Youth Centre Manager

The Centre Manager provides strategic and operational leadership for the youth centre and its wider community reach, with responsibility for high-quality youth work delivery and day to day centre operations, working within GMYF’s wider operational ad estates frameworks.high-quality, inclusive local provision. The postholder is the professional lead for youth work practice and delivery within the centre, with responsibility for shaping, developing, and continuously improving provision in line with GMYF’s values, safeguarding standards, and strategic priorities.

Reporting to the Director of Programmes, the Centre manager leads people, partnerships, and place-based development, ensuring the centre delivers strong outcomes for children and young people while contributing to the wider aims of GMYF.

Outdoor Education and residential opportunities are an integral and embedded part of the centre’s youth work offer, and the Centre Manager plays a key role in shaping, embedding, and developing these opportunities in partnership with the Outdoor Education Team to ensure they meet the local need and are accessible to young people.

This is a hands-on leadership role, balancing operational oversight with visible presence, relationship-based practice, and continuous improvement.

Leadership and Management of Youth Work Delivery

Provide strategic leadership for youth work delivery at centre level, including centre-based provision, outreach, and integrated Outdoor Education and residential opportunities, ensuring provision is planned, resourced and developed in response to local need, youth voice, and GMYF priorities.

Provide clear professional leadership for high quality, inclusive youth work across centre based provision, outreach, offsite venues, and outdoor education youth work.

Embed and champion GMYF’s youth work values, including youth voice, equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Line manage staff including Youth Work Coordinator(s), Youth Workers, cleaners, and volunteers.

Provide supervision, appraisal, and performance management, promoting reflective practice and professional development.

Ensure staffing structures, rotas, and skills mix support safe, effective delivery.

Foster a positive, professional, and supportive team culture.

Safety, Safeguarding and Compliance

Act as a Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead.

Hold overall safeguarding responsibility for the centre and linked activities.

Ensure safeguarding procedures are embedded, understood, and consistently applied.

Promote inclusive, restorative and trauma informed practice.

Ensure all safeguarding and behaviour related incidents are recorded, reviewed, and followed up.

Maintain compliance with legislation, statutory guidance, and GMYF policies.

Centre Operations, Site Management and Health & Safety

The Centre Manager holds responsibility for day-to-day site oversight and compliance, with additional estates support provided through GMYF’s central operations arrangements.

Ensure the centre meets all Health & Safety and statutory requirements, working with GMYF’s Central Team and systems to maintain compliance.

Oversee day-to-day site issues, Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM), compliance checks, and inspections, escalating and co-ordinating works as required through organisational processes.

Maintain oversight of building safety, security, and use of space.

Ensure accurate records are maintained for staff, visitors, and young people.

Ensure all off site activities, outreach, visits, and residentials are risk assessed and appropriately staffed.

Hold overall responsibility for the safe opening and closing of the centre and the planning and oversight of fire, evacuation, and lockdown procedures, delegating operational leadership as…