Head of Operations

Government Recruitment Service; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A government entity in Newcastle upon Tyne is seeking a candidate to oversee operations within the College for National Security. The role involves managing governance processes, supplier relationships, and a small team while supporting the delivery of a complex work program. Candidates should be prepared to identify risks and recommend mitigations as the College grows. This is a flexible and dynamic role crucial to ongoing success.

Responsibilities

• Own the operating model for the college.
• Create and manage governance processes for the College.
• Manage the College’s relationship with current suppliers.
• Lead and manage the operations team.
• Manage the delivery programme of the College.
• Identify and recommend mitigations for the risks of the College.

Job description

Government Skills, formally Government Skills and Curriculum unit, was created in 2020 to improve the coherence and quality of learning and development in government through better training, knowledge and networks. It is the backbone behind The Campus, a term used to unite all the locations, on and offline, where over 450,000 Civil Servants across Government develop the skills, knowledge and networks they need.

The aim was to accelerate the development of the skills, knowledge and networks of all civil servants, reaching across the wider public sector and delivering better public services for citizens across the country.

As we move into a new era under a new Government the aim is to reduce the cost of learning and improve the quality of outputs by moving to a new operating model. This is an exciting time of growth for Government Skills with new positions being created to support the future operating model.

The College for National Security (CfNS) provides the national security community and wider civil service with access to the range of skills, knowledge and networks needed to counter the complex threats the UK faces today. As such, the CfNS is baked into the UK’s security infrastructure and is a core commitment of the Civil Service People Plan 2024-2027. It has widespread support across government departments and started its delivery in April last year, engaging with around 4000 learners so far.

This is a flexible and dynamic role that will be crucial to the success of the College. The incumbent will oversee all current operations within the College, engaging with external suppliers and across the Cabinet Office and Whitehall. The role will manage a small team and support the delivery of a challenging programme of work, developing and then running an operating model as the College grows.

Key responsibilities

• Own the operating model for the college
• Create and manage governance processes for the College
• Manage the College’s relationship with current suppliers
• Lead and manage the operations team
• Working to the Deputy Head, manage the delivery programme of the College
• Identify and recommend mitigations for the risks of the College