Operations Manager - South East

Paragon Skills; Remote; GBP 40,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading training provider in the UK is seeking an experienced Operations Manager to lead a remote team overseeing apprentices. Key responsibilities include driving operational performance, managing a diverse team, and ensuring excellent learner experiences. The ideal candidate will have strong leadership and analytical skills, with a proven track record in remote team management and business growth. This role offers a competitive salary and bonus structure, along with various employee benefits.

Benefits

20 days annual leave

3 days of paid volunteering leave

Perkbox lifestyle benefits

Qualifications

• Proven success in leading and developing high-performing remote teams.
• Strong track record of accountability for individual and team results.
• Ability to manage deadlines, objectives, and operational targets effectively.

Responsibilities

• Lead a remote team overseeing a caseload of 600–700 apprentices.
• Ensure exceptional operational performance and drive results.
• Champion operational excellence and challenge underperformance.

Skills

Leadership skills

Data-driven decision making

Strong analytical capability

Interpersonal skills

Coaching and mentoring

Business development

Tools

Power BI

Job description

Voted among the Top 5 Training Providers and recognised as one of the Top 10 Best Places to Work, we are embarking on an exciting period of growth. As part of this journey, we are seeking exceptional leaders with a proven ability to deliver results, exceed targets, build strong client relationships, and lead high‑performing teams. If this sounds like you, we’d love you to join us as our new Operations Manager.

Role: Operations Manager

Location: Remote, with occasional travel for 1:1s and team meetings across the South East (Reading, London, Southend‑on‑Sea)

Salary: £40,000 – £47,000 (DOE) + performance‑based bonuses

As an Operations Manager, you will bring energy, motivation, and a people‑first mindset to inspire your team to deliver an outstanding learner experience—every learner, every time.

You will lead a remote team of up to 14 colleagues, overseeing a caseload of 600–700 apprentices, ensuring exceptional operational performance and consistently driving results. Your strong data literacy and ability to coach and performance‑manage individuals will be instrumental in enabling the team to reach its full potential.

Using our advanced reporting tools, including Power BI, you will provide accurate and timely forecasting to the Operations Director—covering forecasted starts, achievers, leavers, and out‑of‑funding learners. With your leadership, enthusiasm, and drive, you will champion operational excellence, challenge underperformance, and keep the learner journey at the heart of every decision.

Key Responsibilities

• Full accountability for line management and leadership of a remote operational team
• Recruit, develop, coach, and retain high‑performing colleagues
• Exceed regional targets and contribute to ambitious growth plans
• Share best practice across the team and wider business
• Ensure consistent, high‑quality delivery to learners
• Complete accurate departmental forecasting (starts, QAR, leavers, out‑of‑funding learners, and headcount)
• Hold regular team meetings and 1:1s, both remotely and in person
• Use data to inform decision‑making and drive performance improvements
• Ensure full GDPR compliance and adherence to internal information security requirements

What We’re Looking For

• Proven success in leading and developing high‑performing remote teams
• Strong track record of accountability for individual and team results
• Experience driving commercial partnerships and supporting business growth
• Ability to manage deadlines, objectives, and operational targets effectively
• Data‑driven decision maker with strong analytical capability
• Excellent people management, coaching, and leadership skills
• Commercially aware with strong business development skills
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication abilities
• Willingness to travel for meetings and in‑person 1:1s

Other Information

• 20 days annual leave - increasing with length of service and a holiday purchase scheme
• 3 Paragon Days for our Operational December Closure and 8 Public Bank Holidays
• Up to 3 days of paid volunteering leave and corporate conscience initiatives
• Perkbox – a suite of lifestyle benefits and wellness tools

We will be reviewing applications and conducting interviews on an on‑going basis which may mean this vacancy closes prior to the advertised closing date if we have identified a suitable so please apply as soon as possible.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and have a guaranteed interview scheme in place to ensure that nobody is overlooked or discriminated against because of their disability. If you meet the minimum criteria when you apply and you have informed us in your application that you have a disability, you will be guaranteed an interview for that role. To promote and maintain an inclusive working environment, as part of your application process we will ask you to share data on certain characteristics. These answers will not form part of the selection and recruitment process and will not be shared with anyone outside of the People Team.

We are Leaders in Safeguarding Gold and committed to the safeguarding, welfare and wellbeing of our learners and colleagues and implement robust safer recruitment practices to support this. Dependant on the role you are applying for, we may undertake a number of necessary checks to confirm you are suitable to work with children and vulnerable adults, which may include a Disclosure and Barring Service check. We are proud to inspire success and we can only do this by recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce that is representative of the learners and clients we support, and we encourage applications from diverse backgrounds and actively promote equality and inclusion throughout our colleague and learner populations.