Team Lead: Peterborough

A rare and exciting opportunity for someone to step in and lead the support team in Peterborough – the ‘home’ of Hope into Action UK and the location which still has the greatest number of houses of all 35 UK locations. Based in the national Support Centre you will have oversight of all tenant and church provision for HiA in the city. A fantastic position!

Working at Hope into Action 

Do you long to put your heart for injustice into action? Are you passionate about the lost and the  least and long to see the church engage with the homeless in a highly effective way? Do you have leadership skills and desire to lead a fantastic team of staff and volunteers in a decisive, bold and empowering way? Perhaps you have always wanted to work in the charitable sector but never seen a way in? This may well be the opportunity for you! 

About the role  

Hope into Action was founded in Peterborough and the first home for those who’ve suffered homelessness was opened in 2011. Since then, the project has gone from strength to strength with 17 homes in Peterborough and over 100 across 25 different UK locations. Each of these homes is in partnership with a local church.  

As Peterborough Team Lead you will manage one of four cities (the others being Nottingham, Cambridge and Norwich) which are line managed by the Head of Network at HiA UK. You will work with the other Leads to ensure consistency, unity and prayerful coverage for all aspects of the work. Between these four locations we have over 50 homes open, which is half of the 105 open in total. We consider these Line Managed cities to be our ‘incubators of best practice’ and work hard to constantly improve the support and services provided to church partners and tenants.  

You will extol HiA values and have experience leading teams and working with churches. Most importantly you will be warm, personable and treat others with respect and appreciation. The team consists of 5 gifted and committed staff, whom you will line manage. You will not only maintain the current daily workload, but also seek out new opportunities, connecting with a range of agencies, organisations and churches.  

Success in this role will see:  

• A productive team working to its potential and extoling our objectives of being spiritually passionate and professionally excellent  

• A reputation for quality and respect across the county, both in Christian and secular contexts  

• A growing number of beautiful homes, each in partnership with a church with whom we have a deepening relationship and understanding  

• Tenants feeling safe, well supported and growing in independence  

• The Peterborough budgets, occupancy and debts meeting targets and ‘setting the standard’ for the rest of the growing HiA Network. 

About you  

You will be a highly motivated and organised individual who has a desire to see more homes open for those suffering the trauma of homelessness and want to see existing work not only maintained but improved. We’re looking for a natural leader; able to balance grace and truth, humility and confidence. Making difficult decisions and intervening in a range of scenarios will be part of the role, so adaptability and resilience are essential. The ability to learn and retain new skills is important, as is a willingness and desire to contribute to Hope into Action UK’s wider strategy, policies, management and future.  

You will have an ability to work with tenants with support needs, including poor mental health, past offending and drug and alcohol dependency issues as well as having an understanding and ability to communicate well with different church denominations and expressions. You will need to be someone who can combine working within a team whilst demonstrating initiative and being able to work independently as parts of the role will require that. You will have an appreciation and understanding of reporting systems and processes. Initiative, a gift for networking, the ability to problem solve and a healthy approach to conflict management are all beneficial qualities. 

We love diversity and we value your unique skills, strengths, knowledge and experience. Becoming one of our team may realise your potential, helping us to raise our performance in empowering those we serve.  

About us  

We believe everyone has the right to a home and churches have the power to meet the tragedy of homelessness in their community.  

We have won numerous awards, both secular and Christian, including the Guardian newspaper, Homeless Link and the Centre for Social Justice.   

We provide not just shelter and housing know-how, but also the friendship of a church. Together with over 100 churches, we provide direct support to people whom others have often given up on. Our first home had a real heart for men coming out of prison. Homes are now available for a wide range of people experiencing homelessness: people in recovery from addiction, people sleeping rough, those in debt, women and children fleeing domestic violence, people coming out of rehab, former prostitutes, refugees, those suffering mental health issues and survivors of human trafficking. 

We are now partnering with churches across the country. We encourage others to use our model by franchising the idea. Our vision is for every church to lovingly provide the homeless with a home.  

To apply: 

Please contact: Head of Network Kate Doran-Smith on 07908 202944 or kate.doran-smith@hia.org.uk if you would like to know more, or complete the application and email.

Please click here to download the application form.

Please click here to download the Job Description.

Please send completed application forms to kate.doran-smith@hia.org.uk