Interim Manager (Fixed Term Contract 6 Months)

About The Company Join Salutem Care & Education and help shape a workforce that truly makes a difference.

At Salutem Care and Education, our aim is to empower people to live a life they choose, regardless of the care or support they need. We are proud to provide a range of care and support across our schools, day centres, and residential homes for children and adults. Just like any strong community, we want the very best for the individuals we support.

We’re proud to be recognised by the Top Employers Institute as a Top Employer United Kingdom, reflecting our exceptional culture, care, and commitment to our people.

In addition, we’re honoured to be named among the 2025 Top 100 Global Inspiring Workplaces, and to have achieved Top 10 in the 2026 UK & Ireland Inspiring Workplaces Awards.

We’re passionate about developing and supporting colleagues for the future. Through a culture of continuous learning and reflective practice, we create opportunities for personal and professional growth — helping our people build meaningful and rewarding careers in care.

About The Role

Are you an experienced Children's Residential leader who thrives in challenging and transformational environments? We are seeking an exceptional Interim Manager to take responsibility for one of our Children's Residential Homes in Cardiff on a fixed-term basis. This is a critical leadership role requiring a confident and experienced professional who can quickly establish operational stability, strengthen compliance, and drive sustainable improvements in service quality and outcomes for children and young people. You will be empowered to lead with autonomy while championing a trauma-informed and therapeutic approach that places the safety, wellbeing, and voice of every child at the centre of decision-making. The Opportunity As Interim Manager, you will provide strong, visible leadership and be accountable for the day-to-day management and performance of the home. Key responsibilities include:

• Acting as the home's senior safeguarding lead, ensuring children and young people are safe, protected, and supported at all times.
• Taking immediate ownership of regulatory compliance, inspection outcomes, action plans, and service improvement initiatives.
• Providing decisive operational leadership across staffing, rotas, supervision, performance management, and daily decision-making.
• Leading teams through periods of change, embedding high professional standards, accountability, and a positive culture.
• Developing and implementing robust quality assurance, governance, and recording processes.
• Building effective relationships with Ofsted, local authorities, social workers, and wider partner agencies.
• Embedding sustainable improvements and ensuring effective succession planning and handover arrangements.
• Promoting therapeutic, child-centred practice that improves outcomes and experiences for young people. This role reports directly to the Responsible Individual/Head of Children’s What We're Looking For Essential Experience & Qualifications
• Significant experience managing or leading Children's Residential Homes.
• Proven experience within regulated children's services.
• Strong working knowledge of: o Children's Homes Regulations o Quality Standards o Ofsted inspection frameworks
• Demonstrable safeguarding expertise and the ability to make sound decisions in complex and high-pressure situations.
• A track record of leading teams through change, challenging poor practice, and driving service improvement.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and report-writing skills.
• Experience of working with therapeutic approaches, including PACE and therapeutic parenting models.
• The resilience, professionalism, and credibility required to operate effectively in demanding environments.

Desirable

• Registered Manager status or eligibility to register with Ofsted.
• Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare (or equivalent).
• Experience supporting children with: o Trauma and attachment needs o SEMH needs o Complex behaviours o High-risk presentations
• Previous experience leading turnaround, improvement, or post-inspection recovery programmes. Key Attributes We're looking for a leader who is:
• Passionately child-focused with strong professional values and integrity.
• Calm, authoritative, and confident in their leadership approach.
• Highly organised with excellent attention to detail.
• Resilient, adaptable, and able to operate at pace.
• Solution-focused and outcome-driven.
• Emotionally intelligent, with the ability to inspire, support, and challenge others effectively.

Why Join Salutem? At Salutem, people are at the heart of everything we do. You’ll join a collaborative and supportive environment where your ideas, leadership, and expertise will make a real impact — not only on our teams, but on the lives of the people we support every day.

If you’re passionate about operational excellence, developing people, and building outstanding recruitment and HR processes, we’d love to hear from you.

Our Core Values:

➡️Supportive: Helping everyone reach their full potential. ➡️Ambitious: Striving for the best outcomes. ➡️Loyal: Prioritising our staff and the people we support. ➡️Unique: Innovating without compromising quality. ➡️Transparent: Fostering openness and mutual respect. ➡️Engaging: Partnering with everyone involved. ➡️Meaningful: Offering fulfilling opportunities.

Why Choose Us?

✅Emotional Support: 24/7 Employee Assistance, mental health resources, meditation apps, and bereavement support. ✅ Medical Support: Free Online GP access, Health Cash Plan, Cancer Cover, and Menopause support. ✅ Financial Support: Flexible pay with Wagestream, utility bill savings, Money Helper, and Life Assurance. ✅ Physical Support: Online workouts, Cycle to Work scheme, gym discounts, and National Trust activities.

Still not convinced?

🌟 Recognised as a Top Employer United Kingdom 2026 by the Top Employers Institute. 🌍 Named among the Top 100 Global Inspiring Workplaces by Inspiring Workplaces. ♿ Proud to be a Disability Confident Committed employer.

Salutem Care and Education is dedicated to protecting and promoting the well-being of children, young adults, and vulnerable individuals. As part of our safer recruitment process, the successful candidate will be required to complete thorough pre-employment checks, including an enhanced DBS and, where applicable, overseas criminal record checks