Team Leader – Asylum and Refugee Team in Bristol

An opportunity to lead a dedicated team supporting young people to build safe, stable and independent futures.

We are recruiting a Team Leader for our Asylum and Refugee Team, a rewarding opportunity to lead a small, experienced team who support young people who are seeking asylum or have refugee backgrounds; bringing people together around a shared purpose, support the team to deliver high-quality, psychologically and trauma-informed practice, and ensure services are safe, effective and well managed.

Across Bristol and South Gloucestershire, the team provides supported accommodation in shared housing, alongside tailored support to help young people develop the skills, confidence and relationships they need to move towards independent living. Some young people also need intensive, individualised support to navigate the complexities of the asylum process, alongside the challenges of settling into a new community and building a future in the UK.

Please find full details of how to apply via our website in the advert below. The deadline for application submissions is 23:59, Monday 23 November 2026.

We aim to build a more diverse workforce that reflects the young people we support, including those from migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking communities. We therefore warmly encourage applications from individuals who are currently under-represented at 1625, including people from ethnic minority backgrounds, Muslim and male candidates, and anyone with relevant lived experience.

If you need an adjustment to be made to any part of the recruitment process, please let us know as soon as possible.

Who are we?
We are a leading youth homelessness charity based in the Southwest, working with over 1,500 young people. At 1625 we are driven by Social Justice and Passion: we strive to do something that matters and take pride in seeing the results of our work in social outcomes and improving young people’s lives.

How we work
At 1625 our work is rooted in Psychologically Informed Environments (PIE) and Trauma-Informed Practice (TIP). Our Psychologically Informed Framework shapes how we build relationships, use our spaces, and support young people. This means we prioritise safety, trust, collaboration, and understanding the impact of trauma in every interaction. You don’t need prior experience in PIE or TIP to apply - we’ll support you to learn and develop these approaches in the role.

What you will be doing:

• Using your coaching and leadership skills to develop and motivate a small team, creating a positive, supportive and accountable culture where colleagues can respond confidently to challenging situations, manage risk effectively and provide consistent support to young people navigating the asylum process and transition to adulthood.
• Drawing on your ability to inspire others to deliver person-centred support that promotes independence, choice and positive outcomes for young people.
• Applying your understanding of the experiences and challenges faced by young people seeking asylum and those from refugee backgrounds to deliver culturally responsive, inclusive and trauma-informed support, while championing equity and challenging discrimination.
• Using your safeguarding knowledge and professional judgement to support colleagues to identify concerns, assess risk, respond appropriately and promote the safety and wellbeing of young people at risk.
• Building strong working relationships with colleagues, partners and external agencies, while using your housing management knowledge, or willingness to develop it, to support effective service delivery
• Using your organisational and quality-focused approach to help the team engage confidently with quality assurance processes, regulatory requirements and inspections, ensuring high standards of practice are maintained.

You will be part of the Asylum and Refugee Team, working across Bristol and South Gloucestershire. Your line manager will be the South Gloucestershire Service Manager.

Our Competency Development Framework sits at the heart of how we work at 1625. It links our values with the behaviours we expect to see in everyday practice and supports colleagues to learn, reflect and develop. It also means our recruitment is grounded in behaviours, not just experience, so applications, interviews and job profiles all focus on how we work, not only what we do.

If you have transferrable skills and you are interested in this role, but you are worried about the application process, please get in touch with us. We encourage you to have an informal chat with the recruiting manager to discuss how your personal or professional experience and skills could be transferred to this role. Details of how you can do that are further down in this advert.

Contract details:

• Hours per week: 37.5 (full time)
• Contract type: Permanent
• Pay: £33, 673 - £35, 570
• The location: Bristol and South Gloucestershire, with work across the team's supported housing provision.

Important dates:

• Application deadline closes: 23:59, Monday 23 November 2026.
• If you have not heard from us by the end of the day on Friday 27 November 2026, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.
• Interviews are on Wednesday 02 December 2026 (in Patchway, South Gloucestershire)

Application information:

• Please click here to access the job pack. This includes the criteria that will be assessed at application and interview.
• Please click here to download the application form.
• You will be asked to answer 6 questions at the top of the Word application form. These are required to ensure your application can be shortlisted.
• Please note the online e-application form cannot be saved so we recommend you prepare your Word application form before you start filling in the e-form.
• Please get in touch with us if a hard copy of the application form would be preferred. We will organise a time for you to collect it from and return it to our main office in Old Market. An online application will then be created for you.

Contact us:

• To have an informal chat about the role, please contact Karen Clark: [email protected]
• If you have any queries, please email [email protected]
• For support with your application, skills, training, and your career - Skills Connect’s dedicated advisors can assist you.

A few benefits at 1625:

• A generous annual leave entitlement of 30 days per annum plus all Bank Holidays.
• Employee Health Cash Plan with HSF.
• A supportive and approachable team with an emphasis on colleague wellbeing.
• “Colleagues are valued and supported, people like working at 1625 and you can tell that by the culture and atmosphere in the offices.”, Colleague Wellbeing Survey 2025.
• “I feel genuinely so proud to and really feel that the values and motivation behind the work we do aligns with who I am and who I want to be.” See what other colleagues have said about their career development with us, on the vacancy page of our website.
• 1625 is a Disability Confident Employer.

Equitable opportunities for everyone
We believe those with a criminal record should have an equal chance to become employees or volunteers and encourage applications.

As an organisation who safeguard and promote the safety and welfare of children, young people and adults at risk, any job offer will depend on a satisfactory DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check. Successful candidates will need to provide our organisation with sufficient documentation to prove ID. We comply fully with the DBS code of practice and undertake to treat all applications for positions fairly. For successful candidates with a criminal record, a risk assessment process will take place with the recruiting manager.

We also pride ourselves on being an equitable opportunities employer for everyone regardless of age, disability, gender identity, race, religion and beliefs, sex and sexual orientation. We have committed to being a Disability Confident Employer, and have made the Menopause Workplace, Mental Health at Work, and Bristol Equality Charter pledges.

Please see our Policies section on the website, for further information.