experience of supervising and supporting staff to enhance their skills and enable them to work effectively.
- Experience of contract management, recruitment experience and data management
- Understanding of the voluntary sector.
- Understanding of and sensitivity to equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Working knowledge of using Microsoft office packages.
- Experience and knowledge of database monitoring systems, including overseeing the collection, recording and collating of information, including statistical data, for audit, research and reporting purposes.
- Excellent organisational, time management and planning skills.
- Flexibility to meet the needs of the service as it develops.
- Ability to represent The Forward Trust in a positive and professional manner.
- A positive problem solving approach with the ability to focus on key issues quickly and clearly.
- Professional and collaborative, with effective negotiating and influencing skills.
- Experience of financial management of projects.
- Ability to engage effectively with the wide range of stakeholders.