Befriending Manager

  Befriending Manager 

Fixed-term contract to 31 March 2027

Age UK Leicester Shire and Rutland provides support and care to vulnerable individuals in our community. We are looking for a Befriending Manager to lead our three befriending services, supporting staff and volunteers to help older people feel less lonely and more connected. This is a rewarding role with the opportunity to make a real difference in our local communities.

About the Role:

We are looking for a Befriending Manager to lead our three commissioned befriending services -the Gift of Friendship scheme in Leicester, Oadby and Wigston, the Rutland Befriending Service, and the North West Leicestershire Volunteer Visiting Scheme. It is a role with real scope: three services, a small team of co-ordinators, and the room to shape how they run.

This is a management role. You will line manage our Befriending Co-ordinators, oversee the recruitment and support of the volunteers who deliver the services, make sure quality, safeguarding and data standards are consistent across all three schemes, and meet the reporting requirements of three different funders. Our co-ordinators do the assessment, matching and casework; your job is to make sure they are well supported, that the systems around them work, and that we deliver what we have promised.

Key Responsibilities:

• •Line managing the Befriending Co-ordinators — supervision, induction, probation, appraisal
  and day-to-day support.
• Overseeing the recruitment, induction, role management and ongoing support of befriending
  volunteers, and making sure they are recognised and retained.
• Making sure there are effective systems for referral, triage, allocation and case management,
  so that people are directed to the most appropriate support.
• Providing the KPIs and case studies each funder requires — monthly for Gift of Friendship,
  quarterly for North West Leicestershire District Council, and quarterly for Getting Help in
  Neighbourhoods in Rutland.
• Overseeing data quality, outcome monitoring and evaluation across the three schemes.
• Making sure safeguarding, risk management and lone working procedures are in place and
  followed, and that policies protect the people we support, our staff and our volunteers.
• Building positive working relationships with referral partners, community organisations and
  funders, and representing Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland externally.

What we're looking for :

You will have supervised or co-ordinated staff or volunteers, run a service or project against agreed targets, and reported to funders or senior managers to deadline. Formal line management experience is welcome but not essential. You will bring a working knowledge of safeguarding adults, risk assessment and data protection, an understanding of what loneliness and isolation do to older people, and the organisational habits to keep three reporting cycles moving at once.

The three schemes are based in Leicester and Oadby and Wigston, Rutland, and North West Leicestershire, so you will be out and about across all three. You will largely set your own diary and the days are flexible, so the travel is yours to plan around. You will need to be able to get to all three areas, and mileage is paid at 40p per mile.

Why Join Us?

• Make a difference: You will be part of a vital service that provides a lifeline to individuals in emotional and mental distress.
• Supportive team: Work alongside a dedicated and compassionate team of professionals who share your commitment to helping others.
• Development opportunities: Access to ongoing training and professional development.

Location: Thorncroft

Contract Type: Fixed-term contract to 31 March 2027

Hours: 22.5 hours per week, flexible days   

Salary:  £18,442.97 per annum

Closing date: 04/09/2026

Interview date: TBC

How to Apply:

Please submit your CV, cover letter, stating why we should consider you for this role, or complete an application form, which can be found on our website, or email jobs@ageukleics.org.uk

Age UK Leicester Shire and Rutland is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace and encourage applications from all sections of the community.

How to Apply

Download the application form – PDF

Download the application form – Microsoft Word document

Download the equal opportunities monitoring form – PDF

Download the equal opportunities monitoring form – Microsoft Word document

Download the disability information

Please return the completed forms by email to jobs@ageukleics.org.uk

If you do need to send hard copies please mark the envelope Private & Confidential, and post it to:

Human Resources, Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland, Lansdowne House, 113 Princess Rd East, Leicester, LE1 7LA