Service Manager

Job title: Service Manager (Fife Support Services)

Location: This post is based at LinkLiving’s Kirkcaldy office at West Bridge Mill.

Hours of Work: 37.5 per week (Monday to Friday, 9-5, but flexibility required to meet needs of service. Participation in manager oncall rota)

Are you passionate about helping people to live a better life?  Do you want to work for a charity where your health and wellbeing matter just as much as the people you support?  Do you want to be part of a trauma-informed team where you will be supported to develop creative and flexible ways of working?

At LinkLiving, our values and people are at the heart of everything we do including how we recruit our staff. It is important for us to find people who share our values, which are:

• Empathy (listen to and understand an individual’s needs and circumstances)
• Respect (treat others the way they wish to be treated)
• Integrity (be honest and have strong moral principles)
• Caring (show kindness and concern for others)

LinkLiving is a Scottish health and wellbeing charity that supports people to manage or overcome the effects of negative life experiences (including trauma, mental health challenges, poverty and inequality) so that they can build on their strengths and aspirations in order to live their best possible lives. We support people through a range of models including: 

• Personal development and employability programmes 
• Self-help coaching 
• Supported accommodation
• Care at home 
• Housing support 
• Befriending 
• Social cafes

The Service

Fife Visiting Support Service comprises three distinct visiting support teams, each of which is headed up by a Team Leader who holds operational responsibility for day-to-day delivery. 

• Short Term Housing Support: This outcomes-based service is commissioned by Fife Council and provides visiting housing support to people living across all Fife localities. The service is available for up to 6 months and is delivered flexibly to meet the changing needs of the people we support.
• Care at Home / Supported Living: This service is commissioned by Fife Health and Social Care Partnership and provides individually-tailored visiting support to people living across Fife. This is a longer-term service with individual support packages funded through social work spot contracts. As well as enabling people to live as independently as possible in their own homes, we also work with people to reduce social isolation through encouraging engagement with opportunities available in local communities. Where required, we provide personal care.
• Resettlement: This service supports people who have come to Fife through the UK resettlement scheme. Primarily based in Leuchars, the staff team provide flexible support to help people settle within their new communities and to access all services for which they are eligible.

Across these three teams, we currently provide visiting support to over 200 people aged 16+ in Fife, helping them to sustain their homes through the development of independent living skills.  We also support people to engage with opportunities available within their local communities, reducing isolation and supporting the achievement of individual outcomes.  All service provision is underpinned by our trauma-informed approach.   

We support people from a diverse range of backgrounds and with a wide range of support needs, including but not limited to:

• mental health issues
• homelessness
• substance misuse issues
• physical disabilities
• sensory impairments
• lack of experience in managing a tenancy due to young age

The Job

As a key member of the LinkLiving leadership team, the Service Manager will lead, develop and direct our Fife Visiting Support Services in line with LinkLiving’s vision, strategic objectives and values and achieve positive outcomes for the people who we support.

The Service Manager will use their knowledge of trauma-informed approaches to social care practice to lead, motivate, develop and supervise a team of support staff who provide professional person-centred services to vulnerable and excluded people.

The Service Manager will participate in a range of external networks for the benefit of service users, acting as an ambassador for the whole organisation internally and externally, and will negotiate effectively with external funding partners to secure funding for service consolidation and development.

The Service Manager will manage a complex budget of Local Authority funding streams along with grant making trust income and will manage a complex and extensive range of stakeholders.

Leading by example, the Service Manager will respond to a review of needs, gaps and best practice, maximise service user involvement and choice, and oversee support services to service users in line with service delivery and regulatory standards requirements. The Service Manager will be required to be the (Care Inspectorate) Registered Manager for the services and, as a member of the LinkLiving Management team will be required to participate in an out of hours on-call rota for LinkLiving.

About You

You are a dedicated professional who holds a SSSC-recognised practice qualification at SCQF Level 9. You either possess or are committed to achieving a Management qualification (e.g. SVQ4 Care Services Leadership and Management at SCQF Level 10) within required timescales.

