Role Purpose
The Deputy Support Manager is responsible for the effective day-to-day leadership of frontline support services, ensuring a consistently warm, inclusive, and professional experience for everyone engaging with Mustard Tree.
This role plays a critical part in delivering a “Mustard Tree Welcome” – a trauma-informed, non-judgemental, and person-centred approach that ensures every individual feels seen, heard, valued, and safe from their first point of contact.
You will lead a proactive and positive team to deliver exceptional client care across both in-person and digital channels (including phone, email, and internal systems), ensuring services are accessible, responsive, and delivered with dignity.
Through strong leadership, clear communication, and effective management, you will ensure the reception environment runs smoothly, maintains high standards of safeguarding and service delivery, and contributes meaningfully to Mustard Tree’s mission to support people facing poverty and crisis.
Key Competencies
World Class Welcome and Customer Service
· Deliver and role model a “Mustard Tree Welcome” that is compassionate, trauma-informed, inclusive, and non-judgemental.
· Ensure all individuals are greeted in a way that promotes dignity, respect, and belonging.
· Maintain a rota that provides reception and support coverage from 8am–4pm, ensuring accessibility for staff, volunteers, and members at all times.
· Lead the team to provide a high-quality, consistent welcome across all channels, including face-to-face, telephone and email and digital systems
· Ensure digital communication is timely, professional, and empathetic, with accurate information recorded on TreeSalt.
· Support individuals to access services confidently through clear communication, reassurance, and effective signposting.
Proactive in Living and Sharing our Culture, Values and Behaviours
· Take ownership of maintaining a professional, organised, and calm reception environment at all times.
· Ensure the reception environment is welcoming, safe, and accessible.
· Mentor and support Freedom volunteers, ensuring they are confident, capable, and aligned with service standards.
Courage in Problem Solving and Embracing Change to Meet Needs
· Identify areas for improvement and proactively implement solutions to enhance service delivery.
· Take ownership of operational decision-making within the reception area, including rota management, workflow prioritisation, and service adjustments.
· Ensure systems and processes are used effectively to maintain a smooth, efficient service.
Confident in Safeguarding and Incident Management
· Act as a safeguarding lead within the reception environment, ensuring all concerns are recognised, recorded, and escalated appropriately.
· Maintain a strong awareness of risk, responding calmly and effectively to challenging or complex situations, supporting to minimise incidents.
· Support individuals in distress with empathy and professionalism, ensuring appropriate boundaries and escalation.
· Ensure confidentiality and data protection standards are upheld at all times.
· Demonstrate resilience, maintaining professionalism, positivity, and emotional awareness in a fast-paced and challenging environment.
Skilled in Analysing Impact and Reporting
· Oversee and monitor registrations, identifying trends and ensuring fair access to services such as the Community Shop.
· Deliver a minimum of 20 weekly support appointments, ensuring timely access and reducing waiting times for individuals in need.
· Collect a minimum of 2 case studies per month to evidence impact and inform service development.
· Conduct monthly audits with the Service Manager to ensure high standards across:
- Data input and use of TreeSalt
- Paperwork accuracy and compliance
- Quality and consistency of the welcome experience
Positive Management of Stakeholders, Partners and Supporters
· Support case management processes alongside the Service Manager, ensuring coordinated and effective support for individuals.
· Develop and maintain relationships with other services, ensuring clear navigation and warm handover for clients.
· Support individuals to access services confidently through clear communication, reassurance, and effective signposting.
· Regularly review feedback from comments books and satisfaction surveys, embedding learning into service improvements.
Insight in Finances and Expenditure
· Support effective use of resources, identifying efficiencies and ensuring services are delivered within agreed budgets where applicable.
· Work with operational teams to manage stock given using the 40% gifting model in the community shop.
· Monitor the use of the hardship fund from reception, providing small grants to people in crisis via existing processes.
Developing Accountability and Inspiring our Teams
· Lead, supervise, and motivate the Support teams, including volunteers.
· Act as the central coordination point for reception, ensuring alignment between services, teams, and daily operations
· Conduct regular 1:1s, setting clear expectations, supporting wellbeing, and addressing performance proactively.
· Ensure all data input is completed by the support staff time within expected guidelines, including communication of risk and safeguarding.
· Identify skills gaps and ensure appropriate training and development, including:
- Motivational interviewing
- Trauma-informed practice
· Deliver consistent communication through:
- Daily morning briefing.
- Monthly team meetings and updates
· Delegate tasks effectively while maintaining overall accountability for team performance.
General Work Duties
· Support Freedom trainees to develop skills and behaviours and feel part of the community.
· Work within health and safety guidelines and Mustard Tree policies and procedures
· Supporting other staff and departments and provide practical relief cover for workstreams.
· Take responsibility for professional development, attending training courses as required.
· Leading by example, embodying Mustard Tree values and represent the charity as required.
· Contribute towards being an environmentally responsible organisation as part of day-to-day activities including recycling and supporting ‘paper-lite’ practices.
· Other tasks and duties relevant to the role as required by the organisation.
