Senior House Parent in London

Fixed term contracts available between 29th June and 29th August:

• Full summer contract employment dates 29th June – 18th July, 23rd July – 8th August, 14th August – 29th August.
• Medium term contract employment dates 29th June – 18th July, 23rd July – 8th August.
• Short term contract employment dates 20th July – 8th August.

This role, Senior Houseparent (SHP), referred to internally as Assistant Centre Manager (ACM), plays an integral role in the operational running of one of our residential centres and the safeguarding and pastoral well‐being of the students in our care. Senior Houseparents / Assistant Centre Managers are responsive, reactive, support the Centre Manager to ensure smooth running of their centre and act as first point of call for safeguarding concerns. They manage a Senior Pastoral and Activity Leader (SPAL), support their SPAL to manage approximately 3–4 PALs who care for approximately 25 students each. They work closely with the Centre Manager to ensure a strong, efficient team presence for the students. Their core responsibility is ensuring the safety and enjoyment of all students under their care.

During the summer holidays, we deliver immersive Summer Experiences designed to give students a 360‐degree insight into their dream career. Led by industry professionals, our programmes offer up to 65 hours of hands‐on experience, including visits to real workplaces, professional development coaching, and exclusive networking opportunities. Our Summer Experiences are based on‐campus in central London at some of the UK's most prestigious universities, including University College London (UCL), the London School of Economics (LSE), and the University of London. Students can choose to attend a one‐week, two‐week, or two‐week Premium programme, with the option to study on a non‐residential or residential basis. This on‐campus setting provides students with a safe, supportive, and inspiring environment while offering an authentic taste of university life in the heart of London.

Ways We Support Our Team

• We will cover the full cost of a new Enhanced DBS (if required) for your first contract working with InvestIN. We encourage all staff to sign up for the Update Service.
• Extensive, paid, on‐site training prior to student arrival.
• Accommodation included.
• Appraisals.
• Access to Employee Assist Programme (EAP).
• Continual support for all staff from the Summer Experience Directors, both on the ground and via phone/email.
• Online safeguarding and prevent training.
• Professional, fun and supportive environment.

Remuneration

£750 per week, plus 2 meals per day and accommodation.

Working Hours

55 hours per week on average (you will be asked to 'opt out' of the 48‐hour Working Time Directive).

Main Duties

Site Management

• Support the overall management of one of our Halls of Residence (UCL Garden Halls or College Halls).
• Act as the lead in the absence of the Centre Manager, ensuring continuity of operations and support for staff and residents.
• Help ensure the smooth and safe running of the centre.
• Support the CM with fire duties including evacuation if required.

Staff Management

• Directly line manage 1 SPAL, providing operational support and advising on safeguarding and other pastoral care.
• Support SPALs in their responsibilities of line managing junior staff members.
• Act as a triage point for all site‐based SPALs and PALs escalating any relevant issues to the Centre Manager or DSL.
• Run daily evening meetings with the centre team, facilitating any updates, handovers, or follow‐ups where necessary and act as a point of contact with the programme team.
• Attend regular handover meetings with the Centre Manager.
• Ad‐hoc support on InvestIN's evening social programme.

Safeguarding & Pastoral Support

• Triage sickness or ill‐health of students, ensure students are cared for and provided with any medical intervention as required (training provided).
• Triage all concerns from junior centre staff, offering support and advice in instances of safeguarding, pastoral concerns, bullying or other issues.
• Act as a point of contact for all students across a 24‐hour provision, providing support, intervention and advice relating to health, safety and wellbeing.
• Spend 1–3 nights per week on‐call for emergencies.
• Support on external site visits, escorting students to venues where applicable and providing Safeguarding support on key programme days.
• Oversee the monitoring and reporting on the well‐being of students in your care, including ensuring the implementation of individual risk assessments for students with additional needs and providing regular checks on unwell students and updating parents/guardians.

Administration

• Manage communication between InvestIN and parents regarding student's behaviour, safety and well‐being including sickness or ill‐health.
• Maintain up‐to‐date records on all InvestIN's reporting platforms in a timely manner.
• Support junior staff members with reporting.
• Other administrative tasks as appropriate.

Behaviour Management

• Oversee and have a positive impact on the overall residential experience including completing regular dorm checks, managing student expectations and behaviour against our Behaviour Matrix, continually risk assess the safety of the facilities and communicating any hazards or risks to the on‐site team, escalating concerns to the Centre Manager or Residential Manager where necessary.
• Act as point of contact for escalation of behaviour management issues, including providing advice for the behaviour management of non‐residential students where appropriate.
• Conduct behaviour management meetings and ensure that warnings and behaviour plans have been documented and actioned by junior centre staff and the programme team with appropriate records and liaison with parents/guardians.

