Service Manager - East Of England - Cambridgeshire​/Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire

This is a brilliant time to step into a Service Manager role as we move into an exciting period of contract procurement and service growth.

You’ll be at the heart of shaping, influencing and delivering Personal Wellbeing Services that make a real difference for young and adult males within the Criminal Justice System.

This role covers the East of England, with services across Essex, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Norfolk, and will require regular travel across the region.

About the role

You’ll take a strategic and operational lead across Personal Wellbeing Services delivered in community settings, including:

• Family & Significant Others
• Lifestyle & Associates
• Emotional Wellbeing
• Social Inclusion

You’ll oversee Managers, practitioners and subcontracted services, ensuring delivery aligns with organisational strategy and contractual commitments.

What you’ll do

• Line manage and develop Team Leaders, building a people-focused, high-performing culture
• Act as the single point of contact for subcontractors across your service cluster
• Provide visible leadership across the region, attending meetings and visiting delivery sites
• Ensure services meet contractual targets, quality standards and audit requirements
• Support recruitment, retention and staff development through coaching and strong leadership

Strategic focus

• Work with senior leaders on service improvement and contract mobilisation
• Produce performance reports and present at commissioner and contract meetings
• Ensure accurate, timely data submission and audit compliance

This is a highly visible leadership role. While some home working is possible, you should expect to spend at least three days per week meeting staff, partners and attending key meetings across probation and prison delivery units.

A dynamic opportunity for an adaptable leader ready to make a real impact during a period of change.

Please see attached Job Description for full details

We are The Forward Trust, the social enterprise with charitable status that empowers people to break the often interlinked cycles of crime and addiction to move forward with their lives. For more than 25 years we have been working with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past. We believe that anyone is capable of lasting change. Our services have supported thousands of people to make positive changes and build productive lives with a job, family, friends and a sense of community.
We are committed to our cause and the work we carry out as a charity. Equally the wellbeing and the employees who work for us are also important. Joining us an employee, we will offer you the following benefits
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• Flexible working
• Training and development opportunities
• Simply Health Cashback Scheme (optional)
• Season Ticket Loan Scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Crisis Loan Scheme
• Electric Car Scheme
• 3 x Wellbeing Days (pro rata'd for part time employees)
• Access to Blue Light Card
• 25 days (rising to 30 with length of service) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays
• Contributory Pension Scheme – Employer matched contributions of up to 6% in the first two years’ service and up to 9% thereafter
• Death in Service Payment (2x annual salary)
• Critical Illness Insurance (subject to qualifying criteria)

Diversity at Forward Trust

The Forward Trust commits to providing opportunities to everyone. We want to ensure we have a diverse team with a range of lived and professional experiences. This includes those with ‘Lived Experience’ of addiction, offending, or homelessness.

When we recruit, we welcome applications from everyone. This is inclusive of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion and/or belief, marriage and civil partnerships, pregnancy and maternity and socio-economic background. Where operationally possible, we will consider flexible working requests and make reasonable adjustments for all roles.

To find out more about Forward’s commitment to being an inclusive employer and our current EDI strategy  .

Employee Screening and Eligibility to Work

Dependent on role you may be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service Check, details of which will be shared with you at interview.

If successful in your application, you will be required to provide eligibility to work evidence in line with the ‘Eligibility to Work in the UK’ requirements.

Our Commitment to Safeguarding
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and adults ward Trust follow safer recruitment practices and support a culture of openness and accountability.