Service Manager (London)

We are Hestia. We make a difference.

At Hestia, we are guided by our core values and are dedicated to fostering an equitable, diverse, and inclusive organisation. Our mission is to empower individuals to rebuild their lives and achieve independence. Right now, we are looking for a Service Manager to play a pivotal role in our Single Homelessness Prevention Service in London.

Sounds great, what will I be doing?

This role leads the delivery of a high-performing, payment-by-results service focused on preventing and relieving homelessness. You will drive performance against KPIs and contractual outcomes, ensuring compliance with financial, legislative, and organisational requirements. Providing strong leadership, you will motivate and develop your team while fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.

You will build effective partnerships with local authorities, landlords, and external agencies to increase access to sustainable accommodation, including driving property procurement strategies. The role includes overseeing budgets, resolving complex cases and complaints, and ensuring accurate performance reporting. You will ensure all service delivery aligns with housing legislation, safeguarding, and health and safety standards while maintaining excellent stakeholder relationships.

What do I need to bring with me?

You'll need to be able to demonstrate the core skills this role requires as well as match our values and mission. You don't have to tick all the boxes right away; the important thing is that you're willing to learn. We also value lived experience of the areas we support, so if you feel comfortable, please do mention this on your application.

You will bring a relevant qualification in Housing, Business, or a related field, or equivalent experience in homelessness prevention, housing procurement, or support services. You will have in-depth knowledge of housing legislation, welfare benefits, landlord and tenant law, and the Homelessness Reduction Act, alongside a strong understanding of business strategy, financial planning, and contract management within outcomes-based services. You will have proven experience managing services that prevent or relieve homelessness, including delivery within payment-by-results frameworks, and a strong track record of leading, motivating, and developing high-performing teams.

You will be experienced in developing property procurement strategies, securing accommodation through private landlords and agents, and working collaboratively with Local Authorities and external partners. You will bring strong financial management skills, including overseeing budgets, ensuring accuracy, and meeting or exceeding contractual targets. Confident in managing complex challenges such as complaints, service user crises, and service performance, you will be a proactive and solutions-focused leader. With excellent negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills, you will be able to influence effectively and produce high-quality reports and data analysis. Strong IT skills, including case management systems and Microsoft Office, are essential, along with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment.

Interview Steps

We keep our interview process simple, so you know exactly what to expect.

• Shortlisting call: We have a team of dedicated recruitment specialists who will speak to you about your experience, motivations and values. They will also tell you about all the great work we do!
• Face to face interview: Now you will have face to face interview with the hiring manager. Our interviews are value and competency based.

Don't be alarmed if there are other stages in the process, it's all part of the plan for some of our roles.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

Our services users come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds because it makes us stronger. We are committed to creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workforce and value the skills, abilities, talent and experiences, different people and communities bring to our organisation.

We are a disability confident employer

Hestia is proud to be a disability confident employer, dedicated to the employment and career development of individuals with disabilities. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for all applicants with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria for the role they have applied for. We also provide reasonable adjustments during the selection and interview process, and throughout your employment with us.

Safeguarding Statement

Hestia is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of adults, children and young people who are potentially at risk, and we therefore expect all staff and volunteers to do the same. We require all staff to undertake internal and external safeguarding training throughout their employment with Hestia.

Important Information for Candidates

If your application is successful, please be aware that you will be required to undergo pre-employment checks before a formal offer of employment can be confirmed.

We reserve the right to close this job advert early should we receive a high volume of applications or if the position is filled before the closing date. We encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible to ensure their application is considered.