Domestic Abuse Service Manager

Location: Burnley – on site.

Hours: Full time, including participation in an on‑call rota

Contract: Permanent

Please note, this is an on-site role only. Due to the nature of our Refuges and Outreach services, it is essential that our teams are present and accessible, enabling us to provide safe, responsive and high-quality support to those who need us most. This post is open to women only as permitted under Schedule 9, Part 1 of the Equality Act 2010.

About the service

Safenet delivers specialist services across Lancashire and Greater Manchester, supporting adults and children affected by domestic abuse through safe accommodation, community services, recovery support and prevention work. This role is based at Jane’s Place which provides 24‑hour accommodation and specialist support for women who are experiencing domestic abuse and who want to address substance use, mental ill‑health, or other complex needs as part of their recovery journey. At Jane’s Place, many of the women we support have been excluded elsewhere. We don’t see “complexity” as a problem to manage, but as a response to trauma – and recovery as something that happens in healthy relationships, community, safety and hope. This service sits at the intersection of domestic abuse, addiction recovery and mental health, and we are proud to offer a psychologically informed, trauma‑responsive environment where women are supported to rebuild their lives on their own terms.

About the role

As Service Manager, you will lead and be accountable for the refuge and lead a skilled, compassionate team delivering round‑the‑clock support to women and their children. You will be a values‑led leader who understands recovery, trauma and risk, and who can balance clarity and accountability with warmth, curiosity and care.

• Lead and support a multidisciplinary refuge team working with women affected by domestic abuse, substance misuse and mental ill‑health
• Create a culture of psychological safety, reflective practice and trauma‑informed care
• Oversee the safe delivery of a 24‑hour residential service, including participation in an on‑call rota
• Ensure high standards of safeguarding, risk management, and housing management
• Work in partnership with recovery services, mental health providers, criminal justice partners and local authorities
• Support staff to hold hopeful, recovery‑focused relationships with women, even where progress is non‑linear
• Use lived experience insights, feedback and data to continually shape and improve the service

This is a hands‑on leadership role for someone who believes deeply in capacity for change and recovery – even in the most challenging circumstances.

We’re looking for someone who…

We welcome applicants from a range of relevant backgrounds; direct refuge experience is not essential, but you do need to bring credibility, confidence and compassion from related fields. You might come from:

• Substance misuse or addiction recovery services
• Trauma‑informed women’s services
• Mental health or psychologically informed environments (PIE)
• Housing or supported accommodation with complex needs

You will bring:

• Experience of leading and developing staff teams in high‑pressure, emotionally demanding services
• A strong understanding of domestic abuse, recovery, and trauma
• Knowledge of harm reduction, recovery‑focused approaches and systems change
• Confidence managing risk, safeguarding and complex decision‑making
• The ability to hold boundaries without losing humanity
• A commitment to women‑only, feminist and survivor‑informed practice

For further information about the role, please visit the Role Profile.