Registered Manager, EBD & LD Children's Home, Northampton (NN2)

A brand new three bed children's home in NN2, Northampton is getting ready to open its doors to young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties and learning disabilities, and it needs an experienced leader to bring the Ofsted registration over the line and set the tone for everything that follows.

Quick Overview

• Registered Manager, three bed EBD and LD children's home, four bedrooms including one set aside for staff carrying out sleep ins, two separate lounges and a kitchen big enough for proper home cooked meals

• Location: NN2, Northampton

• Salary: £50,000 to £60,000 depending on experience

• Registration for EBD and LD provision is in progress with Ofsted, home not yet open

• Deputy Managers ready to step up into their first Registered Manager role are welcomed to apply, alongside established managers looking for a new challenge

Why this one stands out

• Most Registered Manager vacancies ask you to walk into a service someone else has already shaped, with expectations, culture and staff dynamics already set before you arrive

• This one hands you a blank page, so the policies, the staff team, the daily structure and the therapeutic approach all get built around your judgement

• The organisation behind this home already runs ten Ofsted registered supported accommodation services across London, so the leadership team understands regulatory scrutiny, safeguarding expectations and proper governance inside and out, even though a full children's home is new territory for them

• You would be backed by a Responsible Individual with a strong sector reputation for supporting her managers properly, and for understanding the difference between oversight and interference

• The wider organisation has years of experience across home care and supported accommodation for adults and young people, and that foundation in getting the fundamentals right consistently is exactly what a new children's home benefits from having behind it

What you'll be doing

• Leading the home through Ofsted registration as an EBD and LD provision, working closely with the Responsible Individual at every stage

• Recruiting, inducting and developing a staff team from scratch, with safer recruitment built into every step of the process

• Writing and owning the Statement of Purpose, policies and procedures that genuinely reflect the needs of the young people the home is designed for

• Building relationships with placing authorities, education providers, and health and therapeutic services ahead of the first placement

• Creating a staffing structure and rota that supports real consistency for young people, including sleep in cover

• Holding day to day responsibility for compliance with the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Quality Standards

• Setting a trauma informed, relationship based tone for the home from the very first day it opens, shaped around both EBD and learning disability needs

What you'll need

• A Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare, or a genuine commitment to complete it within an agreed timeframe if you're stepping up for the first time

• Solid experience as a Deputy Manager ready to take the next step, or as a Registered Manager looking for a new challenge, ideally with EBD or learning disability experience

• A working understanding of the Ofsted registration process, or the confidence to learn quickly with proper support around you

• A full UK driving licence, given the practical demands of running a residential service

• An enhanced DBS and the ability to evidence safer recruitment throughout your own career history

• The kind of leadership other people genuinely want to follow, built on consistency and honest communication rather than authority alone

What's in it for you

• A salary of £50,000 to £60,000 depending on experience, with room to move higher for candidates bringing an outstanding Ofsted track record

• Genuine influence over how the home is built, from policies to staffing structure to daily practice

• The backing of an organisation with an established regulatory and safeguarding track record across its wider services

• A real step up opportunity for Deputy Managers ready to lead their own service for the very first time

If the idea of shaping a service from its foundations sounds more exciting than maintaining what already exists, this is worth a conversation. Whether you're a Deputy Manager ready for your first Registered Manager role or an experienced manager looking for a new challenge with input from day one, get in touch and let's talk honestly about whether this is your next step.