Job title: Registered Manager
Salary: PO6 £51,356 - £54,495 (pro rata) plus weekend enhancements and sleep in allowance where appropriate.
Hours: Various
Contract: Permanent
We’re Hiring: Registered Manager – Make a Real Difference!
Are you ready to lead, inspire, and think beyond the ordinary? We’re looking for an exceptional Registered Manager who is passionate about empowering young people and creating safe, nurturing environments where they can truly thrive in a short period of time to help them re-set. This role will support children and young people needing Short NoticeAlternative Provision - SNAP
About the Role
This isn’t your typical desk-based job – far from it! As our Registered Manager, you’ll be hands-on, dynamic, and fully engaged in shaping a service that puts young people at the heart of everything.
You will:
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Champion Children’s Safeguarding – ensuring the highest standards of care, safety, and compliance at all times
- Think Outside the Box – using creativity and innovation to meet the unique needs of each young person
- Support Emotional Regulation – helping young people navigate dysregulation, reset, and build resilience
- Promote Outdoor Engagement – encouraging activities that inspire confidence, wellbeing, and positive experiences
- Stay Connected to the Service – this is not a 100% office-based role; you’ll be present, visible, and involved where it matters most which may include weekends and evenings
Our Ethos
Our team is built on a strong, shared ethos:
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Calm, mindful, and proactive – not reactive
We believe in anticipating needs, creating stability, and responding with compassion and purpose rather than crisis.
We also work:
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Closely with social care teams to reduce and prevent children becoming looked after wherever possible
- In partnership to support children already in local authority care, ensuring they receive the best possible outcomes
You’ll lead from the front, creating a motivated, supportive, and high-performing team by:
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Managing and developing a team of skilled practitioners
- Overseeing rotas, staffing, and daily operations
- Ensuring policies and procedures are embedded and upheld
- Taking responsibility for budget management and service performance
Flexibility That Works Both Ways
This role requires adaptability to truly meet the needs of young people. You will:
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Be flexible in your working pattern
- Work evenings and weekends where required
- Respond to the evolving needs of the service
Who You Are
You are a strong, compassionate leader who:
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Has experience within children’s residential care or similar settings
- Have a minimum of level 5 in Leadership & Management or equivalent to committed to complete this within 2 years
- Is fully committed to safeguarding and positive outcomes
- Leads with empathy, resilience, and creativity
- Empowers and supports the team they manage restoratively
- Thrives in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment
- Restorative and trauma informed in your practice
- Vision to improve the outcomes of the young people of Leeds
Manage a team over 2 sites providing Short Notice Alternative Provision
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Why Join Us?
Because this is more than a job – it’s an opportunity to:
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Change lives and shape futures
- Build a calm, mindful, and forward-thinking service
- Lead with purpose, passion, and innovation
How to apply
Please complete the online application form.
Read our guidance for further advice. Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application.
For an informal chat about the role please contact Katie-Jo Brierley
[email protected]
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check against the Children’s or Adults’ barred list as applicable will be carried out on preferred candidates. Read our recruitment of ex-offenders policy.
We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.
This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.
If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visaroute before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Ensure you are eligible before applying.
Job Description
Job purpose
The Registered Manager’s role is to manage the home and staff team, leading the provision of inspirational care tailored to the individual needs of the children and young people. You will deal with staff management issues promptly ensuring that policies and procedures are followed. You will be responsible for the provision of a safe and stimulating environment which provides for assessment, care, control, education and health whilst nurturing emotional and physical wellbeing.
You will hold responsibility for all aspects of the management of the home in line with the Children’s Homes Regulations 2015 and the associated quality standards.
Special conditions
This post is subject to a higher level check with the Disclosure and Barring Service. Please note that a criminal record will not necessarily be a bar to obtaining employment; this will depend on the circumstances and background to any offence.
