Operations Manager & RI
Joining Careers Education
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Joining Careers Education is seeking an Operations Manager and Responsible Individual to lead three children's homes from Derby, with growth to West Midlands. You will combine strategic leadership with regulatory duties under the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and Ofsted expectations.
You will work closely with Registered Managers and the senior leadership team to maintain high-quality care, robust governance, safeguarding, and continuous service improvement across the portfolio.
Qualifications
- Experience in children's residential care.
- Strong knowledge of Children’s Homes Regulations 2015 and Quality Standards.
- Proven leadership skills and ability to develop managers.
- Experience overseeing multiple homes and regulatory relationships.
Responsibilities
- Provide senior operational leadership across up to four children8s homes.
- Work with Registered Managers to ensure high standards across all homes.
- Monitor performance and drive improvement actions.
- Oversee safeguarding, budgets and workforce planning.
- Support opening and development of new homes.
Skills
Education
Job description
Salary: £60,000 to £65,000 per annum
Performance bonus: up to £10,000 per annum, discretionary and subject to safeguarding, regulatory and employment standards
Growth incentives: additional payments for successful new home openings and registrations
Working pattern: Monday to Thursday (four day week)
Location: Derby based
Scope: Three children's homes initially, with further growth planned
Manager and Responsible Individual to take a senior leadership role across our growing children's residential care services.
This is a genuine leadership position for someone who wants responsibility, influence and the chance to help shape a growing organisation. The successful candidate will combine operational leadership with the statutory and regulatory responsibilities of a Responsible Individual. You will provide strategic oversight and professional challenge across three children's homes, working closely with Registered Managers and the wider senior leadership team to ensure safe, nurturing and high quality care for children.
The role will initially focus on Derby, with responsibility extending into the West Midlands and future growth planned in Birmingham.
- Provide senior operational leadership across up to four children's homes
- Work closely with Registered Managers to ensure each home is well led, effectively managed and delivering consistently high standards
- Monitor performance, identify areas for improvement and ensure agreed actions are completed
- Support Registered Managers with leadership, staffing, team development and operational decision making
- Develop consistent systems and approaches across the homes
- Monitor staffing levels, recruitment, retention, training and workforce planning
- Support the development of strong and effective management teams
- Monitor occupancy, placement matching and operational capacity
- Work with the senior leadership team on business planning and future service development
Our client is looking for an experienced, ambitious and values driven Operations Manager to;
- Support the opening, registration and development of new homes as the organisation grows
- Oversee the implementation of policies, procedures and operational systems
- Ensure that lessons from incidents, complaints, inspections and quality assurance activity are translated into practical improvements
- Monitor operational budgets and ensure resources are used effectively
- Develop strong relationships with local authorities, placing authorities and other professional partners
- Promote a positive organisational culture focused on children, accountability, safeguarding and continuous improvement
- Provide strategic oversight and assurance that services operate in accordance with the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015, the Quality Standards and relevant Ofsted expectations
- Act as the key link between the Registered Provider, Registered Managers and Ofsted
- Maintain oversight of regulatory compliance across all homes
- Provide professional challenge and support to Registered Managers
- Maintain oversight of safeguarding practice
- Ensure statutory notifications are completed appropriately and within required timescales
- Monitor incidents, allegations, complaints and safeguarding concerns
- Review Regulation 44 reports and ensure actions are followed through
- Monitor Regulation 45 quality of care reviews
- Undertake regular quality assurance visits
- Support preparation for Ofsted inspections
- Monitor inspection outcomes and improvement plans
- Ensure Statements of Purpose and key policies remain current and compliant
- Identify organisational trends and implement improvement plans
- Promote effective safeguarding, leadership and professional practice
- Ensure that children's views and experiences inform service development
- Ensure learning from incidents, complaints, inspections and feedback is embedded across the organisation
We are offering a clear performance framework that rewards strong regulatory outcomes, sustained improvement and successful growth.
- £1,000 if all homes maintain at least Good across the relevant inspection period
- £2,500 if all homes achieve Good and there is demonstrable improvement in one or more services
- £4,000 where the portfolio achieves Outstanding performance, subject to the organisation also meeting its safeguarding and compliance requirements
Please note that Ofsted's current framework requires Outstanding practice to demonstrate performance beyond Good, including sustained improvement in children's lives.
In addition to the Ofsted linked element, there is a broader performance bonus of up to £10,000 per annum for delivering agreed operational, quality and leadership objectives. All bonuses are discretionary and subject to safeguarding, regulatory and employment standards. No bonus will be payable where there has been serious regulatory non compliance, a serious safeguarding failure attributable to the individual's management, or material misconduct.
- £1,500 to £2,500 per successful new home opening or registration, subject to agreed criteria
- These incentives recognise the planned expansion into Birmingham and the wider West Midlands and give a genuine financial incentive to help the organisation grow rather than simply maintain the existing three homes
As the organisation grows, there will be opportunities to become increasingly involved in the development and opening of additional services, including planned expansion into Birmingham.
You will therefore have the opportunity to help establish the operational infrastructure, management standards and culture that will support the organisation's future growth. We are looking for someone who enjoys building systems, developing people and seeing tangible improvements in services.
We are looking for an experienced children's residential care professional who combines strong regulatory knowledge with genuine operational leadership.
- Significant experience within children's residential care
- Strong knowledge of the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and Quality Standards
- Strong safeguarding knowledge and experience
- Experience of quality assurance and service improvement
- Experience leading and developing managers
- Experience overseeing more than one children's home
- Strong understanding of Ofsted expectations and inspection processes
- Excellent organisational and decision making skills
- The confidence to provide challenge where standards need to improve
- The ability to build positive relationships while maintaining professional accountability
- A practical approach to solving operational problems
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- A genuine commitment to achieving positive outcomes for children
- Experience as a Registered Manager or Responsible Individual, a Level 5 qualification in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare or equivalent, experience overseeing multiple homes and DSL Level 3 training would be advantageous.
- Competitive senior leadership salary: Up to £65,000 per annum
- Performance bonus: up to £10,000 per annum, plus growth and new home incentives
- Four day working week: Monday to Thursday
- Senior leadership position: Direct influence over operational standards, regulatory compliance, management performance and future growth
- Three homes with further growth planned: Opportunity to develop and oversee a growing portfolio rather than managing a single service in isolation
- Opportunity to shape the organisation: Help develop systems, policies, management structures and operational standards as the organisation expands
- Future Birmingham expansion: Important role in supporting the development of new services and establishing consistent standards across the portfolio
- Real influence: We want someone who will take ownership, bring ideas to the table and make a meaningful contribution to the development of the organisation
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