Safeguarding Manager

Location: MSSC National Support Centre, London SE1 7JY (Hybrid)

Contract: Full-time, permanent

Salary: £49,000 gross per annum

Closing Date: 3 May 2026

The Marine Society & Sea Cadets (MSSC) is the leading maritime charity for youth development and lifelong learning. We are a vibrant and growing charity inspiring young people to achieve their potential through challenge and nautical adventure, while also enabling seafarers and maritime professionals to realise their potential through learning and career development.

We are currently looking for a Safeguarding Manager to join our team.

About the role

We are currently seeking to appoint a Safeguarding Manager who will be responsible for overseeing the day to day operational safeguarding functions for our charity. You will manage a team of Safeguarding Officers to ensure that an effective and robust safeguarding service is provided. The post holder will provide professional advice and support on safeguarding matters to staff and volunteers, as well as liaising and meeting with external bodies, and occasionally delivering training.

You will have experience of the voluntary youth or community sector as a direct practitioner, and knowledge of Early Help and statutory guidance relating to safeguarding children and adults at risk. You will also have experience of managing a team where safeguarding is the main focus area of your work.

Our safeguarding team operates centrally in London where we are responsible for providing support, advice and guidance to our volunteers relating on all safeguarding matters across the UK. Our Safeguarding Officers act as our lead professionals in managing safeguarding casework in line with our policy, procedures, national guidance and in line with our statutory duty.

Whilst this is a Monday- Friday full time position, a flexible approach to work and working patterns is a must, as is the ability to work effectively and respond appropriately in challenging circumstances.

Responsibilities

• Operational delivery
• Line management of the Safeguarding team
• Service development

Requirements

• A relevant professional qualification for example: Youth Work, Education, Early Years or demonstrable equivalent work experience.
• Detailed understanding of Early Help and legislation affecting safeguarding, regulatory requirements and best practice in relation to youth participation and inclusion.
• Knowledge and understanding of current issues and trends in safeguarding, child protection and work with children and young people.
• Management experience including responsibility for managing safeguarding, child protection, review or risk assessment and complaints and being the key decision maker.
• Experience of managing a team with an understanding of the impact and issues involved in safeguarding and child protection.

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave per annum, increasing with length of service
• Hybrid working for many roles
• Volunteering Leave
• Life assurance (4x salary)
• Private medical insurance
• Generous pension (employer contribution up to 10%)
• Cycle to work scheme
• Wellbeing portal and EAP with 121 counselling
• Employee development: We are investing in our employees' development and have an annual calendar of learning and development opportunities, designed to support employees to develop into their roles and stretch them to achieve their full potential.

Additional Information

MSSC positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates from all backgrounds. Equity, diversity, and inclusion really matters to us, so we can best serve our beneficiaries from every community. We work to ensure a fair and consistent recruitment process and aim to be a charity where diversity of experience, identity and skills are valued and welcomed.

MSSC is an equal opportunities employer. We recognise our responsibilities to safeguard and protect the young people and vulnerable adults with whom we work. We do all we can to promote their health, safety and wellbeing, and we expect our staff to share this commitment and work in line with safeguarding policy, the MSSC’s values and ethos of inclusivity.

We adhere to safer recruitment practices and therefore employment is subject to detailed pre-employment checks for successful candidates, including references and criminal disclosure checks and the completion of a disclosure questionnaire. All successful applicants are required to attend safeguarding training and undergo pre-employment checks including a criminal record check.