Services Manager in Lewisham

Everyone deserves a safe place to call home.

Company Limited by Guarantee num ber 1741926 Charity Number 287779 Registered in England as Single Homeless Project

shp Single Homeless Project

• Job title: Services Manager
• Delegated Authority: Level 7
• Team: Lewisham Vulnerable Adults Accommodation Service
• Responsible to: Regional Services Manager/Assistant Director
• Responsible for: Team Manager and Frontline Staff

Job purpose

Having somewhere safe to live can create the stability someone needs to begin rebuilding the rest of their life. The Services Manager exists to make sure people living in our Lewisham Vulnerable Adults Accommodation Service receive not only safe, well-managed accommodation, but the consistent and purposeful support they need to strengthen their wellbeing, regain control and move towards greater independence.

LVAAS supports 60+ adults who have experienced homelessness and multiple disadvantage, which may include poor mental health, substance use, contact with the criminal justice system and difficulties sustaining accommodation. The Services Manager will lead the effective delivery and continued development of the service, creating a psychologically informed and strengths-based environment where people are treated as individuals, their goals shape their support and barriers to progress are actively addressed.

Working through and alongside the Team Manager, the role will create the conditions for staff to deliver confident, thoughtful and high-quality practice. The Services Manager will maintain oversight of service quality, safeguarding, housing management, performance and resources, ensuring the service is safe, responsive and delivers against its contractual requirements.

Strong partnership working will be central to achieving this. By building effective relationships with Lewisham Council, referral partners, statutory and specialist services and the wider community, the Services Manager will help ensure clients can access the right support at the right time and that opportunities for recovery, inclusion and sustainable move-on remain at the heart of the service.

Key accountabilities

Service Delivery and Quality

Lead the delivery and development of LVAAS, ensuring the service is safe, responsive, personled and meets contractual requirements, organisational standards and local priorities.

Work with the Team Manager to maintain consistently high standards of practice and ensure staff understand what good support looks like for the people using the service.

Ensure support is psychologically informed and strengths-based, with clients’ goals, choices, strengths and circumstances central to assessment and support planning.

Maintain oversight of service quality and identify areas for improvement, ensuring clear actions are implemented and their impact is reviewed.

Ensure incidents, concerns and patterns within the service are identified, reviewed and used to strengthen practice and service delivery.

Access, Support and Move-on

Maintain effective referral and assessment arrangements with the Lewisham Vulnerable Adults Pathway supporting appropriate and timely access to the service.

Ensure clients have up-to-date Support & Safety Plans & Risk Assessments.

Ensure staff use persistent and creative approaches to engagement where clients find it difficult to engage with support, balancing choice, positive risk-taking and safeguarding responsibilities.

Embed a focus on move-on from the beginning of a client’s stay, ensuring people are supported to develop the practical skills, confidence and connections needed to sustain future accommodation.

Monitor occupancy and move-on performance, responding to barriers that contribute to avoidable voids, delays or tenancy breakdown.

Leadership and Team Development

Line manage and support the Team Manager, setting clear expectations and enabling them to lead the day-to-day work of the staff team effectively.

Build a positive and accountable culture where staff feel supported to make good decisions, raise concerns, learn from practice and maintain high professional standards.

Ensure effective supervision, reflective practice, induction, performance management and development arrangements are in place across the service.

Identify learning and development needs and support the Team Manager to strengthen staff confidence, knowledge and practice.

Promote effective communication, collaboration and staff wellbeing, addressing performance or team issues promptly and constructively.

Housing and Property Management

Maintain strategic oversight of housing management tasks, ensuring properties remain safe, compliant, well-maintained, and suitable for residents.

Monitor rent collection performance, manage arrears effectively, and ensure robust financial procedures are in place.

Oversee repairs, health and safety actions, and void property management, working closely with SHP maintenance / VOID teams, Registered Providers, and contractors.

Lead responses to neighbour complaints, anti-social behaviour, and community relations issues, establishing strong partnerships with local agencies and the Safer Neighbourhoods Team.

Provide guidance and oversight to staff on housing management responsibilities, promoting best practice and policy compliance.

Ensure compliance with organisational policies, tenancy agreements, and relevant housing legislation, maintaining high standards of service delivery and accountability.

Partnerships, Participation and Inclusion

Develop strong working relationships with Lewisham commissioners, referral agencies, statutory services, health and treatment services and other partners to improve outcomes for clients.

Represent LVAAS effectively at relevant multi‑agency meetings and forums, ensuring information is shared appropriately and barriers affecting clients are constructively challenged.

Ensure clients have meaningful opportunities to influence how the service operates and that feedback and lived experience lead to visible service improvements.

Promote access to opportunities that strengthen wellbeing, independence and social inclusion, including health, education, training, volunteering, digital inclusion, income maximisation and community activities.

Performance, Finance and Resources

Monitor service performance and ensure accurate and timely reporting against contractual, organisational and statutory requirements.

Manage the service budget within agreed parameters, monitoring expenditure, addressing pressures and ensuring resources are used effectively and provide value for money.

Ensure staffing and other service resources are deployed effectively in response to client needs, service priorities and operational pressures.

Participate in SHP’s out‑of‑hours On Call arrangements and provide appropriate management oversight when significant operational issues arise.

Safeguarding, Risk, Health and Safety

Maintain effective oversight of safeguarding, ensuring concerns are identified, reported, escalated and managed in line with organisational procedures and relevant statutory responsibilities.

Provide management oversight of higher‑risk or complex situations, supporting coordinated responses with safeguarding partners, statutory services and other agencies where required.

Ensure client, staff, visitor, property and operational risks are identified, assessed and managed appropriately, with clear plans reviewed as circumstances change.

Ensure Health and Safety responsibilities are understood and implemented across the service, including appropriate risk assessments, checks, training and follow‑up action.

Ensure client records, service information and reporting are accurate, appropriately recorded and managed in line with data protection, confidentiality and information security requirements.

Miscellaneous

SHP is at discretion to amend your responsibilities and, in addition to these, you may be required to perform other duties as may be required for the efficient running of the organisation.

To create inclusive working environments and cultures to enable colleagues and clients to feel safe and empowered to achieve their full potential.

Technical and professional know-how needed for position

When completing your application, you will be required to address (using examples) some of the points below

Experience and Knowledge

Significant experience of delivering or managing high‑quality accommodation or support services for adults experiencing homelessness and multiple disadvantage.

Experience of managing and developing managers or staff teams, including supervision, reflective practice, performance management and professional development.

Strong knowledge of person‑led, strengths‑based and psychologically informed approaches to support, including effective engagement with people who may have experienced trauma or exclusion from services.

Good working knowledge of safeguarding, risk management and support planning within services working with people who may experience poor mental health, substance use, contact with the criminal justice system or other forms of multiple disadvantage.

Experience of housing and property management within an accommodation‑based service, including maintaining safe standards, managing voids and addressing issues that could affect tenancy or occupancy sustainability.

Experience of working with commissioners, statutory services, referral partners and other agencies to coordinate support, resolve barriers and improve outcomes.

Skills and Abilities

Ability to lead an effective service through others, setting clear expectations while enabling managers and staff to exercise professional judgement and take responsibility for their work.

Ability to monitor service quality and performance, use information to identify areas for improvement and implement practical changes that strengthen outcomes.

Ability to assess complex situations, balance competing risks and priorities and make proportionate, defensible decisions, including during incidents or periods of operational pressure.

Strong communication, influencing and relationship‑building skills, with the ability to work constructively with clients, colleagues, commissioners and external partners.

Strong organisational, literacy and numeracy skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities, monitor budgets, interpret performance information and produce clear and accurate reports.

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