Head of Operations

ACVO TSI; Aberdeen City; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A local children's charity in Aberdeen seeks a Head of Operations to lead service delivery and programme management for children and families. The ideal candidate will have strong leadership skills, experience in managing teams, and a commitment to safeguarding practices. This full-time role offers a salary between £40,000 and £45,000 and includes hybrid working options along with generous benefits like annual leave and a pension scheme.

Benefits

Annual Leave of 35 days

Pension Scheme

Flexible Working

Training and Development

Medicash Health Plan

Qualifications

• Significant experience of working with children, young people and families.
• Proven experience of leading and managing teams.
• Understanding of safeguarding practice and legislation.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic and operational leadership for all programmes.
• Oversee day-to-day service delivery ensuring safety and compliance.
• Manage the Operations team effectively to deliver services.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Team Management

Project Management

Budget Management

Education

Degree or equivalent experience

Job description

Vacancy Details

Job Title: Head of Operations

Reports to: CEO

Hours: Full time (37.5 hours per week)

Location: Aberdeen office with hybrid working

Salary: £40,000 – £45,000

Download Recruitment Pack

Purpose

The Head of Operations is responsible for the leadership of Befriend a Child’s services, ensuring high-quality and impactful delivery across all programmes for children, young people and families. This role leads service development, operational performance, safeguarding, impact measurement and team management, working closely with the CEO and Senior Management Team to drive organisational growth and excellence.

Key Responsibilities

Service Leadership and Development

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for all Befriend a Child programmes
• Lead the design, implementation and continuous improvement of services to ensure they meet the evolving needs of children and families
• Work with the CEO to identify gaps in provision and initiatives to expand or enhance services in line with the charity’s strategic objectives
• Build and maintain strong relationships with delivery partners, funders and key stakeholders

Programme Delivery and Oversight

• Lead the operational delivery of all programmes including befriending, mentoring, youth clubs, group activities and family support
• Oversee the day-to-day service delivery of all programmes, ensuring they are safe, effective, compliant and beneficiary-focused
• Ensure robust systems are in place for referral management, matching, risk assessment and safeguarding
• Monitor service performance, caseloads and resource allocation to ensure efficiency and quality outcomes
• Oversee the recruitment, training, engagement and ongoing support of volunteers, ensuring effective volunteer practices across all programmes
• Deliver volunteer training as required
• Work closely with partner agencies to strengthen referral pathways and partnership working
• Act as Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) for Befriend a Child, providing advice and guidance to staff on safeguarding issues and ensuring that strong safeguarding practices remain central to all services
• Lead the development, review and implementation of operational policies and procedures
• Lead the setting and management of Operations team targets and budgets

Impact, Monitoring and Evaluation

• Lead the design and implementation of impact measurement frameworks
• Ensure effective collection, analysis and reporting of service data to demonstrate outcomes and inform strategic decision-making
• Produce high-quality reports for funders and stakeholders
• Ensure monitoring and reporting aligns with internal and external requirements
• Use insights and evidence to drive continuous service improvements and learning

Team Leadership and Management

• Lead, develop and inspire the Operations team, fostering a culture of motivation, accountability and high-performance
• Line manage and support direct reports through regular supervision, performance management and development planning
• Ensure staff have the skills and resources needed to deliver excellent services
• Promote staff and volunteer wellbeing and create a supportive, inclusive and collaborative working environment

Organisational Leadership and Collaboration

• Contribute actively to the development of the charity’s strategic vision and objectives
• Play a key role in organisational decision‑making and strategic planning as part of the Senior Management Team
• Prepare operational and impact reports for the Senior Management Team and the Board on a monthly, quarterly and yearly basis
• Attend Befriend a Child Board meetings quarterly to present the Operations report
• Represent Befriend a Child at events, conferences and meetings to advocate for our work
• Act as the lead contact for named funders, supporting relationship management, grant applications and reporting requirements

Additional Responsibilities

• Promote Befriend a Child’s vision, mission and values and be an ambassador of the charity
• Support the delivery of activities for beneficiaries and volunteers, including occasional evening and weekend work
• Ensure compliance with all Befriend a Child policies, procedures and professional standards
• Support fundraising activities and attend events as required
• Undertake any additional duties consistent with the senior nature of the role

This is an outline job description designed to give an overview of the responsibilities of the role. We expect the job holder will work flexibly, responding to organisational need and changes as they occur.

PERSONAL SPECIFICATION

Required Knowledge / Experience

• Educated to degree level or equivalent relevant experience
• Significant experience of working with children, young people and families
• Proven experience of leading and managing teams, including staff supervision and development
• Demonstrable experience of managing multiple projects or services, ensuring delivery to time, budget and quality
• Strong understanding of safeguarding practice and legislation, with experience acting as or supporting a Designated Safeguarding Lead
• Experience of budget management and financial accountability
• Proven ability to build and maintain partnerships within community, voluntary, education and statutory organisations
• Knowledge of the local policy and funding landscape for children, young people and family services
• Experience of grant applications and reporting from statutory, trust or commissioned sources
• Understanding of impact measurement and evaluation frameworks in community or youth settings

Required Skills

• Proven ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, including the ability to produce quality reports for a variety of internal and external audiences
• Excellent planning skills and ability to work under pressure and to strict deadlines across a range of activities
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to represent Befriend a Child externally and work collaboratively across the sector
• Strong team working skills including sharing ideas, providing and receiving support, maintaining positive relationships and able to communicate positively with the Befriend a Child community
• Able to take a flexible approach to work, including flexible and out of hours working in response to beneficiary service needs
• IT and data management skills

WORKING AT BEFRIEND A CHILD

At Befriend a Child, we are committed to creating a working environment where our team feel valued, supported and able to thrive, both professionally and personally. We provide opportunities to develop and progress, alongside a comprehensive benefits package. Befriend a Child is situated in the centre of Aberdeen in Bon-Accord Square, with its own private staff car park.

Employee Benefits

• Salary £40,000 – £45,000
• Hours of Work 37.5 hours a week (7.5 hours a day including a paid lunch break), plus occasional evening and weekend work.
• Location Aberdeen based. Hybrid working is available.
• Annual Leave 35 days annual leave including bank holidays and 4 days over the Christmas period. This increases by one day every two years to a maximum of 39 days.
• Pension Scheme After a qualifying period of 3 months, employees are auto enrolled into our pension scheme with Royal London. The scheme has a combined contribution of 9% (5% employee contribution and 4% employer contribution).
• Medicash Health Plan Medicash Level 1 plan which includes cashback for health appointments and has an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Flexible Working Flexible working is available upon request
• Training and Development Befriend a Child recognises the importance of developing our team. We offer structured induction support and encourage staff to undertake training to develop their skills and interests at work

How To Apply

To apply, please forward a copy of your CV along with a covering letter giving an overview of your skills and experience and how you meet the personal specification. Please also include the name and contact details of two referees, one of whom must be your current employer. Please send application information to [e-mail] by Sunday 14th December at 11.59pm.

Interviews will be held on Thursday 18th December. Please let us know if you need any special arrangements for interview.

For further information please contact Sarah Misra, CEO at [e-mail] or tel: [phone].