Service Manager – Edgware, North London

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Website Lifeways

Job Overview: Service Manager – Edgware, North London

Lifeways, one of the UK’s leading support providers, is seeking a dedicated Service Manager to lead its Warrens Shawe Lane facility in Edgware. This specialized service consists of a flat scheme of seven apartments designed to support adults living with acquired brain injuries, learning disabilities, and autism. As the registered manager for this site, you will balance operational excellence with compassionate, person-centered leadership, ensuring that every resident has the opportunity to thrive in an independent living environment.

Job Summary

  • Employer: Lifeways

  • Location: Edgware, North London

  • Role Type: Full-time, Permanent

  • Sector: Health & Social Care / Supported Living

  • Specialism: Brain Injury, Autism, and Challenging Behaviors.

  • Support Structure: Direct reports include Team Leaders and Support Workers; reporting to the Area Manager.

Key Responsibilities

  • Leadership & Culture: Support, inspire, and develop a multidisciplinary team of support workers to deliver outstanding, high-quality care.

  • Complex Care Oversight: Oversee the specialized support for individuals with complex needs, including physical disabilities and challenging behaviors, ensuring unique care plans are followed.

  • Quality & Compliance: Drive service improvements and maintain rigorous quality standards in line with regulatory requirements.

  • Relationship Management: Build and maintain strong, trusting relationships with the residents’ families, local communities, and external healthcare professionals.

  • Operational Management: Manage the day-to-day logistics of the seven-apartment flat scheme, ensuring a safe and inclusive environment for both staff and residents.

What You’ll Bring

  • Qualifications: Minimum NVQ Level 3 in Health & Social Care (Level 5 is highly desirable or should be a current goal).

  • Management Experience: Proven track record in operational and people management within a social care setting.

  • Technical Requirements: A valid UK driver’s license and a willingness to travel locally as required.

  • Core Values: A genuine passion for quality care characterized by empathy, courage, honesty, and equality.

Why Join Lifeways in 2026?

  • Financial Wellbeing: Access to Stream, a real-time pay-tracking tool that allows for instant access to earned pay and savings features.

  • Professional Growth: Enrollment in leadership development programs and clear progression pathways within the national Lifeways network.

  • Total Rewards: Matched contribution pension scheme, CHOICE Rewards (discounts on tech, travel, and shopping), and comprehensive mental health support.

  • Autonomy: The freedom to lead with your own style while being backed by the resources of a major regional directorate.

Job Description

Are you ready to lead a service where every decision you make directly shapes a person’s future? Lifeways is looking for a Service Manager in Edgware who understands that “supported living” is about empowering independence, not just managing care.

Your role at Warrens Shawe Lane is one of high impact. You might spend your morning mentoring a new Team Leader on how to de-escalate a challenging behavior incident, and your afternoon meeting with a local brain injury charity to organize a community outing for your residents. Because this is a flat scheme, your focus is on maintaining a “domestic” feel while ensuring the clinical and safety “guardrails” are invisible yet robust. If you have the “operational grit” to manage a specialized facility and the “compassion” to lead a frontline team, this North London role offers a premier leadership platform in the 2026 social care sector.

Expert Guide: Finalizing Your 96-Role UK Strategic & Technical Analysis

This Service Manager role is the 96th entry in your dataset, serving as the “Specialist Healthcare Management” anchor for your 2026 London research. To conclude this project, consider these four final perspectives:

  1. The “Care Management” Salary View: Compare this Lifeways Manager role (est. £38k–£48k) against the Nexus Transport Manager (£50k) and the Registration Manager (£47k).

  2. The North London “Care Cluster”: A final look at how Lifeways (Edgware), Nexus (Hampstead), and Paragon (Londonwide) form a specialized “Healthcare Triangle” in your dataset.

  3. The “Financial Wellbeing” Benchmark: An analysis of how Earned Wage Access/Stream (Lifeways), Non-Contributory Pensions (BNP Paribas), and Flexible Benefits (Mastercard) represent the 2026 “Employee Value Proposition.”

  4. Strategic 2026 Synthesis: A final summary of how “Level 5 Leadership,” “Person-Centred Support,” and “Operational Resilience” have appeared in 100% of your 96-role specialized dataset.

    Lifeways: Transforming Lives Across Greater London

    Lifeways Group is the UK’s largest provider of supported living and residential care for adults with complex needs. In Greater London, they operate an extensive network of specialist services designed to help individuals with learning disabilities, autism, acquired brain injuries, and mental health conditions lead independent lives. By 2026, Lifeways has set a strategic goal to be the “Provider of Choice” and “Employer of Choice” in the social care sector, focusing on person-centered support that “challenges perceptions and achieves the possible.”

    The culture at Lifeways is built around its “CHOICE” values: Caring, Honest, One team, Innovative, Courageous, and Equal. These values guide their 11,000+ colleagues in delivering support to nearly 4,500 individuals across the UK, with a significant presence in London’s diverse boroughs.

    Key Greater London Hub Highlights (2026)

    Feature Details
    London Hub Office Runway East, 20 St. Thomas Street, London, SE1 9RS
    Regional Focus Strong presence in South London (Croydon/Sutton) and North London
    CEO Andrea Kinkade
    Service Model Supported Living, Residential Care, and Mental Health Rehabilitation
    Specialisms Learning Disabilities, Autism, ABI, and Physical Disabilities
    2026 Milestone Implementation of the “Career Pathways” professional growth framework
    CQC Status Many London locations (e.g., South London) rated “Good” overall

    Core Service Specialisms in London

    Lifeways structures its Greater London support into three primary divisions to ensure high-quality, tailored care:

    • Supported Living: The largest part of their London operation. This allows individuals to live in their own homes—from self-contained apartments to shared houses—with a bespoke support plan ranging from a few hours a week to 24/7 assistance.

    • Residential Care: For those with more profound needs requiring round-the-clock clinical and personal support. These homes are designed to be warm, communal environments with specialist adaptations like sensory rooms and ceiling track hoists.

    • Mental Health (SIL): Delivered through their specialist division, SIL, this provides recovery-focused pathways for people with complex mental health needs, aiming for long-term independence and community reintegration.

    Working at Lifeways: “Careers That Mean More”

    Lifeways is a major employer in the London social care sector, offering a structured environment for those entering the profession:

    1. Support Worker Roles: The frontline of the organization. In London, these roles often command higher hourly rates (approx. £13.50–£14.80 in 2026) to reflect the London Living Wage and the complexity of the care provided.

    2. Career Pathways: A unique 2026 initiative that maps out clear progression from Support Worker to Team Leader, Deputy Manager, and Registered Manager, with funded professional qualifications (NVQs).

    3. The “Blue Light” Perks: London staff gain access to the Blue Light Card (high-street discounts), a Cycle to Work scheme, and “Wagestream,” which allows employees to access their pay as they earn it for better financial flexibility.

    4. Specialist Training: New hires undergo an intensive “Induction & Care Certificate” program, followed by specialized training in areas like epilepsy management, autism awareness, and positive behavioral support.

    2026 Salary Benchmarks (London Estimates)

    Compensation at Lifeways London is tiered based on seniority and clinical responsibility:

    Role Level Estimated Annual Salary / Hourly Rate
    Support Worker £13.45 – £14.80 per hour
    Care Team Leader £13.80 – £15.50 per hour
    Registered Manager £32,500 – £42,000+ per year
    LD/Mental Health Nurse £35,000 – £38,000+ per year

    Strategic Direction & 2026 Vision

    As part of their 2026 strategy, Lifeways London is focusing on “Innovation through Technology.” This includes the rollout of assistive technology in residential homes to enhance resident independence and digital care planning systems that allow families to stay updated on their loved one’s progress in real-time. Despite past industry-wide challenges with recruitment, the London hub has prioritized “Staff Wellbeing Hubs” to reduce turnover and ensure continuity of care.

To apply for this job please visit lifeways.co.uk.