Deputy Manager

We're looking for an organised, compassionate and resilient Deputy Manager to join our Learning Disabilities service in Hertfordshire. £34,000.00 per annum, working 40 hours per week.

Want to feel like you have an exciting future? You'll feel at home here. Making you feel at home here means helping you thrive in every way. That's why we offer a wide range of benefits, award-winning Learning & Development and a culture that welcomes all. These aren't token gestures - we've thought long and hard about how best to support our team. After all, our people are doing something amazing: helping to transform lives every day.

Our Benefits Include:

• Annual leave increasing up to 30 days with length of service
• Free DBS
• Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
• Fully paid induction programme and further training
• ILM courses and Apprenticeship Programmes
• A generous pension - we will contribute up to 4% and life assurance cover up to £10,000 (T&Cs apply)
• Quarterly Staff Awards to reward & recognise our amazing staff's commitment and contribution

All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.

A Deputy Contract Manager is to support the Area Service Manager who is responsible for the effective management of all contracts within their designated patch, including line managing the relevant front line staff. Experience with working with Severe Learning Disability, Profound Autism, and behaviours of distress needed.

What You'll Do:

• Support the Area Service Manager to drive business planning activities within your contract, ensuring relevant and challenging objective setting and ongoing performance tracking, developing turn around action plans as may be necessary
• Support the Area Service Manager, using sound financial and accounting principles, manage contract budgets to deliver on corporate and local contract financial targets
• Successfully lead and motivate the team to ensure the championing of and maintenance of a positive local culture within your service
• Work to continuously improve staff competence, ensure ownership of all staff issues and speedy and effective conflict resolution
• Responsible for reporting all staff changes to HR and Payroll departments, as appropriate e.g. starters, leavers, additional hours etc.
• Supporting Area Service Manager in maintaining quarterly staff succession plans
• Deliver effective, professional, and commercially focused briefings and supervision meetings with staff and ensure that information, reporting and communications flow up/down is effective

This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead.

About You:

• Enjoys social interaction and the company of others, joins in local activities to encourage customer involvement and inclusion
• Exudes a warm friendly presence and open behaviour
• Prefers working as part of a group or team
• Is fundamentally calm and resilient, does not let emotion adversely affect them or obscure their judgement
• Has a practical and logical mind and is naturally well organised
• Thrives on change and enjoys dynamic diverse environments

Essential:

• Educated to degree level or equivalent
• Holds relevant CMI/NVQ Level 4 or other business/management qualification
• Sound understanding of Positive Behaviour Support framework
• 2 years of experience with profound autism or complex learning disability

Desirable:

• Any other relevant professional memberships and/or specialist qualifications
• Clinical background or relevant experience

Look Ahead is a leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. Our vision is to build better lives through social care and housing in local communities. As an organisation we deliver over 100 services, providing support to thousands of customers each year. Our mission is to co-design and deliver services that offer innovative social care solutions and support people to thrive. We work across mental health, homelessness and complex needs, young people and care leavers and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.

We have a strong social purpose and we live and work by our values: We focus on Excellence and innovation. We are Caring and Compassionate. We are Inclusive and Trusted. We work in Partnership and are One-Team.

Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.

If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role.

We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date. We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.