Deputy Manager - Supported Living Services - Maternity Cover (Hiring Immediately)

Job Title: Deputy Manager

Contract: Full time - Maternity Cover 12 Months

Hours: 38 per week

Salary: £33,585 per annum

Location: NE London.

About Outward.

For 50 years, Outward has been providing high-quality support and care services to vulnerable people across London, predominantly in North East London. Established by families seeking alternatives to institutional care, we’ve grown into a respected provider of person-centred support for adults with learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs, and complex needs. We support over 1,000 people across nine boroughs, guided by our core values: engage, enable, and empower.

Outward is proud to be an accredited Living Wage Employer . This means we are committed to paying the Real Living Wage – not just the government minimum or national living wage – to our frontline Support Workers and other eligible staff. We recognise the value of the work our teams do, and we are committed to ensuring fair pay that reflects the true cost of living. The Real Living Wage is updated annually by the Living Wage Foundation, and Outward remains committed to aligning our pay accordingly.

About the Role

We are looking for a proactive and passionate Deputy Manager to join our dedicated team supporting adults with a range of needs, including learning disabilities, autism, mental health challenges, and complex support requirements. This full-time, one-year maternity cover role offers an opportunity to combine direct care and support with service coordination and team leadership, helping the people we support to live independent and fulfilling lives.

As Deputy Manager, you will work closely with the Team Manager to support the day-to-day running of services and provide clear guidance to support staff. You will help coordinate support planning, key working and rotas, provide staff supervision, and maintain a hands-on approach to delivering high-quality care and support. Working with the people we support, their families and other professionals, you will help ensure that individual needs, choices and goals remain at the centre of service delivery. You will support consistent service delivery during the Team Manager’s absence and help keep services person-centred, well-managed, and aligned with Outward’s core values of engage, enable, and empower.

Your Responsibilities

As a Deputy Manager, you will:

· Provide direct, person-centred support that promotes independence, choice and dignity, helping people achieve their individual goals and participate in their community.

· Coordinate day-to-day service delivery, including staff rotas, shift allocation and handovers, working with the Team Manager to maintain appropriate staffing and continuity of support.

· Carry out key working responsibilities, including developing and reviewing support plans and risk assessments with the people we support, maintaining accurate records, and liaising with families and other professionals as appropriate.

· Lead on agreed areas of service quality and improvement, completing checks, gathering feedback from the people we support and following up actions with the Team Manager.

· Support the Team Manager with the day-to-day management of services, staff induction and team communication, taking delegated responsibility during their absence and escalating concerns appropriately.

· Provide line management and regular supervision to support staff, offering clear guidance, identifying learning and development needs, and promoting consistent, person-centred practice.

· Ensure support is delivered in line with safeguarding, health and safety, confidentiality and organisational procedures, maintaining accurate records and promptly reporting incidents, concerns and changes in support needs.

• Work flexibly across multiple services, including evenings and weekends, to support consistent service delivery.

Requirements

Essential Criteria

· Experience of delivering person-centred care or support to adults with learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs or complex support needs, promoting independence, choice and dignity.

· Experience of coordinating a staff team or undertaking senior support responsibilities, with the ability to provide clear guidance and support staff development.

· Good understanding of safeguarding and risk management in a]]> <