Service Manager – Guide-Line (Maternity Cover) in Bradford

Salary scale: £32,885 - £40,662 per annum

Contract: Fixed Term – 1 year maternity cover from 01.12.2026

Hours: 37 hours per week

Base: Kenburgh House, 28 Manor Row, Bradford, BD1 4QU

Probationary Period: Six months

Closing Date: Wednesday 23rd September 2026 10am

Interview Date: Monday 28th September 2026

About Us

Bradford District and Craven Mind is a thriving, independent mental health charity with a clear purpose to promote positive mental wellbeing and empower and help people experiencing issues with their mental health to manage and work towards recovery and fulfilment.

We do this through:

• Building community and individual resilience for better mental wellbeing
• Providing early intervention advice and support
• Supporting people in crisis
• Empowering and helping people to recover and sustain improved wellbeing

Join us and you’ll receive:

• 25 days annual leave per year, rising to 28 days with length of service plus bank holidays
• Up to two additional leave days to use each year to support your wellbeing.
• Flexible working opportunities to support work-life balance, including hybrid and remote working where suitable for the role.
• Simply Health Cash Plan to claim back on personal health costs including dental, optical, prescriptions, physiotherapy and more.
• Employee Assistance Service including 24/7 confidential mental health support and access to structured therapy sessions.
• Generous pension scheme and employer contribution to help you plan for a secure future.
• Discount schemes including Company Shop and Blue Light Card.
• Excellent personal development opportunities including access to Clinical Supervision.
• Enhanced sick pay after your six-month probation.
• Accredited employer with Mindful Employer, Disability Confident and Real Living Wage.
• Generous death in service/life assurance benefit.

Role Background

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Service Manager to lead the delivery, development, and ongoing improvement of Guide-Line, our confidential telephone and live chat helpline supporting people of all ages across Bradford District and Craven. This 12-month maternity cover role provides an exciting opportunity to oversee a well-established service while helping to shape its future development and impact.

Working closely with the Head of Service, you will be responsible for managing a remote team, ensuring high-quality service delivery, and fostering a positive, supportive culture that enables all staff to thrive. You will provide day-to-day leadership, supervision, and guidance, supporting individual development and progression while maintaining strong performance and wellbeing across the team.

A key aspect of the role will be using data, insight, feedback, and performance information to identify trends, demonstrate impact, and drive continuous service improvement. You will lead on monitoring outcomes, analysing demand, and translating learning into meaningful developments that enhance accessibility, quality, and responsiveness.

Role Purpose

As a Service Manager, you’ll lead the delivery and development of our mental health services, ensuring they run effectively and make a real difference. You’ll manage a dedicated team, providing guidance and support to ensure high-quality care for the people we support. With a focus on service performance, engagement, and innovation, you’ll oversee operations, build strong relationships with partners, and ensure services meet all required standards.

Role Outcomes

• Lead your team to deliver safe, high-quality services, ensuring they meet regulatory standards, performance targets, and deliver real impact, in line with the quality assurance framework, operational plan and organisation mission.
• Harness meaningful relationships with service members, partners, commissioners, and stakeholders, strengthening collaboration and ensuring your services meet local needs.
• Ensure robust operational and financial controls are in place, including service risk assessment and safeguarding responsibilities, which are closely monitored and meet auditing requirements.
• Drive data collection and analysis, producing high quality reports to lead service developments.
• Supporting senior and executive leadership to identify new business development opportunities.
• Lead the successful delivery of new and evolving projects, ensuring they align with BDC Mind goals.
• Lead your team to be high performing by fostering clear communication and taking a proactive problem-solving approach, in alignment with our mission, objectives, policies and core values: Caring Always, Working Together, Supporting Everyone, Enabling All and Continually Improving.
• Promoting inclusion, diversity and equity in creation, development and delivery of services.
• Actively supporting and promoting all aspects of the service and enhance the public image of BDC Mind.
• Support the on-call rota to ensure all staff have access to support and guidance out of hours.
• Actively engage in supervision, team meetings and company events to contribute to a well-connected, informed and supportive team environment.
• Successfully complete all mandatory and role-specific training to ensure best practices in safeguarding, data protection, health and safety and mental health awareness.
• Adapt to evolving service needs by taking on additional responsibilities as required, ensuring a cohesive and effective team approach.

Person Specification

BDC Mind is committed to promoting mental health awareness, reducing stigma, and improving the quality of life for people with mental health challenges. We value diversity, inclusion and lived experiences when recruiting our staff and volunteers.

Experience

Essential:

• At least 1 year’s management experience in a relevant field.
• Leading change in services and driving service developments.
• Supporting a team or mentoring/coaching others.
• Building and maintaining relationships with external partners.
• Working in a health, social care or other relevant setting.

Desirable:

• Experience managing a remote team.
• Experience of managing All-Age Services.

Skills and Abilities

Essential:

• Excellent written, verbal and non-verbal communication skills.
• Excellent IT skills including the use of Microsoft Office packages and online systems.
• Data analysis and report writing skills.
• Able to manage a diverse range of competing priorities and meet deadlines.
• Able to work autonomously and as part of a team.

Knowledge

Essential:

• Understanding of key current issues within mental health.
• Up to date knowledge of best practice approach to safeguarding adults and children.

Attitude and Personal Attributes

Essential:

• Passionate and enthusiastic.
• A solution-focussed approach and can-do attitude.
• Commitment to personal and professional development.
• Commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
• Dedicated to collaborative working.
• Willingness to work flexibly.
• Commitment to and alignment with BDC Mind core values: Supporting everyone, Caring Always, Continually Improving, Enabling all and Working Together.

How to Apply

Please click the 'Apply for this job' button and follow the steps to fill out the application form. Upload your CV and a cover letter showing how your experience and skills match the Job Description and Person Specification.

We’re unable to provide feedback to applicants who are not shortlisted. We are committed to safeguarding vulnerable children and adults. All successful candidates will need to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and a right to work in the UK check.