Operational Change & Improvement Manager

Places for People; Preston; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension with matched contributions

Bonus scheme

35 days holiday

Healthcare cashback

Wellbeing support

Place Rewards discounts

Training & development

Recognition programmes

Gym membership

Life Assurance

Job summary

Places for People in the UK seeks a change and improvement lead to drive operational changes across Affordable Housing. You will work with senior stakeholders to prioritise initiatives, map customer journeys and deliver measurable efficiency gains.

You will lead a team in delivering practical improvements, communicate changes, and support training while maintaining a customer-centred approach to service delivery.

Qualifications

• Background in operational or service delivery improvement.
• Experience delivering change and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Evidence of measurable improvements in service delivery or efficiency.
• Strong stakeholder management across teams and departments.

Responsibilities

• Lead change and improvement activity across Affordable Housing, prioritising the pipeline.
• Work with senior stakeholders and central change teams to deliver outcomes.
• Map end-to-end Customer journeys and identify improvement opportunities.
• Establish change management routines, and support training and comms.

Skills

Change Management

Stakeholder Engagement

Process Improvement

Data Analysis

Leadership

Tools

MS Excel

CRM Systems

Job description

As the UK's leading Social Enterprise, we move lives forward every day by building, managing and supporting thriving Communities. From new homes, social housing and student accommodation to leisure, education and Community initiatives, our work makes a positive difference to millions of People across the UK. And that takes People who care about doing the right thing. People who are ambitious, ready to grow and motivated to make a difference through the work they do. We're looking for Colleagues who bring energy, curiosity and ownership. People who enjoy being challenged, support those around them and want to keep raising the bar. Because when we perform at our best, we create more opportunities to invest in our Customers, our Communities and each other. Experience matters, but it's only part of the story. If you share our values and want to build a career where your work has real impact, we'd love to hear from you. More about your role You'll lead change and improvement activity across Affordable Housing, turning opportunities into practical improvements that deliver better outcomes for Customers and greater efficiency. Working closely with senior stakeholders and central change teams, you'll build and prioritise a pipeline of activity, understand the impact of new technology and adapt processes so that change is delivered quickly, effectively and in a controlled way. You'll map end-to-end Customer journeys to identify opportunities to improve how teams work together and communicate. You'll establish effective change management routines, support communication and training for Colleagues and demonstrate the impact of improvements through measurable time and financial savings. As a people leader, you'll also create a safe, engaging environment where your team can develop, contribute ideas and flourish. Essential Criteria A background working within an operational or service delivery environment. Proven involvement in reviewing, improving or redesigning operational processes or services. Delivery or support of change and continuous improvement initiatives. Evidence of measurable improvements to service delivery, customer experience, efficiency or quality. Strong stakeholder management, working across different teams, departments or business areas. Ability to analyse operational data or information to identify issues, trends or root causes and develop practical solutions. Practical use of business systems, digital tools or technology to improve processes, efficiency or service delivery., As part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion, we offer a guaranteed interview to candidates who are disabled, neurodiverse, or have served in the Armed Forces, provided they meet the essential criteria for the role. If you would like to be considered under this scheme, please indicate this in your application. We are dedicated to creating a supportive and accessible recruitment process for all. We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview experience, please let us know. We're happy to work with you to ensure you have the opportunity to perform at your best. If you are a Places for People customer and you're looking for support with your application, please contact our skills and employment team on . We understand the importance of a supportive and inclusive work culture so please talk to us at interview about flexibility you may need. We can't promise to give you exactly what you want, but we promise not to judge you for asking. For this role we are open to discussing the possibility of reduced hours, flexible start and finish times or compressed hours. If you are a recruitment agency please note we operate a PSL and do not take cold calls Safeguarding At Places for People, safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. We are committed to creating safe communities for our customers and colleagues by protecting children, young people, and adults at risk from harm, abuse, and neglect. We follow robust safeguarding policies and procedures, ensuring all employees, volunteers, and contractors uphold the highest standards of safeguarding and accountability. Our recruitment process includes pre-employment checks, including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks where applicable, to promote a safe and secure working environment. By joining Places for People, you are expected to contribute to our safeguarding culture, following our policies and reporting concerns to protect those in our communities

More about you

You’ll be someone who can turn complex challenges into clear, practical improvements and bring People with you through change. You're comfortable working with senior stakeholders, challenging existing ways of working and balancing competing priorities while keeping the Customer at the heart of decisions. You understand that successful change is about more than introducing a new process or technology, so you'll make sure communication, training and wider business impacts are considered from the outset. You'll also be an engaging people leader who creates an environment where your team feels confident to contribute, develop and share new ideas. This role is an exciting opportunity to play a key part in shaping how we deliver services for our customers and colleagues. We're looking for someone who combines strong operational knowledge with a passion for continuous improvement, someone who can see opportunities, bring people together and help turn ideas into meaningful and lasting change.

What you’ll get We know rewarding work deserves rewarding benefits. That's why, alongside a competitive salary, you'll have access to a package designed to support you at work and beyond. You'll receive:

• Pension with matched contributions up to 7%
• Bonus scheme for colleagues at 2%
• 35 days holiday (including bank holidays) with the option to buy or sell days
• Healthcare cashback plan for everyday medical costs, with private GP and health support services available
• Comprehensive wellbeing support including counselling, flu jabs, our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and access to our Wellbeing Hub, supporting your mental, physical and financial wellbeing
• Access to Our Place Rewards, offering discounts and savings on groceries, travel, shopping, home products and other lifestyle purchases
• Ongoing training, professional qualifications, internal development programmes and career progression opportunities
• Recognition programmes including Star Awards and Colleague Awards, celebrating achievements and recognising great work
• Strong focus on inclusion, wellbeing and colleague engagement
• Free membership to Places Gyms
• Life Assurance to provide financial security for your loved ones, alongside access to will writing services to help you plan for the future with confidenceWhat's next?