At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and manage care services, ensuring high standards and quality support.
- Company: Join Lifeways, a company dedicated to transforming care services.
- Benefits: Flexible home-based role with travel, leadership development, and wellbeing support.
- Other info: Be part of a supportive culture that values innovation and inclusivity.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in people's lives while growing your leadership skills.
- Qualifications: Experience in social care management and a passion for quality improvement.
The predicted salary is between 31500 - 38500 £ per year.
Location: Home-based with travel across the North West England
The Opportunity
- Impactful Leadership: Step into a dynamic role where you’ll provide leadership to services during pivotal times, ensuring continuity and high standards of care while managing multisite teams. If you are a Service Manager or a Residential Manager with aspirations to become an Area Manager or gain a peripatetic skillset - this is the role for you!
- Career Flexibility: This is a home-based role, offering the flexibility of remote work, but will require travel across the regions, including occasional overnight stays during weekdays. All accommodation and travel expenses will be covered and planned in advance.
- Quality-Focused Environment: As part of Lifeways’ transformation journey, you will contribute to our mission to be the provider of choice, focusing on delivering safe, effective care that not only meets but exceeds regulatory expectations.
- Continuous Improvement: Be part of a culture that values innovation, feedback, and growth, where you will lead initiatives to improve service quality, compliance, and outcomes for the people we support.
Key Responsibilities:
- Provide time-limited leadership and management across services experiencing prolonged absence of managers, ensuring seamless delivery of care.
- Lead teams in delivering safe, effective, and person-centred support, driving quality improvement initiatives to meet and exceed CQC standards.
- Promote a culture of continuous improvement, embedding Lifeways’ values and ensuring that all services under your leadership excel in care delivery.
- Engage with external stakeholders, families, and health professionals to ensure the well-being and safety of the people.
What You’ll Bring About You:
- You are an experienced Service Manager or Registered Manager with a proven track record of delivering high standards of care in social care settings.
- You are passionate about quality improvement and have the leadership skills necessary to inspire teams to deliver person-centred support.
- Flexibility, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to making a positive impact are key to your success in this role.
- A minimum Level 3 qualification in Health & Social Care with Level 5 being desirable (or working towards it).
- Strong experience in operational and people management.
- A valid UK driver’s licence and willingness to travel locally.
- A genuine passion for quality care — and the ability to lead by example.
We’re looking for individuals who embody empathy, courage, honesty, equality, and passion. If that sounds like you, we’d love to welcome you to the team.
Why Join Lifeways?
- When you join Lifeways, you step into a leadership role in a company that values and invests in its people. Our shared values guide everything we do: Caring – Honest – One Team – Innovative – Courageous – Equal.
- You’ll get: Leadership development programmes & progression pathways, a supportive, inclusive workplace culture, matched contribution company pension scheme, wellbeing resources and mental health support, reward and recognition schemes, discounts on shopping, tech, travel, and more through CHOICE Rewards.
Why Now?
We are on a bold journey to become the Care Provider of Choice — and this is an exciting time to join us. We listen closely to our team members through surveys and forums and act on their ideas, continuously improving how we support both our people and the individuals in our care. As a leader, you’ll have the authority, resources, and support to shape your team’s culture and the quality of care they deliver. We invest in your growth through leadership development and promote a workplace where wellbeing, diversity, and inclusion are more than just words — they’re lived values. At Lifeways, you’re not just anyone. You’re a leader who can make a difference every single day.
Relief Service Manager - North West employer: Lifeway s Group
The Lifeways Group in Sunderland is an exceptional employer dedicated to empowering individuals to lead independent lives. With a strong focus on employee growth and a supportive work culture, team members benefit from ongoing training and development opportunities while working in a vibrant environment that fosters collaboration and community. Join us at Church View apartments, where you can make a meaningful impact in the lives of residents while enjoying a fulfilling career in the care sector.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Relief Service Manager - North West
✨Dive into Local Community Groups
Social work thrives on community connections, so get involved in local groups or forums specific to your interests. Whether it’s volunteering at local shelters or joining community action boards, these are great ways to boost your visibility and make direct contacts that could lead to opportunities like the one at Lifeway s Group.
✨Attend Social Work Events and Workshops
Keep an eye out for workshops, seminars, or conferences in social work. These events are fantastic for meeting professionals in the field, learning about emerging trends, and spotting job openings. Plus, you might just bump into someone from Lifeway s Group!
✨Showcase Your Passion and Expertise
Use platforms like Instagram or LinkedIn to share your journey and insights into the social work sector. Whether it’s writing about your experiences or sharing relevant articles, this helps to establish you as an engaged professional. Potential employers, like Lifeway s Group, will notice your enthusiasm!
✨Leverage Your Network
Don’t hesitate to reach out to professors, mentors, or even past colleagues who are in social work. They might have inside knowledge about openings at Lifeway s Group or be able to connect you with someone who’s hiring. Networking is key, especially in a full-time role where relationships matter.
We think you need these skills to ace Relief Service Manager - North West
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Social Work:In your cover letter, let us see your passion for social work shine through! Talk about the experiences that made you want to pursue this career—whether it’s volunteering, personal experiences, or academic projects. We want to know why this field matters to you.
Emphasise Relevant Qualifications:Make sure your CV highlights any relevant qualifications, like degrees in social work or certifications like a DBS check. If you've done any workshops or training, don’t forget to include those as well. We're keen to see your commitment to your professional development!
Detail Your Experience with Clients:Since this is a hands-on field, detailing any direct experience you have with clients is crucial. Whether it's internships, volunteer roles, or previous jobs, highlight those experiences in your CV to show us you've got the practical skills necessary for the job!
Tailor Your Application to Lifeway s Group:Before hitting send, make sure to tailor your application specifically to Lifeway s Group! Research our mission and values, and refer to them in your cover letter. This shows us that you understand our work and are genuinely interested in being a part of our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Lifeway s Group
✨Understanding the Role of Empathy
In social work, understanding and demonstrating empathy is key. Be prepared to share personal experiences or scenarios where you effectively showed compassion and support. This helps show that you genuinely care about the well-being of others, which is crucial in social work.
✨Demonstrating Knowledge of Frameworks
Familiarise yourself with the frameworks and models used in social work, such as the Strengths-Based Approach or the Ecological Perspective. Be ready to discuss how these frameworks apply to your work, especially if you can tie them into real-world examples or case studies you've encountered.
✨Showcasing Your Multi-Disciplinary Skills
In a full-time social work role, you'll often collaborate with healthcare professionals, educators, and law enforcement. Be prepared to describe your teamwork experiences and how you've effectively communicated with other disciplines to achieve the best outcomes for clients.
✨Preparing for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect questions that put you in hypothetical social work situations, such as dealing with a crisis or managing a complex case. Think through your thought process for these scenarios beforehand, considering how you'd assess the situation and what steps you'd take, as this demonstrates your critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
