Service Manager, Under 18s Residential - Tipperary

Location: Clonmel, Co. Tipperary

Contract: Full-Time, Specific Purpose Contract

Salary: Competitive, dependent on experience

This is an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated leader to manage a dedicated residential service, oversee staff teams, and ensure the delivery of safe, high-quality, child-centred care that promotes positive outcomes for vulnerable young people.

About the Role

As Service Manager, you will have overall responsibility for the operational management, governance and quality of the residential service. You will lead and support multidisciplinary staff teams, ensuring that the needs, rights and wellbeing of young people remain at the centre of all service delivery.

You will be responsible for maintaining compliance with relevant regulations and standards, developing staff, overseeing care planning processes, managing budgets, and fostering positive relationships with key stakeholders and external agencies.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strong leadership, direction and support to residential care teams.
• Create and maintain a safe, caring and stable residential environment for young people.
• Ensure high-quality care and support is delivered in line with individual care and placement plans.
• Oversee the development, implementation and review of care plans for all young people within the service.
• Promote the rights, participation and voice of young people in all aspects of service delivery.
• Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, regulations, safeguarding requirements and national standards.
• Provide supervision, support and performance management to staff members.
• Lead recruitment, induction, training and workforce development initiatives.
• Coordinate referrals and admissions to the service and ensure effective allocation of casework responsibilities.
• Maintain accurate records, prepare reports and ensure effective information management systems.
• Manage service budgets and resources responsibly while contributing to strategic planning and service development.
• Build effective working relationships with statutory agencies, external stakeholders and community partners.
• Participate in on-call arrangements and support continuous quality improvement initiatives.

Essential Requirements

• Degree-level qualification in Social Care or a CORU-approved equivalent qualification.
• Evidence of CORU registration application or eligibility for registration.
• Significant management and supervisory experience within a social care setting.
• Extensive experience working with vulnerable or at-risk young people.
• Strong understanding of residential childcare services and the challenges facing young people in care.
• Experience leading teams and managing complex service environments.
• Excellent report writing, administrative and communication skills.
• Knowledge and experience of financial management and budget oversight.
• Experience working collaboratively with statutory agencies and multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong understanding of safeguarding, child protection and quality assurance frameworks.

Ideal Candidate

The successful candidate will be:

• A strong and inspirational leader.
• Passionate about improving outcomes for young people.
• Skilled at building positive relationships with staff, young people and external stakeholders.
• Organised, resilient and capable of managing competing priorities.
• Committed to delivering trauma-informed, child-centred care.
• Focused on quality, compliance and continuous service improvement.
• Valid working rights for Ireland.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Ongoing training and professional development opportunities.
• Supportive senior management structure.
• Opportunities to influence service development and innovation.
• Employee wellbeing supports and assistance programmes.
• The opportunity to make a lasting impact on the lives of vulnerable young people.