Approved Provider Associate Manager

Headway - the brain injury association

Hours
21 hours per week

About the Organisation

Headway UK plays a pivotal role in supporting individuals and families affected by brain injuries. Our comprehensive services encompass rehabilitation, counselling, and practical assistance to help survivors regain independence and improve their quality of life. Headway UK is at the forefront of raising awareness about the challenges faced by those with brain injuries and advocates for their rights, ensuring they receive the care and understanding they deserve.

Through a combination of educational initiatives, community outreach, and personalized support, Headway UK strives to rebuild lives, offering a lifeline to those navigating the complexities of brain injury recovery. Embark on a fulfilling career with Headway UK, join our compassionate team and contribute to our mission of rebuilding lives after brain injury. Make a meaningful impact with Headway UK, where every role plays a crucial part in empowering those on the path to recovery.

About the role

The Approved Provider scheme is about much more than accreditation. We work collaboratively with services across the UK, offering expert guidance, support and constructive challenge to help providers enhance outcomes for brain injury survivors and
their families. With 66 accredited units and a growing network, the scheme plays an important role in driving quality and sharing best practice across the sector. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the ongoing development and delivery of the scheme.

Working alongside the Approved Provider Associate Manager, you will coordinate and support the accreditation process, undertake assessments, and manage a network of Lead Assessors and Service User Perspective Assessors located across the UK. Service User Perspective Assessors bring invaluable lived experience as brain injury survivors, family members or carers, helping to ensure that the voices of those directly affected by brain injury remain at the heart of the accreditation process.

Responsibilities

Key Areas of Accountability:

• Conduct Approved Provider assessments against the accreditation framework,  including interim assessments completed remotely and full accreditation assessments conducted on-site. This will involve visiting brain injury rehabilitation and residential care services across the UK, including occasional overnight stays, to evaluate service quality, engage with staff and stakeholders, identify areas of good practice and development, and produce detailed assessment reports with recommendations to support continuous improvement.
• Maintain good channels of communication with new and existing AP units, ensuring clarity of the scheme and its expectations and requirements.
• Work with freelance Lead Assessors and Service User Perspectives (who are brain injury survivors or family members) who are based around the UK, to organise assessment visits and ensure the scheme's standards are upheld.
• Plan and prioritise workloads across the Approved Provider scheme, ensuring assessments and accreditation planning are completed within agreed timescales, quality standards and scheme deadlines.
• Review, moderate and quality assure Approved Provider assessment reports, ensuring they are evidence-based, consistent with scheme standards and ready for final approval within required timescales.
• Work alongside the current Approved Provider Associate Manager to meet financial targets and grow the number of AP Units.
• Collaborate with the Communications Team, Headway UK independent affiliated charities and branches to actively market the AP scheme to onboard more units.
• Contribute to the development of Headway UK’s Approved Provider scheme by continuing to drive forward standards.
• Comply with Headway’s Equal Opportunities and Health and Safety policies and undertake appropriate training and personal development as appropriate.
• Undertake such other reasonable tasks as may, from time to time, be deemed necessary.

Corporate Responsibilities:

• Safeguarding: Safeguarding is at the heart of what we do, and every member of staff has a duty to ensure that they understand and follow safeguarding procedures to promote the welfare of our staff and service users.
• Health and Safety: We are an employer who is committed to health and safety, and you will have a role to play ensuring that we continue to embed a health and safety culture.
• Data Protection: You will help ensure that we remain fully compliant with our obligations in respect of data.
• Equal Opportunities is a key value of Headway UK. Every member of staff has a personal responsibility to ensure that they behave inclusively and contribute to our diversity goals.
• You are an ambassador for Headway UK: We want all our staff, regardless of their roles, to be our ambassadors, representing the charity and promoting the work we do. 

Skills, Competencies, Experience & Attributes

Experience & Knowledge:

• Prior experience of working in the field of acquired brain injury
• An understanding of the effects of brain injury, as well as an awareness of other neurodivergent conditions.
• To be highly organised and a self-starter with the ability to prioritise tasks, work under pressure to meet deadlines and to work effectively independently and within a team.
• Ability to write and moderate written reports of high quality and clarity, to provide accurate and accessible feedback.
• Ability to manage and support a team of freelance staff.
• Ability to gain the trust, confidence, and respect at all levels within external organisations and staff groups.
• Good IT and administration skills and the ability to use Microsoft Office and Salesforce (our CRM system).
• Knowledge of current issues in neurological care provision at all stages of the care pathway.
• Awareness of the framework and mandatory regulations governing practice in residential care/nursing/hospital settings.
• A sound understanding of risk management and safeguarding issues.
• Knowledge and understanding of the data protection regulations.

Other:

• Demonstrate a clear understanding of safeguarding (adults at risk)
• Demonstrate a clear understanding of equality of opportunity and diversity issues
• Demonstrate a clear understanding of GDPR and the impact that it has on the role day to day.
• Demonstrate a clear understanding of health and safety.
• Full UK driving licence and access to the use of a vehicle.

Required Qualifications

• Relevant professional qualification (occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, clinical psychology, physiotherapy, nursing, social work).

Compensation & Benefits

• 25 days annual leave, increasing incrementally to 30 days with service (pro rata for part-time roles), plus Bank Holidays, one day birthday leave and an additional three days for Christmas closure.
• Access to shopping, lifestyle benefits, and discounts through IMHR Plus Privilege membership
• Competitive salaries
• Pension: You will be automatically enrolled into the People’s Pension, with Headway contributing between 3–6% depending on your contributions
• Occupational Sick Pay Scheme, increasing with length of service
• Death in Service Benefit, providing peace of mind for your loved ones
• Flexible working arrangements promoting wellbeing and work-life balance
• 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme, including access to counselling services
• Eye test vouchers
• Mental Health First Aiders

Working locations

• Home-based
• Ability to travel, with occasional overnight stays

How to apply

• Use the following links to apply online:
  • Job application form
  • Equal opportunities monitoring form
• Please don’t hesitate to drop us an email at [email protected] if you need support with the application, or you would like a chat about what it’s like to work with us

Interviews

• The shortlisting date is 24th September 2026
• The interview is from the end of September until the start of October (will be virtual)

Policies

At Headway UK, we are committed to the safeguarding and welfare of vulnerable adults. We expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We follow best practice as set out within the Care Act 2014. All successful applicants will be subject to safer recruiting procedures and will be required to complete mandatory pre-employment checks, including a DBS check and two satisfactory references. We recognise, value and champion diversity and inclusion.

We want to ensure our staff population reflects the diverse service users that we support. For us, diversity and inclusion are about building happy teams, full of people who want to learn and be inspired by each other, by our different experiences and backgrounds. Inclusion means providing the people we recruit with opportunities and valuing everyone’s contributions and perspectives. We are also committed to removing barriers for applicants with disabilities during our recruitment process, upon appointment, and as an employee.

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