Sovereign & Bale
Service Manager
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Service Manager
Location: South West London (Covering Croydon, Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton, Wandsworth)
Salary: £52,000 per annum
Contract: Permanent
The Role
Are you an experienced operational leader with a background in employability, employment support, youth services, skills, or a similar environment? We’re looking for a Service Manager to lead the delivery of an employment support service helping young people aged 18–24 overcome barriers, access employment, and build sustainable careers.
This is a hands-on leadership role where you’ll manage a team of Mentors and Activity Co-ordinators, drive performance, and build strong relationships with employers, DWP, Jobcentre Plus, and local partners.
You’ll be responsible for the day-to-day performance and quality of the service, ensuring participants receive high-quality, personalised support and the team delivers against contractual targets.
Key Responsibilities
- Leading, coaching, and performance managing Mentors and Activity Co-ordinators.
- Managing service performance against engagement, employment, sustainment, quality, and compliance targets.
- Using management information to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
- Supporting the team to deliver effective action planning, barrier removal, job matching, and in-work support.
- Building strong relationships with employers to create suitable employment opportunities.
- Working with DWP, Jobcentre Plus, and local partners to strengthen referrals and participant outcomes.
- Ensuring safeguarding, quality, compliance, and data protection requirements are met.
- Supporting recruitment, induction, training, and ongoing team development.
- Reporting performance, risks, and improvement activity to the Head of Operations.
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Skills and Experience
- Experience leading an operational service within employability, welfare-to-work, youth employment, skills, or a similar publicly funded environment.
- Strong people management and performance management experience.
- A proven ability to motivate, coach, and develop frontline teams.
- Experience using data and management information to improve performance.
- An understanding of participant-centred employment support and sustainable employment outcomes.
- Excellent communication, influencing, and stakeholder management skills.
- Strong organisation skills and the ability to manage competing priorities.
- Knowledge of safeguarding, compliance, quality assurance, and data protection.
- Good IT skills, including Microsoft Office and digital case management/reporting systems.
- Knowledge of local labour markets and services supporting young people would be advantageous.
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Travel
This is a regional, multi-site position requiring regular travel across the designated area.
There is no regular home-working provision, although occasional home-working may be possible depending on operational requirements.
A car and full driving licence would be beneficial but not essential. If you do not have access to a vehicle, you must be able to travel effectively across the region using public transport.
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