Job Description

Manager Operations (Housing Support)

Application Deadline: 15 April 2026

Department: Housing Support

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: East Sussex - Lewes

Compensation: £49,786 / year

Location: Bell Lane, Lewes
Salary £49,786 plus £1000 Essential Car User Allowance per year
Hours 37 per week

About us
Southdown delivers a range of Housing Support services across Sussex, including outreach and move-on support, rapid rehousing, mental health supported accommodation, accommodation and support for people who have experienced rough sleeping, homelessness prevention support, and mental health discharge to assess.

Our Housing Support services contribute to the delivery of local authority homelessness and rough sleeping strategies and the Government’s National Plan to End Homelessness, which aim to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring through prevention, collaboration, and targeted interventions.

What you’ll be doing
You will join our Senior Management Team to lead our Housing Support services, as part of a wider portfolio of high-quality Mental Health and Housing Support services across Sussex.

You will work closely with external partners including local authorities, specialist voluntary and community sector organisations, Neighbourhood Mental Health Teams (NMHTs) and Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to support seamless, integrated delivery.

To be successful in this role you will have experience leading services at Service or Senior Manager level, with a proven track record of delivering high-quality services, achieving high performance against KPIs and driving continuous improvement.

Your experience will likely have been gained within a voluntary, housing, homelessness, health related sectors within job roles that include: Service Manager, Operational Lead, Operations Manager, Area Manager, Contract Manager, Housing Manager, Supported Housing Manager, Tenancy Sustainment Manager.


Perks and benefits:

• Health cost cash-back scheme: access to our health insurance scheme which covers dental, optical, physical therapies and other medical treatments with the option to add greater levels of cover.
• Interest-free loans: assistance with larger costs that arise such as tenancy deposits, season travel tickets or buying a car.
• Access to the Easit Network: discounts and incentives on train, bus and car journeys such as 15% off eligible daily and season rail tickets.
• Blue Light card: access to discount services for the social care sector with savings across thousands of online shops, restaurants, and high-street vendors.
• Free advice and counselling service: confidential emotional support and practical guidance from our independent telephone service.
• 25 days paid holiday plus bank holidays.

Knowledge, skills and experience

What you’ll need for the role:

• Understanding of housing, homelessness and rough sleeping policy and practice
• Experience of operational management, overseeing service delivery and leading service improvement
• Experience of working in partnership with local authorities, health partners and voluntary and community sector organisations
• Experience of contract management, quality assurance and performance management within commissioned services
• Understanding of safeguarding, risk management and working with people with multiple disadvantage or complex needs
• Experience of leading services through change, development or mobilisation
• Knowledge of trauma-informed, psychologically informed and person-centred approaches within housing support services
• Experience of leading, motivating and supporting dispersed teams
• Experience of budget management and financial reporting
• Ability to use data and performance information to inform decisions and drive improvement
• Ability to write clear, structured and succinct reports, business cases and funding bids
• A values-led approach that promotes prevention, inclusion and long-term independence
  
  

Training:
You’ll receive an initial induction, followed by regular in person training and supervisions to invest in your development and provide all the tools needed to succeed in this role. We’ll help you to gain valuable experience, continually develop your skills and build a great career with the largest provider of housing, care and support in Sussex.

How to apply:
Please click on the ‘Apply Now’ button and fill out our simple one-page application form.

The application closing date is 15 April and interviews will be held in person on 23 April.
Please note, if we receive a large number of applications then this position may close before the advertised application closing date. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible.