Recovery Support Team Leader

Location:

National (with regular travel across the UK, primarily East Kent)

Working Pattern:
Hybrid – remote working with weekly visits to allocated units

Salary: A GBP 30,082 per annum

Vacancy Type:
Permanent

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Recovery Support Team Leader to join our central Recovery Support team. This is a national role with a focus on East Kent, combining remote working with regular on‑site visits.

As Team Leader, you will co‑ordinate all recovery support functions across Forward Trusts substance misuse services, ensuring they operate as a coherent and effective pathway to recovery. You will lead by example, modelling the organisation’s values and ethos, and promoting visible lived experience to inspire both service users and staff.

Your leadership will help to embed robust recovery support into every service, creating an environment where service users can further develop their recovery and build meaningful, sustainable lives.

• Co‑ordinate recovery support functions across substance misuse services into a unified, effective offer
• Provide leadership, supervision, and support to recovery staff, ensuring high‑quality delivery and compliance with standards
• Develop and implement service improvements to strengthen recovery pathways
• Promote and support service user‑led initiatives and peer support groups
• Build and maintain strong partnerships with external organisations to enhance service delivery
• Ensure effective data collection, monitoring, and reporting for audit, research, and contractual requirements
• Contribute to disciplinary and performance management processes where required
• Champion equality, diversity, and inclusion within all services

• Flexibility to adapt to service needs as they evolve
• Positive problem‑solving approach with the ability to focus on key issues
• Strong negotiating and influencing skills
• Proven experience developing and implementing service improvements
• Experience engaging effectively with client groups
• People management and supervision experience
• Understanding of the voluntary sector and equality/diversity issues
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and database systems
• Commitment to 12‑step interventions and treatment approaches
• Experience in overseeing data collection and reporting processes
• Knowledge and experience of disciplinary procedures and people management

• Level 3 Management Qualification (or commitment to achieve this or equivalent)

• Experience of building strategic partnerships
• Lived experience of substance misuse recovery (directly or through family/friends)
• Understanding of service user‑led groups and their importance in recovery
• Knowledge of HR and finance functions in a contract setting

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.

• 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 × Wellbeing Days (pro rata for part‑time employees)
• Access to Blue Light Card
• 25 days (rising to 30 with length of service)