Team Lead (Justice Services) – Maternity Cover

Lead people. Strengthen partnerships. Create lasting change. Bring out the best in a mentoring team and build the relationships that make great justice services work.

Position Team Lead (Justice Services) – Maternity Cover

Location North East England (community and custodial)

Salary £29,077 – £31,500 + excellent benefits

Hours 35 hours per week (flexible working)

Status Maternity Cover, Fixed-Term Contract for 10 months

Closing date 25 August 2026

The Wise Group, in partnership with the Ministry of Justice and third-sector organisations, delivers the Personal Wellbeing service across Cleveland and Durham in the North East of England.

This role is about more than managing a service. It is about leading a team that helps men improve their wellbeing, strengthen relationships, reduce social isolation and create the foundations for lasting positive change.

Working across prison and community settings, you will lead a team delivering one-to-one mentoring to men facing wellbeing challenges and support their integration into the community. You’ll work closely with probation, prison teams and local partners to ensure people can access the right support at the right time.

Using our Relational Mentoring approach, your team will build trusted relationships that go beyond transactional support - helping individuals make meaningful, sustained progress.

As Team Lead, you will play a key role in how this support is delivered - shaping team performance and culture, strengthening partnerships and ensuring we deliver high-quality, person-centred services that make a real difference.

What you’ll lead

People and performance
Recruit, onboard and support mentoring staff delivering frontline interventions. Provide regular supervision, support wellbeing and performance, manage caseload allocation and a culture focused on accountability, development and positive outcomes.

Service delivery
Ensure consistent, high-quality delivery across custodial and community settings. Support your team to address wellbeing and lifestyle issues that impact stability and resettlement.

Partnerships and stakeholder engagement
Build strong working relationships with prisons, probation, Ministry of Justice partners and third-sector organisations. Strengthen referral pathways and support collaborative delivery.

Safeguarding, risk and compliance
Ensure safe working practices are embedded, including risk assessment and safeguarding. Manage and escalate concerns appropriately and ensure compliance with all requirements.

Data, quality and performance
Oversee customer management systems, case recording and performance reporting. Use data and insight to track progress, meet contractual requirements and drive service improvement.

Continuous improvement and change
Identify opportunities to improve delivery, gather feedback and support the ongoing development of justice services across the North East.

What you’ll bring

Experience leading or coordinating frontline teams within criminal justice, social justice, employability or related services

Strong people management and coaching skills, with the ability to build trust and accountability

Understanding of the challenges faced by people entering or leaving custody, particularly around wellbeing.

Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced, partnership environment

Strong organisational and digital skills, including experience with CRM systems and performance reporting

Strong communication and influencing skills, with the confidence to represent the service with partners and stakeholders

A practical, solutions-focused approach and the ability to implement change

Experience of working in a custodial setting is advantageous

Essential requirements

Full driving licence and access to a car for daily use

Willingness to travel across the North East, including custodial and community locations

Successful completion of enhanced Level 1 prison vetting

Home broadband to support flexible working

View the Role Profile for full details about this opportunity.

Team

Business Operations

Role

Team Lead

Locations

Durham Hub

Remote status

Hybrid

Yearly salary

£29,077 - £31,500

You'll like it here

We want to make a lasting and positive difference in people’s lives, starting with our colleagues. We believe you can’t pour from an empty cup; that’s why we do everything we can to set our colleagues up for success to allow us to go on and help the most vulnerable in our society.

Find out more about:

If your experience looks a little different from what we've identified and you think you can bring value to the role, we'd still love to learn more about you.

About The Wise Group

The Wise Group is a leading UK social enterprise working to lift people out of poverty by inspiring positive change through relational mentoring.