Perinatal Peer Support Service Lead Vacancy

See attached job description.

About NCT

NCT is a charity with a clear mission: to support people as they become parents, through pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood.  

With a 65-year history of transformative change, we are a vibrant community of volunteers, practitioners, peer supporters, members and advocates. We are the largest parenting charity in the country and over the decades we’ve supported millions of people on their unique journey into parenthood.    

While many know us for our antenatal classes, we also do much more. We campaign on issues that matter to parents, provide infant feeding support, and run thousands of free community events and activities led by our amazing volunteers. We also support families facing challenges like social isolation, feeding difficulties, and poor mental health. We offer support in communities, in hospitals and online. 

About the role

As Perinatal Peer Support Service Lead, you will take responsibility for the effective day-to-day delivery of our local perinatal peer support service. Working closely with peer supporters, volunteers, health and social care professionals and community partners, you will help ensure families receive safe, inclusive and high-quality support when they need it.

Join our passionate team and contribute to the meaningful work that transforms the loves of parents and families. 

Your role will include:

• Leading and supporting the local peer support team, providing line management, supervision and operational oversight to ensure a consistent and high-quality service.
• Overseeing the day-to-day delivery of peer support groups, including volunteer recruitment and support, rotas, venues, resources and training coordination.
• Managing referrals into the service, assessing individual needs and suitability, providing appropriate signposting and coordinating onward or alternative support where needed.
• Building strong relationships with health and social care professionals, Family Hubs and other community partners to develop effective referral pathways and increase awareness of the service, particularly within disadvantaged communities.
• Monitoring the impact and quality of the service through accurate data, service user and volunteer feedback, outcome measures and evaluation, using insights to support continuous improvement.

Safeguarding and the wellbeing of the families we support are central to this role. You will help maintain robust safeguarding and health and safety practices and ensure concerns are identified and escalated appropriately. 

About you

You will be an organised, compassionate and confident people leader with a strong understanding of the challenges families may experience during the perinatal period.

You will have experience supporting vulnerable families or people with complex needs, together with strong judgement when assessing individual needs and identifying appropriate support, referrals or signposting.

You will also bring:

• Experience supervising and supporting others, including volunteers.
• Project management experience and the ability to coordinate multiple areas of service delivery.
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to work flexibly while managing competing priorities.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including active listening and the ability to build rapport with people from a wide range of backgrounds.
• Strong relationship-building and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience collecting data and contributing to professional reporting.
• An understanding of the barriers parents can face when accessing services and the importance of providing inclusive and equitable support.
• Good judgement when managing workloads, people and safeguarding concerns.
• Confidence using Microsoft Office and internet-based systems.

Knowledge of safeguarding, including child and vulnerable adult protection, and awareness of local emotional and practical support services would be beneficial.

Training as an NCT Parents in Mind Peer Supporter would also be welcomed, although we are happy to consider candidates willing and eligible to undertake this training.

An Enhanced DBS check and driving licence are required for this role. You will also need to be willing and able to travel across Kent, including providing occasional cover for peer support sessions when required.

Our Benefits – What we offer you  

We value our team and offer fantastic benefits to support your well-being and professional growth: 

• 30 days annual leave (excluding Bank Holidays)  
• Pension matched up to 5%  
• Flexible working options to suit your lifestyle  
• Employee Assistance Programme, including 24/7 GP access, personalised counselling, legal advice and more  
• Life Assurance for peace of mind  
• Free eye test for all staff, with further discounts  
• Blue Light discount card

How to apply

At NCT, we’re committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workforce. If you need reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process or within your role, please let us know - we’re here to support you. Ready to make a difference? Apply now and be part of something truly special.  

If you would like to apply for this position please submit a CV and covering letter, outlining why you are interested in the role and why you think your skills, experiences and competencies are a good fit - in particular focus on the essential criteria. Please submit to jobs@nct.org.uk.

Frequently asked questions

How do I apply for a role with NCT?

If you would like to apply for this position please submit a CV and covering letter, outlining why you are interested in the role and why you think your skills, experiences and competencies are a good fit - in particular focus on the essential criteria. Please submit to jobs@nct.org.uk.

What format should my CV be in?

Your CV and covering letter needs to be in a PDF or Word format.

Do you offer flexible working?

We welcome discussions about flexible working during the recruitment process.  We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want, but we do promise to genuinely consider any requests.

How do you use the personal information I have provided?

The personal information on your application is used for our recruitment process, and we won't use it for any marketing or pass it on to third parties.

When will I know if my application is successful?

If your application is shortlisted, we will contact you via the email address provided on the application form. Due to the volume of applications, we will only contact you if shortlisted for the role.

Why haven't I been invited for interview?

Unfortunately, we can't interview everybody who applies, and there might be applicants who have more relevant skills and experience suited to the role profile. Please be advised that due to the amount of applications we receive we are unable to offer feedback to our external candidates.