Refuge Manager Jobs

Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) is the only UK charity dedicated to raising awareness of economic abuse and transforming responses to it. Our vision is a world in which all women and girls are economically equal and live their lives free of abuse and exploitation.

Economic abuse is a form of coercive and controlling behaviour: 95% of women who experience domestic abuse will experience economic abuse. It limits their choices and ability to access safety. 

We work in partnership to ensure women have access to and control over their own economic resources. We focus on four strategic priorities: public education and awareness-raising; transforming professional responses; ensuring systems do not inadvertently facilitate economic abuse; and influencing policy.

Our work is led by victim-survivors of economic abuse (Experts by Experience). Their lived experience and knowledge shapes everything we do. We are always learning, and we share our expertise via a national working group and an international network of practitioners, researchers and policymakers.

Founded in 2017, we are purposeful and agile in approach. We led the successful call to recognise and define economic abuse within the UK Parliament’s Domestic Abuse Bill. This has created a framework and momentum for change. Our aim now is to ensure that policy and practice recognises economic abuse so that victim-survivors are supported to achieve economic justice and abusers are held accountable for their behaviour.

About the Compass Project

The Compass Project Coordinator will work as part of an exciting new partnership between Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA), Living Without Abuse (LWA) and RISE (Refuge, Information, Support & Education). The Compass Project seeks to develop best practice responses to economic abuse within the coordinated community response by working with local professionals to help them understand and respond to economic abuse.

About the Compass Project Coordinator role

The Compass Project Coordinator will work to:

• Act as a point of contact for stakeholders across the Project areas (Brighton & Hove, Leicester, Rutland and Leicestershire), coordinating stakeholder engagement and access to training and resources. 
• Work closely with the Interim Women’s Sector Manager to coordinate and implement the Compass Project in pilot sites.

The Compass Project Coordinator will:

1. Collaborate with Compass Project Partners to:

• Support the coordination of training and dissemination of resources to professionals across the two pilot sites.
• Identify and engage with local lived experience groups and women with experience of economic abuse, ensuring inclusion of women from minoritised groups, to inform and guide our work.
• Develop and maintain key working relationships and partnerships with various stakeholders and partners across the two local sites including the facilitation of links with money and debt advice services, and local financial services.
• Support the collection of qualitative and quantitative data from the network for the purpose of project and external evaluation.

2. Facilitating access to economic abuse training and resources:

• Develop and deliver tailored training sessions on economic abuse to enable frontline workers to recognise and respond to economic abuse.
• Work with Compass Project Partners to integrate relevant economic abuse content into existing resources.
•  Implement data collection processes to support the evaluation of the project.
• Ensure effective communication with the project group and coordination of activities across the two pilot sites. Promote and facilitate SEA’s established routes to support for survivors and professionals.
• Attend local VAWG/DA Network meetings in a consultative capacity as an expert for economic abuse.
• Work with the communications teams across project partners to effectively promote the project.
• Facilitate referrals for women to the Domestic and Financial Abuse Team at Lloyds Banking Group and other banks/building societies we have direct links into.

3. General Duties and Responsibilities

• As part of the Specialist Team at SEA, manage the info@ email account on a designated day.
•  Represent SEA in training and presentation requests.
• Contribute to evaluation reports and presentations as required for the Compass Project.
• To contribute to the promotion of SEA and its work and uphold its behaviours and values.
• To participate and contribute to team meetings and organisational development.
• To engage in learning and take responsibility for continuous personal development.
• To comply with SEA and MAP’s policies and procedures and legal requirements, such as provisions set out in the GDPR, Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Equality Act 2010.

Person specification

We are looking for a domestic abuse and/or frontline community professional with an interest in developing expertise around economic abuse. In order to apply, you should have the following skills and experience:

Essential knowledge/skills/experience

• Knowledge and experience of supporting and working with victim-survivors of domestic abuse. Frontline experience of working with victim-survivors would be an advantage.
• An understanding of the coordinated community response to domestic abuse and commitment to all aspects of partnership working to improve the response.
•  A strong and demonstrable interest in economic abuse.
• Experience of developing and delivering training face to face and online.
• Strong communication and engagement skills.
• Experience of safeguarding and managing risk.
• Experience of working in partnership and managing relationships with voluntary and statutory sector agencies to enable their full participation in the partnership.
• Demonstratable experience of implementing project delivery plans with a range of stakeholders, and reporting on progress and risk management.
• Ability to produce high quality documents and maintain confidentiality.
• Excellent time management and organisational skills including the ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• Ability to work effectively as a member of a team and on own initiative.
• A commitment to the values and ethos of SEA.

Desirable knowledge/skills

• Experience of contributing to the development of resources for self-advocacy/professional practice.

Abilities

• A fast learner who can hit the ground running.
•  Adaptable and a good team player.
• A positive, can-do approach.
• Resilient, with a calm, measured approach.

Additional information

• This role is home-based. A laptop and telephone are provided, and travel expenses are covered.
• The team meets approximately once a month, virtually and in various locations across the UK on a quarterly basis.
• Appointment to this role will be subject to right to work in the UK.
• Due to the nature of our work, this role will also be subject to satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) enhanced check and references.

What we offer

• 25 days annual leave (pro rata), plus 5 Wellbeing Days (pro rata) and Statutory Bank Holidays.
• Flexible working.
• Working from home allowance.
• 3% Employer Pension Contribution.
• Reflective practice and Employee Assistance Programme.
• The chance to be part of our highly professional, supportive team.

Application and interview 

• This post is only open to female applicants as being female is deemed to be a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010.
• Apply via the link to the jobs page on our website.
• Applications will be reviewed, and interviews arranged, on a rolling basis, so for the best chance of success, please apply ASAP.
• If you have been shortlisted for interview, you will be informed by email. 
• If you haven’t heard from us within three weeks of your application being submitted, please consider your application unsuccessful on this occasion.
• All posts, including remote posts, must be based in the UK.
• The deadline to submit your application is 2nd August 2024 at 1600hrs, although please note that we reserve the right to close this advertisement early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.
• Interviews will be held throughout July and August.

Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) is committed to developing an inclusive team which reflects the diversity of the communities we support. Our culture celebrates diverse voices, and we particularly encourage applications from Black and minoritised applicants and disabled applicants who are under-represented at SEA.