Operations Manager And Responsible Individual

SW Education & Care; St. John's Chapel; Remote; GBP 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible home-based work

25 days' annual leave + bank holidays

Employee Assistance Programme

Training and support

Professional development

Autonomy and influence

Job summary

SW Education & Care currently seeks an experienced Operations Manager and Responsible Individual to lead its North Devon residential homes. The role emphasizes strategic leadership of day-to-day operations, safeguarding, and driving service improvements while ensuring high-quality care for children and young people.

Ideal candidates have extensive residential care leadership experience, a strong regulatory understanding, and a track record of improving services and outcomes.

Qualifications

• Extensive leadership experience in children’s residential care, including senior roles such as Registered Manager or Director.
• Strong understanding of Ofsted regulations, safeguarding and inspection frameworks.
• Proven track record of service improvement and positively managing change.
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel nationally.

Responsibilities

• Take on a strategic leadership role within a residential care organisation, overseeing day-to-day operations of the homes.
• Recruit and manage home managers; oversee financial accuracy and ensure service quality meets standards.
• Ensure safeguarding and education considerations are incorporated; report KPIs to the Managing Director.

Skills

Leadership experience

Communication skills

Regulatory knowledge

Driving licence

Education

Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare

Job description

Lead children's residential homes across North Devon and help create safe, supportive places where young people and teams can thrive.

Operations Manager and Responsible Individual

SW Education & Care | North Devon

• Full time, permanent
• £65,000-£75,000 per year
• Flexible home-based work
• 25 days' annual leave plus bank holidays

SW Education & Care are looking for a dedicated individual to join us as our RI & Operations Manager to support our residential children's homes in North Devon.

At SW Education & Care, we believe that every young person deserves a place where they feel safe, valued and supported as they navigate the journey of childhood.

Our homes and teams provide a setting to support children and young people who have experienced trauma and difficult circumstances to discover their strengths and passions. We’re committed to creating a culture of respect and inclusion for both our young people and teams.

The Role

The ideal candidate will have extensive strategic and managerial experience, having worked within children’s services in a residential setting and/or education specialising in SEMHD and/or challenging behaviours. You will be an inspirational and mature leader with the ability to positively manage change, improving provision thus improving outcomes for children in care. This is a central role to the organisation and provides a career pathway where you will:

• Take on a strategic leadership role within a residential care organisation, with responsibility for all aspects of the day-to-day operations of the homes.
• Recruit and manage home managers, oversee the homes’ financial accuracy and ensure the quality of services meets expected standards.
• Take responsibility for the overall effectiveness of provision, including safeguarding and education, and ensure KPIs are reported appropriately to the Managing Director.
• Provide energetic and stable leadership in line with the organisation's ethos of integrity and transparency.
• Enable staff and the children and young people we support to develop, grow and flourish in all aspects of their lives.

The Ideal Candidate

You’ll be a confident and credible leader with significant experience in children’s residential care and a proven ability to improve services and support high-performing teams.

Essential

• Extensive leadership experience in children’s residential care, including experience as a Registered Manager, Operations Manager, Regional Manager, Head of Service, Responsible Individual or Director.
• A strong understanding of Ofsted regulations, safeguarding and inspection frameworks, alongside experience in compliance, governance and quality assurance.
• A demonstrable track record of service improvement and the ability to positively manage change.
• Outstanding communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to offer both support and professional challenge.
• A full UK driving licence and willingness to travel nationally.

Desirable

• Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare and multi-site operational leadership experience.
• Experience opening and registering children’s homes or supporting services from Inadequate or Requires Improvement to Good or Outstanding.
• Consultancy, business development or commercial experience.

Benefits

• A sector competitive salary of £65,000-£75,000 per year and 25 days' annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Flexible home-based work, an Employee Assistance Programme, and excellent training and support.
• Ongoing professional development within a culture of collaboration and mutual encouragement.
• Genuine autonomy and influence within a growing organisation, with the opportunity to shape a specialist division.

Other suitable skills & experiences include:

• Registered Manager
• Children's Home Manager
• Residential Care Manager
• Regional Manager
• Area Manager
• Operations Manager
• Head of Service
• Head of Children’s Residential Care
• Responsible Individual

We take the safety of our children seriously and follow stringent safer recruitment checks. The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and will require a full enhanced DBS and references.