Advocacy Service Contract Manager

Title: Advocacy Service Contract Manager

Location: Essex - this is a field based role

Hours: 35hrs per week

Salary: GBP33,265.21 - GBP36,950.45 pa including GBP3000 pa market premium

Contract: Permanent

We have an exciting opportunity for an Advocacy Service Contract Manager to join our established and friendly Essex Advocacy team.

Rethink Advocacy provides services under the Care Act, Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, and in other situations where advocacy is not a legal right. We support people of all ages, including those who live with mental illness and learning, physical and sensory disabilities. We usually work with people who need support relating to their care and treatment, and don t currently have a family member or friend to help them.

If you, would you like to work for a leading mental health charity in a rewarding role where you will really make a difference, then join us here at Rethink Mental Illness.

How will you make a difference?

As an Advocacy Service Contract Manager you will provide strong leadership and management supporting and motivating the team to deliver a high-quality service, whilst working alongside the Advocacy Practice Delivery Lead to maintain the Advocacy Quality Performance Mark standards.

You will be responsible for ensuring the successful delivery and development of Essex Advocacy service, taking responsibility for developing and maintaining strategic relationships, contract delivery and delivery of outcomes across the service area of responsibility. You will be proactive in driving the service forward looking for areas of potential, both in business planning and development, pursuing opportunities to innovate and develop the service.

You will also support the local management team to be accountable for the day to day delivery and development of the service and ensure that they are taking responsibility for the staff, service activity and positive outcomes for clients accessing the service.

See attached Job Description on our direct advert for more details about the role.

What we are looking for:

To be considered for the role, you will:

have a professional qualification in Advocacy at Level 3 or 4 or a Health and Social Care qualification

demonstrate management and project/contract management experience within either advocacy, community healthcare, public health or community engagement services

have proven ability of successful programme delivery targeting vulnerable communities and delivering quantifiable outcomes.

have a good awareness of basic employment law and good practice in people management; with experience of managing and expediently addressing poor performance or conduct issues.

demonstrate ability to work as part of a multidisciplinary team, valuing the contribution of others

have proven experience of setting and managing budgets and financial resources

have experience of setting up and managing subcontracting arrangements

possess full UK Driving licence and access to a car for work- with business purposes insurance.

You may also have:

an understanding of theories and models of service user empowerment, involvement & coproduction.

a management qualification

Why join us?

We offer a wide range of support. Some of our benefits include:

Wellbeing support: our Wellbeing hub gives physical, emotional, and mental health support. We also have an Employee Assistance Programme with access to appointments.

Taking time for you: we work flexibly - you get to choose where you work, managing your own diary. We have generous annual leave, starting at 25 rising to 30 days, plus bank holidays, as well as your birthday off.

Planning for the future: We have a contributory pension scheme.

Structured Induction: Onboarding you into the Charity supporting your wellbeing along the way.

GBP300 when you introduce a Friend: receive up to GBP300 when you introduce a friend or family member

We welcome applications from everyone, applicants with lived experience, those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ ), people with a disability, or those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are actively encouraged to apply. We are proud to have also been awarded Disability Confident employer status. We have an ambition of becoming an anti-racist organisation and we recognise there is more to do in ensuring our recruitment is fair and inclusive, which is why we are recruiting new roles in helping us to achieve this.

The Recruitment Advisor looking after this role is Sylwia Kraska-Pakulska. If you have any questions about the position, please feel free to drop her an email at