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Service Manager - Residential Services (Briars, Linnets & Fern)

Role/Job Title: Service Manager - Residential Services (Briars, Linnets & Fern)Location: Cornford Lane, Pembury Hours: 40 hours per week (Monday – Friday)Salary: £17.13 per hour / £35,630.40 per annum
 

Closing date for applications: Wednesday 5^th August 2026Please note that we may close this vacancy before the advertised closing date should we receive sufficient suitable applications. We encourage you to submit your application at the earliest opportunity.  

Equal Opportunity/Accessibility and Accommodations Statement:As a Disability Confident employer, Aspens Charities is committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for individuals with disabilities. We actively promote the recruitment, retention, and career development of people with disabilities, recognising the invaluable contributions they make to our organisation. We are dedicated to ensuring an accessible recruitment process for all candidates. If you require any accommodations during the application or interview process, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Aspens is entering an exciting new chapter. Following a recent organisational restructure, we've strengthened the way we deliver care, creating an even more effective, responsive and sustainable model of support for the people we support.

As part of this transformation, we've created new opportunities to join our leadership team—roles that didn't previously exist. We're looking for passionate, values-driven leaders who are committed to delivering outstanding, person-centred support, driving continuous improvement, and embedding high-quality, consistent standards across our services.

This is an opportunity to make a real impact: empowering teams, sharing best practice, strengthening governance, and ensuring every person we support receives exceptional care, regardless of where they live or who is supporting them.

If you're ready to shape the future of social care, inspire others, and be part of an ambitious organisation dedicated to improving lives, we'd love to hear from you. Join us and help lead the next stage of the Aspens journey.

We're looking for an experienced and inspirational Service Manager to lead our CQC-registered residential services at Briars, Linnets and Fern in Pembury.

This is an exciting opportunity for a values-led leader who thrives on developing people, driving high-quality services and making a genuine difference every day.

About the Role:As Service Manager, you'll provide operational leadership across our residential services, ensuring the highest standards of care, safety and quality for the people we support.

Working closely with the Accommodation & Community Services Lead, you'll inspire and develop your team while ensuring services remain person-centred, compliant and focused on achieving meaningful outcomes.

You'll be responsible for:

• Leading and motivating a large multidisciplinary team.
• Creating a positive, inclusive and high-performing culture.
• Ensuring services consistently meet and exceed CQC standards.
• Driving continuous quality improvement and service development.
• Managing safeguarding, quality assurance and regulatory compliance.
• Leading recruitment, supervision, performance management and staff development.
• Building positive relationships with families, commissioners and external professionals.
• Managing budgets and resources effectively.
• Promoting person-centred, rights-based support that enables people to live the lives they choose.

About you:You'll be an experienced manager within adult social care who is passionate about delivering outstanding support and developing successful teams.

You'll bring:

Essential

• Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health & Social Care (or equivalent).
• Experience managing CQC-regulated residential services.
• Strong understanding of autism, learning disabilities, mental health and complex needs.
• Experience leading and developing teams through coaching, supervision and performance management.
• Sound knowledge of safeguarding, Mental Capacity Act, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and current social care legislation.
• Experience managing budgets and improving service performance.
• Excellent communication, organisation and leadership skills.

We'd especially love to hear from you if you have:

• Experience supporting people with behaviours of concern.
• Successfully led services through CQC inspections.
• Experience driving service improvements and organisational change.
• A collaborative leadership style that inspires confidence and accountability.

What We Offer:

• Comprehensive paid training and excellent career progression opportunities, including recognised qualifications in health and social care
• Paid DBS check
• Flexible work arrangements, with the option to take on additional bank shifts
• Nest Pension and Death in Service benefit
• Access to a dedicated Employee Assistance Programme and Mental Health First Aiders
• Blue Light Card discounts
• 20% discount at Aspens High Street Stores for all staff
• Discounted staff menu available at the Bluebell Café (Pembury)
• Refer a Friend scheme - earn up to £250 for every successful referral
• Employee recognition programmes, including ‘Employee of the Month’

Apply now and one of our team members will reach out to discuss the role further.
If shortlisted, we will contact you directly to schedule an interview. We strive to respond to all applicants; however, if you have not received a response within a reasonable timeframe, please feel free to contact us for a status update or feedback (where available). After the interview, you will be notified of the outcome. If successful, you’ll receive a formal offer in writing. Upon acceptance, we’ll guide you through the onboarding process, providing you with all the details you need

Please note, any offer of employment will be subject to Disclosure and Barring checks (which we will arrange on your behalf if you don’t already have one) and satisfactory employment references.

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