Independent Living Area Manager
Location: Bedford (with travel across local schemes)
Contract: Full-time, permanent
Salary: £41,880.72 plus £2,000 car allowance
We're looking for an experienced and passionate Independent Living Area Manager to lead and develop high-quality services for customers aged 55+ across a defined geographical area.
This is a pivotal leadership role where you'll oversee multiple Independent Living schemes, ensuring services are safe, consistent and truly person-centred. You'll also have responsibility for the 24-hour response service in Bedford, helping to ensure timely and effective support when it matters most. Working at the heart of our housing services, you'll champion independence, wellbeing and positive outcomes - making a meaningful difference every day.
What you'll be doing
Lead and inspire teams
• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing team across multiple locations
• Foster a collaborative, supportive culture with clear accountability
• Build capability and confidence through proactive leadership and coaching
Deliver high-quality services
• Oversee day-to-day operations of Independent Living schemes
• Ensure consistency, quality, and a strong on-site presence
• Align services with organisational priorities and customer needs
Oversee 24-hour response services
• Ensure safe, effective and timely responses to incidents
• Provide leadership in complex or high-risk situations (including out-of-hours escalation where required)
• Drive continuous improvements through performance monitoring and insight
Champion customer experience
• Embed a proactive, person-centred approach to service delivery
• Use feedback and data to improve customer satisfaction
• Ensure concerns are resolved early and learning is embedded
Drive performance and improvement
• Use performance data and Operational Health Indicators to identify trends and risks
• Lead on continuous improvement and service development
• Ensure compliance with safeguarding, quality and regulatory standards
Work collaboratively
• Build strong relationships with internal teams and external partners
• Contribute to cross-organisational projects and initiatives
• Promote joined-up working to enhance customer outcomes
What we're looking for
We're seeking a confident and capable leader who can combine operational excellence with a strong people focus.
Key skills & attributes
• Strong leadership and team development experience
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills
• Analytical mindset with the ability to use data to drive decisions
• Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple priorities
• Resilient, adaptable and solutions-focused
• Passionate about delivering high-quality, person-centred services
Experience & knowledge
• Experience in Independent Living, housing, or a similar service environment
• Proven track record of managing multiple services or locations
• Strong operational management and performance delivery experience
• Experience leading teams and improving service quality
• Knowledge of safeguarding, risk management and complex case handling
• Experience using KPIs and insight to deliver improvements
Qualifications
• CIH qualification (or equivalent) is desirable
Why join us?
• Meaningful work that makes a real difference
• Opportunity to lead and shape impactful services
• Supportive and collaborative working environment
• A role where your leadership will directly influence customer outcomes
Our values
We are guided by our values:
• We take responsibility - doing the right thing
• We show empathy - listening and understanding
• We are better together - working collaboratively
• We are ambitious - striving for excellence and improvement
Please note, bpha reserves the right to close applications early upon identification of a suitable candidate. Early applications are advised.
About bpha
bpha is a leading Housing Association in the Oxford to Cambridge arc, providing high-quality, affordable homes and services. We own or manage over 19,500 properties and reinvest all income into improving homes, building new ones, and supporting communities. Our vision is to build places where people can live happily in homes they can afford, guided by value that shape everything we do.
Benefits
We believe that benefits should be more than just perks. For us, they aren't simply little extras added on at the end, they're fundamental parts of what we stand for, from the very beginning. As standard.
That's why at bpha, we reward our employees by making sure we give them a supportive and caring environment, that empowers them to be happy, healthy and inspired, every day.
Our full benefits offering can be found here: https://www.bpha.org.uk/about-us/bpha-colleague-benefits/139/
Location: Bedford (with travel across local schemes)
Contract: Full-time, permanent
Salary: £41,880.72 plus £2,000 car allowance
We're looking for an experienced and passionate Independent Living Area Manager to lead and develop high-quality services for customers aged 55+ across a defined geographical area.
This is a pivotal leadership role where you'll oversee multiple Independent Living schemes, ensuring services are safe, consistent and truly person-centred. You'll also have responsibility for the 24-hour response service in Bedford, helping to ensure timely and effective support when it matters most. Working at the heart of our housing services, you'll champion independence, wellbeing and positive outcomes - making a meaningful difference every day.
What you'll be doing
Lead and inspire teams
• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing team across multiple locations
• Foster a collaborative, supportive culture with clear accountability
• Build capability and confidence through proactive leadership and coaching
Deliver high-quality services
• Oversee day-to-day operations of Independent Living schemes
• Ensure consistency, quality, and a strong on-site presence
• Align services with organisational priorities and customer needs
Oversee 24-hour response services
• Ensure safe, effective and timely responses to incidents
• Provide leadership in complex or high-risk situations (including out-of-hours escalation where required)
• Drive continuous improvements through performance monitoring and insight
Champion customer experience
• Embed a proactive, person-centred approach to service delivery
• Use feedback and data to improve customer satisfaction
• Ensure concerns are resolved early and learning is embedded
Drive performance and improvement
• Use performance data and Operational Health Indicators to identify trends and risks
• Lead on continuous improvement and service development
• Ensure compliance with safeguarding, quality and regulatory standards
Work collaboratively
• Build strong relationships with internal teams and external partners
• Contribute to cross-organisational projects and initiatives
• Promote joined-up working to enhance customer outcomes
What we're looking for
We're seeking a confident and capable leader who can combine operational excellence with a strong people focus.
Key skills & attributes
• Strong leadership and team development experience
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills
• Analytical mindset with the ability to use data to drive decisions
• Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple priorities
• Resilient, adaptable and solutions-focused
• Passionate about delivering high-quality, person-centred services
Experience & knowledge
• Experience in Independent Living, housing, or a similar service environment
• Proven track record of managing multiple services or locations
• Strong operational management and performance delivery experience
• Experience leading teams and improving service quality
• Knowledge of safeguarding, risk management and complex case handling
• Experience using KPIs and insight to deliver improvements
Qualifications
• CIH qualification (or equivalent) is desirable
Why join us?
• Meaningful work that makes a real difference
• Opportunity to lead and shape impactful services
• Supportive and collaborative working environment
• A role where your leadership will directly influence customer outcomes
Our values
We are guided by our values:
• We take responsibility - doing the right thing
• We show empathy - listening and understanding
• We are better together - working collaboratively
• We are ambitious - striving for excellence and improvement
Please note, bpha reserves the right to close applications early upon identification of a suitable candidate. Early applications are advised.
About bpha
bpha is a leading Housing Association in the Oxford to Cambridge arc, providing high-quality, affordable homes and services. We own or manage over 19,500 properties and reinvest all income into improving homes, building new ones, and supporting communities. Our vision is to build places where people can live happily in homes they can afford, guided by value that shape everything we do.
Benefits
We believe that benefits should be more than just perks. For us, they aren't simply little extras added on at the end, they're fundamental parts of what we stand for, from the very beginning. As standard.
That's why at bpha, we reward our employees by making sure we give them a supportive and caring environment, that empowers them to be happy, healthy and inspired, every day.
Our full benefits offering can be found here: https://www.bpha.org.uk/about-us/bpha-colleague-benefits/139/