Cumberland Carers Service Manager
Who we are
People First is an independent customer-led charitable organisation that has worked in Cumbria for over 35 years.
Our Carer Services support unpaid carers to live informed, respected, healthy and fulfilled lives, providing high-quality information, advice, assessment, planning and community connection. We are committed to equality, respect and inclusion, and to delivering excellence for carers across Cumberland.
We are passionate about our values of equality, respect, and inclusion. We provide a wide range of support and information services across Cumbria, all aimed at helping people to live informed, respected, healthy and fulfilled lives.
Purpose of the job
This new role will lead the Cumberland Carers service through a period of transformation, embedding a redesigned structure and model of service.
The Service Manager will provide strategic and operational leadership, ensuring the service meets contractual requirements under the Care Act, achieves KPIs, and delivers high-quality, person-centred support to carers. The role will oversee risk, quality, performance, reporting, workforce supervision, and partnership working across the health and social care system.
This post is responsible for ensuring stability, accountability and high-quality delivery across all localities in the Cumberland area.
The person
We are seeking an experienced and values-driven leader with a passion for supporting unpaid carers and driven by People First’s mission. You will be equally committed to ensuring that equality, diversity and inclusion are foundational to our activities.
You will bring:
- Strong operational leadership skills
- Experience managing teams delivering frontline support
- Confidence in embedding new working models
- Ability to drive performance, quality and compliance
- Ability to build meaningful relationships with commissioners, partners and communities
- A commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion
- A calm, reflective and strengths-based approach
Key responsibilities
Leadership and Management
- Lead the operational delivery of the Cumberland Carers service.
- Provide line management, supervision and appraisal to Team Leaders and support workers where required.
- Ensure Team Leaders are equipped to supervise support workers and manage mixed caseloads.
- Embed the new delivery model, ensuring clarity of roles, consistency and stability.
- Ensure all staff are SAFER recruited, informed, trained and supported.
- Develop and maintain workforce plans, training matrices and team development sessions.
- Lead risk management across the service, ensuring all risks are recorded, mitigated and escalated.
Performance, Quality and Compliance
- Ensure delivery meets all contractual requirements and KPIs.
- Oversee quality assurance processes, audits and performance monitoring.
- Review compliance with Care Act duties, safeguarding requirements and internal PF policies.
- Support Team Leaders to ensure high standards of assessment, contingency planning and case recording.
- Lead quarterly quality cycles, internal audits and commissioner review processes.
Service Delivery
- Ensure consistent, person-centred, strengths-based practice across the service.
- Oversee triage, assessment pathways, caseload allocation and demand management.
- Support Team Leaders to hold manageable caseloads while supervising their teams.
- Monitor quality of casework, wellbeing outcomes and customer experience.
- Respond to complex cases, safeguarding concerns and high-risk situations.
Partnerships and System Leadership
- Act as a senior representative of People First with Cumberland Council, NHS partners, community groups and statutory services.
- Participate in system-wide transformation programmes and locality/neighbourhood developments.
- Maintain strong relationships with commissioners and external partners, promoting the service and its impact.
Reporting and Governance
- Produce high-quality performance reports for SLT, the Board and commissioners.
- Oversee data integrity, CRM reporting and analysis of service trends.
- Ensure all incidents, complaints and compliments are recorded and responded to appropriately.
- Contribute to strategic planning, growth opportunities and funding proposals.
Other Duties
- Evening and weekend work may occasionally be required.
- Duties may change as the service develops.
- A DBS subscription is required.
Driving
- A current driving licence and access to own transport is essential.
- Business-use insurance required.
Skills, Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Experience managing services in social care, health or community support.
- Experience supervising staff, leading teams and embedding new structures.
- Strong understanding of carers’ needs and Care Act responsibilities.
- Experience managing performance, KPIs and quality assurance.
- Skilled in partnership working across complex systems.
- Excellent communication, relationship-building and negotiation skills.
- Ability to manage risk, safeguarding and high-risk cases.
- Strong organisational and planning skills.
- Positive, reflective and solutions-focused approach.
- Proficient in digital systems, reporting and case management tools.
Desirable
- Experience delivering carer support or similar community services.
- Contract management experience.
- Knowledge of Cumberland system priorities and localities.
- Experience in service transformation or change programmes.
Other Duties
- Evening and weekend work may be required.
- The duties outlined above are not intended to be exhaustive and may change as the needs of the organisation alter in line with current agendas. Due to the developing nature of our organisation, we require staff to remain highly flexible in their approach, and work to meet the changing needs of the projects.
- Please note that the successful candidate will be required to subscribe to the DBS update service which requires all People First staff to pay an annual subscription fee.
Driving
A current driving licence and access to own transport is required for this role.
This post requires you to have the appropriate ‘business use’ insurance in place as occasional business use of your car is required to carry out tasks, such as (but not limited to) the following:
- Travel to customer or business meetings
- Running business errands during the day
- Travel between different People First business sites
- Transporting colleagues/volunteers or business contacts, for example, to business meetings
- Making deliveries or collections
- Carrying extra equipment
For more information
If you’d like any further information about the role or if you have any questions, please contact our Head of Cumberland Carers: [email protected]
To apply
If you’re interested in the role and think you’d be a good fit, we’d like to hear from you.
To apply for this position, please email a copy of your CV including details of two references, to [email protected] or alternatively, you can post for the attention of Barry to People First Conference Centre, Milbourne Street, Carlisle, CA2 5XB
All applications should be clearly marked: Confidential – Cumberland Carers Manager.
To arrive no later than 5.00 p.m. on 21st May (this date may change depending on the volume of applications).