Your leadership abilities shine through your experience of leading or contributing to management teams within the care/support service sector. You possess a comprehensive understanding of the Social Care/Housing Support Sector and are well-versed in the issues affecting service users, including legislative matters.

Your expertise extends to at least one specialised area of care/support, such as mental health, trauma, or child protection. With a non-judgmental attitude and a commitment to diversity, you excel in managing resources, setting clear objectives, and driving performance.

Your analytical mindset allows you to review situations adeptly, recommending appropriate actions to address challenges. You are adept at fostering effective relationships and partnerships with voluntary and statutory agencies, coordinating and prioritising resources effectively.

Your written communication skills are of a quality that ensures clear and concise reports and funding applications. You embrace a proactive approach to your own learning and development, reflecting our organisation's commitment to continuous improvement.

Your dedication to service user involvement is evident through your proactive approach, ensuring their voices are heard and valued. Flexibility is second nature to you, as evidenced by your willingness to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service which may include evenings, weekends, and public holidays, you embody reliability and practicality, bringing a flexible and resilient approach to your work each day. Ideally you will have a current driver's license and access to a car and the ability to travel between services as required.

For a comprehensive list of the essential and desirable criteria required for this post, please refer to the Job Specification in the Job information Pack above.

What’s in it for you?

The benefits of being a LinkLiving employee (subject to the policies and benefit terms and conditions) include:

• Competitive salary, reviewed annually, and opportunity for annual performance related salary increases and discretionary non-consolidated pay awards, subject to terms of the scheme
• 35 days’ holiday per year (inclusive of public holidays) pro rata plus additional 3 days pro rata after 3 years’ service
• opportunity to buy and sell holiday
• enhanced company sick and family friendly pay
• access to paid SVQ qualifications and a wide range of learning and development opportunities
• funded Disclosure Scotland and Scottish Social Services Council memberships
• defined contribution pension scheme with generous employer contributions plus salary exchange and additional voluntary contribution options
• access to an Electric vehicle leasing scheme, subject to the terms of the scheme
• life assurance scheme providing death in service benefits to named beneficiaries
• healthcare cash plan for employees (and dependents) to support health and wellbeing plus discounts on shopping, restaurants, and other services
• employee assistance programme for employees and their immediate household dependants to support health, mental and financial well-being
• annual flu vaccination
• access to a savings and borrowing scheme
• cycle to work scheme
• monthly bus pass scheme
• season/travel ticket loan and much more!

For a full list of benefits available to employees, please see our website.

Successful applicants will be required to apply for registration with SSSC within 3 months of their start date and be registered within 6 months.

This post is subject to Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme registration.  Link will meet the cost of any new PVG scheme membership or scheme record update.

Further Information

Interested?  If you have any questions about the role, please email and we can arrange for someone from the service to call you for an informal chat.

To find out more about what LinkLiving do and to view the generous pay and benefits package, please visit our website.

If you’re thinking about working in adult social care, download the Guide to adult social care jobs in Scotland for in-depth information on everything you need to know to get started.  In addition, you can enrol on a free, online 6 week part-time tutor-supported  ‘Introduction to a Career in Social Care’ course.  The course introduces the area of social care and can be a stepping-stone to employment or further training.

Closing Date:  midnight on Sunday 26 May 2024

Interview Date:  Interviews are being held on Tuesday 04 June 2024 at our office in Kirkcady

How to Apply

To complete an application form, please click on the “Apply online” button below.  Instructions on how to complete the form are at the top of the page.

We can offer suitable alternative methods to apply if requested including although not exclusively; hard copy, Braille and audio. You can request these by emailing our Resourcing Team and detailing which format you would require.

Please note should an internal applicant be successful in applying for this position on either a seconded or permanent basis, they will move to the terms and conditions associated with the role for the duration of the time they are in post. The terms and conditions are outlined in the job information pack.

We aim at all times to recruit the person who is most suited to the job and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and from anyone who shares our commitment to inclusion. Our offices are fully accessible to wheelchair users and, as a Disability Confident Leader, we will interview all disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria.