About Empower Life Supported Living Limited
Empower Life Supported Living Limited is a CQC-registered supported living provider based in Mosborough, Sheffield, supporting adults aged 18-65 with mental health conditions, learning disabilities, autism, physical and sensory disabilities, dementia, and complex needs to live in their own home, build independence, and actively participate in their communities across Sheffield and South Yorkshire.
We are a values-driven organisation at an exciting stage of growth. Our leadership team is hands-on, experienced, and deeply committed to getting things right for the people we support. We believe that the best supported living services are built on genuine person-centredness, not process compliance, and we are looking for a Registered Manager who shares that belief and is ready to help us build something Sheffield can be proud of.
Our Director has fifteen years of direct care experience. Our organisational culture is collaborative, transparent, and built around the five CQC standards - Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, and Well-led. We are not looking for a manager to maintain a service. We are looking for a leader to help shape one.
The Role
This is a rare opportunity for an experienced and motivated Registered Manager to take the lead on a growing supported living service in Sheffield, holding CQC registered manager status for Empower Life Supported Living Limited and driving the continued development of a high-quality, compliant, and person-centred service.
You will have genuine autonomy and genuine support. The Director is closely involved in the organisation's development and will work alongside you, not above and away from you. This is a partnership in building something meaningful, not a management brief to hold an existing operation in place.
Key Responsibilities
Regulatory leadership and CQC compliance: Hold CQC Registered Manager status for Empower Life Supported Living Limited. Maintain full regulatory compliance across all regulated activities. Lead inspection readiness, ensure all policies, procedures, and governance frameworks meet CQC standards, and manage any regulatory correspondence or notifications. Maintain accurate and up-to-date records across all statutory requirements.
Service leadership and quality: Oversee day-to-day operations across all supported living settings in Sheffield and South Yorkshire. Drive a culture of continuous quality improvement. Conduct regular audits, reviews, and observations of practice. Ensure that the service always meets or exceeds the standard expected under the CQC's five key questions - Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, and Well-led.
Person-centred care and support planning: Ensure that every individual supported by Empower Life has a robust, up-to-date, genuinely person-centred support plan that reflects their goals, strengths, preferences, and assessed needs. Lead the review process and ensure support plans are co-produced with the individual and, where appropriate, their family and other professionals.
Safeguarding: Lead all safeguarding processes across the service. Promote a culture of transparency, learning, and proactive safeguarding practice. Ensure all staff are trained, confident, and supported to recognise and respond to safeguarding concerns. Manage safeguarding referrals and investigations in accordance with local authority and CQC requirements.
Staff recruitment, development, and management: Recruit, induct, supervise, and develop a high-performing team of support workers and senior staff. Foster a positive, values-led team culture. Conduct regular supervision and appraisals. Identify training and development needs and ensure mandatory and role-specific training is completed and up to date. Manage performance and conduct fairly and consistently.
Commissioning relationships and business development: Build and maintain strong, professional relationships with Sheffield City Council Adult Social Care commissioning and brokerage teams, NHS South Yorkshire ICB, hospital discharge coordinators, social workers, and other referral sources. Represent Empower Life at provider forums, market engagement events, and professional networks. Support the Director in identifying and pursuing opportunities to grow the service through new referrals, frameworks, and commissioning relationships.
Financial and operational management: Work with the Director to manage the operational budget effectively. Ensure staffing is deployed efficiently and cost-effectively. Monitor occupancy and capacity, and support the Director in planning for growth.
About You - Essential Requirements
You must be able to evidence all of the following to be considered for this role:
- Significant experience, minimum three years, in a management or senior leadership role within supported living, residential care, or domiciliary care
- Holds or is actively working toward a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care (or equivalent, RMA, NVQ Level 5)
- Strong, demonstrable knowledge of CQC regulations, the Health and Social Care Act 2008, and the CQC inspection framework
- Experience of holding or previously holding CQC Registered Manager status. or a clear readiness and commitment to register with CQC as Registered Manager for this service
- Sound knowledge of the Care Act 2014, Mental Capacity Act 2005, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, and relevant safeguarding frameworks
- Experience of managing safeguarding processes and leading on regulatory compliance
- Strong experience of staff recruitment, supervision, development, and performance management
- Ability to build and maintain positive relationships with commissioners, social workers, families, and external agencies
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to write clear, accurate support plans, risk assessments, and reports
- Enhanced DBS on the update service, or willingness to apply
- Right to work in the United Kingdom
- Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle
About You - Desirable
- Experience working specifically with adults with mental health conditions, learning disabilities, autism, or complex needs in a supported living setting
- Knowledge of Sheffield City Council commissioning processes and the South Yorkshire social care landscape
- Experience of service redesign, new service development, or provider registration
- Knowledge of Direct Payments, Individual Service Funds, and personalised care models
- Experience of using digital care management systems
What We Offer
- Salary: £32,000 per annum, dependent on experience
- Contract: Full-time
- Genuine leadership autonomy: This is not a role where you manage upward bureaucracy. You will have real authority to shape the service, build the team, and make decisions that matter
- Direct partnership with the Director: You will work alongside a Director with fifteen years of direct care experience who is hands-on, values-led, and committed to getting this right
- The chance to build, not just manage: Empower Life is at an exciting growth stage. You will help shape the organisational culture, service model, and commissioning relationships from the ground up, a rare opportunity in supported living
- Professional development: Full support for continued professional development including any outstanding qualification requirements, CQC registration support, and ongoing leadership development
- Being part of something meaningful: We are building a supported living service in Sheffield that genuinely prioritises the independence, dignity, and community participation of the people we support. If that matters to you, we want to hear from you
Important - CQC Registration
The successful candidate will be required to register with the Care Quality Commission as Registered Manager for Empower Life Supported Living Limited. Empower Life will fully support this process. Candidates who have previously held CQC Registered Manager status are particularly encouraged to apply. Candidates who have not previously registered with CQC but who meet all other requirements are also welcome to apply and will receive full guidance and support through the registration process.
How to Apply
Please submit the following to [email protected] with the subject line Registered Manager Application - [Your Name]:
1. Your current CV, including all employment history, qualifications, and training
2. A covering letter of no more than two pages addressing the following three points:
- What draws you to Empower Life Supported Living Ltd specifically and what you understand about the organisation's values and approach
- A specific example of a time you led a service through a CQC inspection or significant regulatory challenge, what you did, what the outcome was, and what you learned
- What you believe makes the difference between a good supported living service and an outstanding one
Applications that do not include a covering letter addressing all three points will not be progressed.
Empower Life Supported Living Limited is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of our work. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and communities. All appointments are subject to satisfactory references, an enhanced DBS check, and right to work verification.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: From £32,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