As required by the Children’s Homes Regulations 2015 the postholder must have appropriate experience of:
- within the last 5 years, working for at least 2 years in a position relevant to the residential care of children
at least 1 year working in a role requiring the supervision and management of staff working in a care role
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Responsibilities
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Foster positive relationships, encouraging strong bonds between children and staff
- Work with the wider system of professionals, families and communities of origin
- Lead on the recruitment, selection, induction, supervision, training, development and support processes
- Deputise for the Service Delivery Manager as required commensurate to the grade
- Be an advocate for children and young people and help them understand how their views, wishes and feelings have been considered
- Nurture children’s ambitions for their future and their learning, both in and out of school
- Develop and sustain effective working and information sharing protocols
- Understand and lead on local approaches to multi-agency assessment and promote within the team
- Keep up to date with local and national developments in respect of children and young people who are looked after and ensure staff members are informed
- Create a stable and secure base, where young people have a sense of belonging and where they can begin to understand, address and work through past experiences, present difficulties and behaviours
- Ensure adherence to all the requirements in relation to the safe handling and administering of medication
- Ensure individual and environmental risk assessments are in place and risk management plans are implemented, regularly reviewed, updated and managed effectively by the staff team
- Manage complex and challenging behaviour in an assertive, restorative and sensitive manner
- Work to proactively reduce the likelihood that a child/young person becomes criminalised
- Manage matching and admissions to the home and support colleagues in the same task.
- Ensure individual care plans are developed, delivered and evaluated, and address key identified needs
- Be flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required, commensurate to grade
- Participate in appraisal, training and development activities to ensure up-to-date knowledge and skills
- Improve own practice through observation, evaluation, discussion and development programmes
- Work collaboratively with colleagues, knowing when to seek help and advice
- Contribute to the overall ethos, work and aims of the service by attending relevant meetings, training days and events as requested
- Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures such as child protection, health, safety and security, confidentiality and data protection, reporting all concerns to an appropriate person
- Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all by working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding and promoting the values, standards and equal opportunities of Leeds City Council
- Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment or victimisation and any form of abuse of equal opportunities, ensuring compliance with relevant policies and procedures
- The postholder is expected to work within the parameters of the council’s flexibility protocol
The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post
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Qualifications
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You must be educated to degree level plus the NVQ/QCF Level 3 Diploma in Residential Child Care, or equivalent qualifications. You will also require the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare. We will fund your studies if you do not already hold Level 5, and you must achieve Level 5 within a reasonable period, normally 2 years after starting work. A social work qualification is an advantage but not essential to appointment.
The postholder must apply to Ofsted (HMCI) to become the Registered Manager for the home, within 7 working days of assuming the post. Failure to secure Registered Manager status will prevent you from continuing in this post with immediate effect. If you are required to manage another home to meet specific service needs you may have to re-register for that home.
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Essential requirements
It is essential that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post. Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate that they meet all the essential requirements:
- Management of staff, contributing to their development through appraisal, supervision and training
- Clear and decisive leadership and direction, with the ability to plan, deploy resources, follow procedure and maintain accurate records
- Effective team working, organisational and time management skills, prioritising own and team’s work to meet conflicting deadlines
- Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of people including sensitive and complex information
- Ability to chair meetings constructively, arbitrating and resolving conflict when necessary
- Understanding of the importance of advocacy, ensuring that children and young people’s views, wishes and feelings are considered and influence the care they receive
- Ability to engage with children and young people, build rapport and develop positive relationships
- In-depth knowledge of the Children’s Homes Regulations 2015 and associated quality standards
- Good knowledge and experience of law and practice relating to looked after children
- In-depth knowledge of adolescent growth and development
- In-depth knowledge of child protection procedures and impact of abuse and neglect
- Working knowledge of team building, teamwork, group dynamics and motivation
- Computer literate with a good working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications
- Within last 5 years, at least 2 years’ experience in a position relevant to residential care of children and of working for at least one year in a role requiring supervision/management of staff in a care role
- Chairing meetings and reviews, care planning and case management
- Leading a team, providing staff training, development, and associated performance appraisals
- Managing difficult, demanding and challenging children and young people
Working with budgets and financial management
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Essential behavioural and other characteristics
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Be physically fit enough to carry out all requirements of the role including the use of Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) to manage challenging behaviour as required.
- Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon.
- Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council equality and diversity policies.
- Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health and Safety Policies.
- Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities.
- Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
- Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities.
- Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
- Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, equality & diversity policies of Leeds City Council.
- Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person.
- The council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.
