Overview
Children’s Services Manager – Permanent – Full Time
ID: 292686
Job Specialism: Operations – Northern Ireland
Location: Belfast
Salary: £33,730 per annum
Closing Date: Tuesday, 28th October 2025
Could you be our Children’s Services Manager?
We have a fantastic opportunity for a new manager within our Children’s Service at our brand new Sense Hub in Belfast.
This is a permanent role, working 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm. We are offering a Children’s Services Manager in Belfast £33,730 per annum.
We are looking for a highly motivated individual to join the management team in our Early Intervention and Children’s service.
Just opening its doors, the new Sense Hub Belfast will increase the support Sense can provide by 50% and offer new spaces for the community to engage with the organisation. In addition to expanding existing services, the Hub will enable Sense to provide new, vital services with a proven successful track record. These include:
- A day service for disabled adults, offering a range of regular activities where people can get support, try new things, and make new connections.
- An early intervention service for children with disabilities 0-8 years old that enhances existing support for deafblind children.
- Arts, Sports and Wellbeing programmes in partnership with local providers.
- A transition and employment service that will support disabled people as they move into adulthood.
The new Sense Hub Belfast will ensure that the 52,000 people across Northern Ireland with a complex disability have somewhere they can enjoy now and in the future. Support for the disabled community cannot wait any longer and we hope you can join us in transforming the lives of those who need help most. Any contribution can help make the dream of a more inclusive and accessible community for disabled people more of a reality.
As a Children’s Services Manager, you will be managing a staff team of Support Workers.
The team at the service encourage that no child is left out of life.
Your required skills and experiences:
- A minimum of 2 years experience working with children 0-8 with special needs.
- Effective communication with stakeholders, commissioners, and users alike is essential.
- QCF Level 5 Diploma in Child Care, Learning and Development or Playwork or a relevant occupational qualification in early years’ education, social work, nursing, teaching or health visiting.
- 2 years experience supervising and leading a staff team is desirable.
- A full UK Driving License and use of your own vehicle.
- Some knowledge of BSL and Makaton is desirable.
- Register as registered manager with Early Years
- Full person specification is attached below.
Your duties can include:
- To support children within the service and community to reach their full potential.
- Providing line management support to a team of staff.
- Rota and annual leave management.
- To provide a customised, responsive, and high-quality service to children with a range of complex needs.
- Identify needs and outcomes for each individual we support.
- Deliver services that meet or exceed Sense’s legal and organisational standards.
- Full job specification is attached below.
Why work for Sense?
We believe that every disabled person should have the opportunity to connect with others and be included in the world. We use our knowledge and expertise to deliver personalised, creative and flexible support at every stage of life. Sense is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader.
Working at Sense can be incredibly rewarding; we offer the opportunity to work in a large, diverse and successful charity where people can develop their skills, knowledge and careers in a supportive and flexible environment. In addition, we have excellent training and development, the opportunity for you to join our Group Personal Pension scheme and a generous annual leave entitlement.
Benefits:
- Be part of a team striving for outstanding support and the people we support living ordinary lives, achieving incredible things.
- 24 days of annual leave.
- Wisdom app – free access for all employees to mindfulness application
- Matched pension contributions up to 5%.
- Free life assurance policy.
- Cashback and discounts on high street brands (and 10% off at Sense charity shops!).
- Cycle to work scheme.
- Travel season ticket loans.
- Enhanced sick pay.
- Free DBS check if your role needs one.
- A £350 refer-a-friend scheme.
- Free access to over 100 online and face-to-face training courses, including the care certificate.
- Ongoing development opportunities.
Ready to make a difference?
To apply:
Please use the link below to complete your application. Managers will use your supporting statement to shortlist candidates for interview; in relation to the Personal Specification. Therefore, it is very important you complete this section thoroughly. We would recommend that you read the candidate guidelines, job description and person specification (found at the base of this advert) before applying.
Please note to avoid disappointment, we advise you to submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close posts at any time.
No agency submissions please: any submissions without prior authorisation from the Sense Recruitment Team will be treated as our own and as such no fee will be payable.
If you require any further assistance, please contact the Recruitment Team on 0121 415 6735 or recruitment@sense.org.uk
Sense is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable children and adults and expects all employees to share this commitment. Therefore, all offers of employment, where appropriate, are subject to an enhanced DBS check.
For this role we particularly welcome applications from candidates from underrepresented ethnic minority backgrounds and candidates with disabilities. Sense is committed to equality of opportunity, and to promoting and celebrating the diversity of staff, volunteers and the people we work with. Everyone’s contribution is valued and we ensure they’re given the opportunity to realise their potential. We welcome applications from talented people from all sections of the community who share our values and belief that no one, no matter how complex their disabilities, should be isolated, left out, or unable to fulfil their potential. For more information please visit: https://www.sense.org.uk/jobs/equality-diversity-and-inclusion-in-recruitment/ #HIGH
Precise Location: 34 Annadale Avenue, , Belfast, , BT7 3JJ, United Kingdom