Other

• Understand and act in accordance with InvestIN's ethos and cultural values.
• Adhere to InvestIN's safeguarding policy and staff/student Code of Conduct procedures and practices.
• Undertake mandatory safeguarding and child protection training and other professional development activities to ensure that you remain compliant in meeting InvestIN's duty of care in safeguarding practice (KCSIE 2025).

Please note that this list is indicative rather than exhaustive, and you may be required to take on additional responsibilities to ensure the well‐being of students in your care.

About You

Our ideal candidate is proactive, energetic and adaptable, with the ability to motivate and inspire others. We're looking for people who are resilient and thrive under pressure and have the ability to maintain a positive attitude and high standards of professionalism. They should be a strong team leader, with developed people management skills and an ability to work in an exciting fast‐paced setting.

Skills & Interests

• You are an organised professional with a genuine passion for working with and encouraging young people.
• You are enthusiastic, committed, and passionate about young people's health, wellbeing and safety and believe in strong, fair and clear boundaries.
• You have a genuine interest in and the experience and skill set needed to safeguard young people.
• You understand and can connect to today's young communities and the issues they may face.

Experience

• Experienced working in pastoral care for young people (e.g. schools, childcare, youth work, after‐school clubs, paediatric healthcare) – essential.
• Experience in safeguarding young people – essential.
• Experience of working in fast‐paced environments – essential.
• Experience in leading in operationally complex environments – essential.
• Experience in managing teams – desirable.
• Experience of working in a residential boarding setting – desirable.
• Experience in working with 15–18‐year‐olds – desirable.
• Experience in supporting SEND students – desirable.

Additional Skills & Interests

• Excellent reactive prioritisation and problem‐solving skills.
• Calm, kind and supportive approach.
• Proactive and high‐energy.
• Resilient and positive attitude.
• Able to respond quickly and accurately in an emergency.
• Innovative and solution‐oriented.
• Strongly support inclusiveness and diversity.
• Have a deep understanding of what constitutes a concern and have the ability to act appropriately to safeguard and protect young people.
• Be reliable, punctual and an open communicator.
• Be able to adapt and adjust to the changing needs of the live events industry within a safeguarding capacity.
• A deeply entrenched sense of personal pride in your work, and a commitment to giving students a 5* experience in every interaction.
• A deep belief in InvestIN's sense of purpose and our programmes.
• You feel a sense of passion and belonging when you read our cultural values.

About Us

Since 2012, InvestIN has equipped over 70,000 students from across the UK and 100+ countries with an immersive experience of their dream career. InvestIN delivers immersive work experience programmes across 15 competitive industries, including medicine, engineering, architecture and entrepreneurship.

Our Mission

Make the right career decisions. Increase their chances of breaking into a competitive field. By developing key employability skills, as well as gaining a certificate and industry reference letter, students can boost their university applications and CVs.

What We Do

InvestIN delivers immersive work experience programmes in London for students aged 15-18. With 15 competitive careers to choose from, each programme is delivered by accomplished industry experts to equip students with a 360‐degree insight into their respective fields.

Our Impact

Three in four of our alumni who referenced InvestIN on their university application received a spot at their first choice university. We've built a network of over 1,200 Partner Schools across the world. We have excellent ratings based on over 1,500 Trustpilot and Google reviews and 93% of last year's summer students said they would recommend InvestIN to their friends. We're the only accredited summer school that enables students to gain UCAS points for work experience. We're also accredited by the British Accreditation Council, as well as listed as approved activity providers for the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Residential Award.

To Apply

We want to make sure we do all we can to set candidates up for success in this process. If you require any adjustments to help you at interview and/or you have any questions at all, please contact us at recruitment@investIN.org.

Safer Recruitment, Safeguarding and EDI statement

InvestIN is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff, seasonal workers and external professionals to share this commitment. InvestIN are committed to making our recruitment processes as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values difference, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to InvestIN's culture.

Legal & Compliance

Please note, as this post involves direct contact with vulnerable children, it is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. However, amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975 (2013 and 2020) provide that certain spent convictions and cautions are 'protected'. These are not subject to disclosure to employers and cannot be taken into account. Should you be successful, you will be required to prove your Right to Work in the UK, provide the details of two recent and relevant, professional or academic referees, undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS) or equivalent, state that you have no known reason why you cannot work with children, and provide official identification and certificates to our records. Please be aware that InvestIN may conduct online searches for shortlisted candidates as part of our legal duty to meet safeguarding duties.