Head of Safeguarding

Annual salary: up to £75,000.00

Head of Safeguarding

Location: Remote role with regular travel

Salary up to £75,000 per annum plus £4,800 company car allowance

Contract: Full time – Permanent, 40hrs per week, Monday to Friday

Mears provides temporary accommodation to asylum seekers whilst their claim is being assessed in three regions: Northeast, Yorkshire and Humber, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. At the end of May 2021 Mears had over 19000 service users across the three regions. Mears work in partnership with central and local Government, registered providers, tenants, landlords and investors to find solutions to homelessness, provide more social and affordable housing and create specialist housing for people with care needs.

About the Role:

We are seeking an experienced and driven Head of Safeguarding to join our team, taking overall responsibility for safeguarding across a key contract. This is a remote role with an expectation of travel, offering a unique opportunity to lead safeguarding strategy and ensure the wellbeing and safety of service users within a complex, regulated environment.

In this role, you will lead safeguarding teams across multiple regions, ensuring that all safeguarding concerns are managed effectively, policies are robust, and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements is maintained. You will work collaboratively with both internal teams and external partners, supporting ongoing service delivery and ensuring high standards of care for vulnerable individuals.

Key Responsibilities

• Management of safeguarding teams across multiple regions
• Ensure safeguarding policies are consistently implemented and maintained
• Lead on compliance with legislative and regulatory safeguarding frameworks
• Manage and escalate safeguarding risks appropriately and in a timely manner
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders and external organisations
• Work closely with frontline teams to ensure the safety and wellbeing of service users
• Ensure accuracy and compliance of all safeguarding records and data
• Oversee adherence to AASC Quality Management Systems
• Support wider Mears Housing Management teams with projects and operational needs
• Ensure full compliance with company policies, procedures, and code of conduct
• This role is primarily remote, with an expectation to travel in line with business needs and to be adaptable when priorities change at short notice.

Key Criteria:

• Degree or relevant qualification in safeguarding
• Experience working within a vulnerable or regulated environment
• Strong knowledge of safeguarding legislation and legal frameworks
• Experience managing client and regulatory expectations
• Full UK driving licence

Benefits we can offer you

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Annual Mears Fun Day - Our annual Fun Day is organised as a massive thank you from the Executive team for all the hard work!
• Volunteering Leave - Mears supports employees to undertake paid volunteering in the community, in support of our social value commitment.
• Staff perks with Mears Rewards - discounts of up to 10% weekly groceries, holidays, eye test vouchers, Share save scheme, plus much more
• Family friendly policies
• Access to EAP Counselling sessions
• 3x Life assurance
• Family private medical
• 50% PHI
• £4,800 car allowance

All our roles require candidates to have the entitlement to work within the UK, Mears does not currently offer visa sponsorship.

Candidates should be aware that all our roles are subject to relevant Background, Identity & Security checks before commencement of employment.

As part of the recruitment process for this role, we will carry out a Background, Identity, Security clearance & BPSS check. For these checks to be completed, we will require from you the relevant identification, including Proof of Address, References, a valid passport and proof that you have lived in the UK for the last 5 years.

Apply below or to discuss your application further; contact:

Beth Dunford (beth.dunford@mearsgroup.co.uk)

If you need any help with your application process, we are here to support you. We will be accessible every step of the way.

At Mears Group, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive, we are a Disability Confident employer, valuing individuality and ensuring equal opportunities for all.

We proudly support the Armed Forces Covenant and are honoured to have achieved the Gold Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) to coincide with this, we hold an Endorser Award for the Career Transition Partnership, recognising our commitment to veterans transitioning into civilian careers.

In our continued effort to promote social mobility, we invite applicants to voluntarily share their background information during the application stages to help us better understand the diverse experiences of our candidates. This is to ensure we are committed to improving social mobility. We use the Social Mobility Index to assess and enhance opportunities for individuals from diverse backgrounds. These questions are optional and will not impact your ability to apply.