Operational Change & Improvement Manager

Places for People; Preston; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension up to 7%

Bonus scheme 2%

35 days holiday

Healthcare cashback

Wellbeing support

Place Rewards discounts

Training & progression

Awards programmes

Gym membership

Life Assurance

Job summary

Places for People is seeking a proactive change and improvement lead to drive better outcomes for customers and efficiency across Affordable Housing. You will collaborate with senior stakeholders and central change teams to map journeys, prioritise improvements and embed new processes with measurable impact.

You’ll turn complex challenges into practical improvements, supporting communications and training while fostering an engaging team culture that empowers colleagues to contribute ideas and

Qualifications

• Background in an operational or service delivery environment.
• Experience 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 across teams, departments or business areas.
• Ability to analyse operational data to identify issues and root causes and develop practical solutions.
• Practical use of digital tools to improve processes and service delivery.

Responsibilities

• Lead change and improvement activity across Affordable Housing, building and prioritising a pipeline of work with senior stakeholders.
• Map end-to-end customer journeys to identify opportunities to improve cross-team collaboration and communications.
• Establish change management routines, support communications and training, and demonstrate impact through measurable savings.
• Create an engaging environment where the team can develop and contribute ideas and flourish.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Data analysis

Process improvement

Change management

Team leadership

Tools

Business 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 roleYou’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.

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

• 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 confidence