Introduction – The Whiteley Homes Trust vision
Every member of staff is here to sustain a thriving community, with outstanding accommodation and care for older people of limited means and to develop and share our success, so older people can live happy and fulfilling lives.
Your job is to make Whiteley the best place to age in Britain.
Role Overview
This role will be responsible for supporting the Director of Operations to deliver the Community Services Strategy for the Trust in this new and exciting role.
The Head of Community Services will be responsible for overseeing and leading a comprehensive range of services and programmes that foster a supportive, engaging, and vibrant environment for senior residents. The role involves the management and development of social, recreational, health, and wellness services, ensuring the wellbeing of residents, enhancing their quality of life, and fostering a sense of community within the village. This will include overseeing the village shop, club house and bar functions, and a new café which will offer psychosocial support to this vibrant community, in addition to supporting the resident led activities within the village
You will manage and work alongside teams across volunteering, hospitality, and support to deliver activities and services for the mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing of our residents in order to reduce loneliness and isolation. You will also take a lead on implementing the dementia strategy for the village working closely with the Registered manager of our extra care facility and the head of housing.
This is a wide- and far-reaching challenging role but with lots of scope for innovation. As a new Registered Provider of Social Housing, the Trust is moving into a new era but wants to retain the ethos of almshouse charities, continuing to promote the health and wellbeing aspects of this special community where we aim to enable our beneficiaries to age well.
With the support of the Director of Operations, you will identify and deliver projects to generate income for future development of Community Services. You will engage in co-production with residents, whilst exploring opportunities to apply for grants or charitable funding, to enable these activities to be develop and grow in the future.
Whiteley Homes Trust Core Values:
We encourage all our staff to play their part in demonstrating our core values in their day-to-day work with colleagues and customers
What will you be doing?
Main Responsibilities
· Drive and deliver on the implementation of strategic plans that support the move to a predominantly funded/volunteer supported and co-produced community, increasing income and reducing costs.
· Lead and develop community programmes that promote socialisation, engagement, and emotional well-being for residents.
· Create opportunities for older people in the local community to participate in a variety of recreational, educational, and cultural activities.
· With the support of the Leadership team and other colleagues assist in leading a cultural change programme where residents are empowered and active within the community, working collaboratively with TWHT employees.
· Line management responsibilities for the hospitality manager, volunteer services manager and shop assistant/manager (these services are key to the wellbeing of our residents).
· To oversee and manage the community budget, showing cost reduction and/or increased revenue year on year ensuring efficient allocation of resources while maintaining a high standard of service delivery.
· To ensure KPI’s are recorded and reported on a monthly basis to the Director of Operations
· Develop and maintain good working relationships with all residents, managers, members of staff, and the wider colleague team within Whiteley Village
· To ensure robust and transparent 2-way communication with residents of Whiteley Village.
· To build solid relationships with external stakeholders, supporters and local community groups in order to develop mutually beneficial support. Identify and manage any external funding sources or grants that can enhance community offerings.
· To work alongside the Head of Marketing and Communications, and Trust fundraising consultants to ensure that our charitable status, fundraising efforts and community success stories are shared widely.
· Recruit, train, and develop staff to ensure high levels of service delivery and resident satisfaction.
· Foster a positive work culture focused on resident-centric care and employee collaboration.
· Report on programme performance, resident feedback, and staff performance to the village management team working closely with the Head of Housing. Prepare reports and polices as required
· Ensure community services comply with relevant health, safety, and regulatory standards ensuring regular audits of designated areas are completed and risk assessments conducted.
· Promote a safe environment for all residents, staff, and visitors, ensuring policies and procedures are followed.
· Ensure open and effective communication with residents and families regarding available programmes, services, and any changes.
General
· It is the duty of all employees to ensure that a safe working environment and safe working practices are maintained at all times. It is also the responsibility of management team to ensure full compliance.
· Undertake any other duties which may be reasonably deemed to come within the scope of the post, relating to the activities of the department.
· Ensures full compliance with all the Trust’s Policies and Procedures.
· To complete mandatory and job-related training as required.
· You will be responsible for the confidentiality, integrity and availability of all data which you have access to in the course of your work. You must not disclose any information of a confidential or sensitive nature about the Trust, any or our service users or any of our employees. There is an exception if you need to share this information as part of your job or if you are made to by law.
What you will need
Experience & Knowledge
* Proven experience (5+ years) in community services, social housing, senior care, or a similar leadership role within the health or social care sector.
* Strong understanding of the needs of elderly residents and a commitment to enhancing their quality of life. Experience of working with older people
* Excellent leadership, organizational, and interpersonal skills and line management experience.
* Management of poor performance
* Ability to manage budgets and resources effectively.
* Knowledge of relevant legal, health, and safety standards in aged care settings.
* Experience of engaging, developing and supporting communities
* Knowledge and understanding of community and social issues
* Strong conflict resolution and problem-solving abilities.
* Ability to build strong relationships with residents, families, and staff.
* A passion for creating a positive and inclusive community environment.
* Experience of managing or working in a charity or volunteer-led organisation
· Proven ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team
Personal skills/qualities
· An ability to adapt to line manage a variety of unfamiliar diverse roles and services
· An ambitious and innovative approach to community development and engagement
· commitment to services which provide support to vulnerable individuals for their mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing.
* A non-judgemental and positive attitude
· Good organisation skills, be flexible and self-driven to achieve.
· Excellent communication, interpersonal and team-building skills (written and verbal)
· Commitment to training and development
· Flexible and innovative approach to working.
· Decision-making and problem-solving skills.
· Strong general IT skills
· Honesty, reliability and trustworthiness.
· Sense of humour, emotional intelligence and resilience
· Commitment to the aims & objectives of The Whiteley Homes Trust.
Qualifications
· A degree level qualification in Housing, health or Social Care (or equivalent)
· Working knowledge of health and safety issues
Other information
WHT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of its staff and older people. We expect all our staff to be aware of their responsibilities to protect staff and residents from abuse or harm. Successful applicants will be required to undertake a DBS check and to provide proof of their right to work in the UK.
Note: No role profile can cover every issue that may arise within the duties of the post at various times. The post holder will be expected to carry out any other duties from time to time that are broadly consistent with those in this document. Your flexibility and assistance in helping us achieve our vision is valued.