Recovery Team leader

Are you an experienced housing or recovery professional ready to lead from the front?

We’re looking for a Full Time (35 Hours) dynamic Recovery Housing Team Leader to drive our Integrated Recovery Housing Service forward, supporting people in abstinence-based recovery to sustain tenancies, rebuild independence and prevent homelessness.

Sitting within the Recovery Directorate, you’ll lead a skilled team, shape service delivery, and work alongside partners across housing, criminal justice and treatment services to ensure safe, structured and empowering recovery accommodation.

This role requires travel between Kent and Essex.

What you’ll be doing:

• Lead and line manage the Recovery Housing Team to deliver high-quality tenancy sustainment support
• Ensure every service user has a bespoke Recovery Housing Plan with clear pathways to independent living
• Oversee safe referrals, assessments and placements into Recovery Housing
• Maintain robust policies, procedures, risk assessments and service frameworks
• Mobilise new Recovery Housing properties, from exempt status to full furnishing
• Build strong partnerships with Probation, prisons, rehab centres, DWP, Housing Benefit and Local Authorities
• Strengthen move-on pathways into independent accommodation
• Monitor KPIs, data, audits and reporting to drive service excellence
• Champion Equality, Diversity & Inclusion and safe working practices

You’ll thrive in this role if you:

• Have experience in housing, recovery, criminal justice or related support services
• Are confident leading, supervising and motivating a team
• Understand tenancy sustainment and the needs of people in abstinence-based recovery
• Can balance operational delivery with strategic development
• Build strong internal and external partnerships with ease
• Are organised, data-driven and comfortable managing performance targets
• Can work flexibly when service needs require

This is more than a housing role, it’s an opportunity to shape and expand a growing Recovery Housing model that genuinely transforms lives.

You’ll play a key part in preventing homelessness, reducing reoffending, and supporting long-term recovery journeys, all while influencing strategic development within a respected and mission-driven organisation.

If you believe safe, structured housing is the foundation for lasting recovery, this is your chance to make real, measurable impact every day.

Apply now and help us build recovery that lasts.

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)

Please note that we may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.

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…