Regional Senior Operations Contracts Lead - Criminal Justice

Advance; England; Hybrid; GBP 38,000; Full time

Job summary

A women's organization is seeking a Senior Operations Contracts Lead to manage projects and expand services related to women in the criminal justice system. The role requires strong leadership and a background in strategic planning. Based in multiple locations with remote flexibility, applicants should have substantial experience with safeguarding principles and the complexities surrounding women's needs in the system. Competitive salary and benefits offered.

Benefits

30 days paid holiday

Employee discount platform

Pension scheme

Enhanced maternity provision

Employee assistance programme

Career development pathways

Qualifications

• Thorough understanding of women's issues in the criminal justice system.
• Good knowledge of safeguarding principles and issues.
• Significant experience in strategic and operational management.

Responsibilities

• Manage criminal justice projects and staff.
• Ensure compliance with budget and funding requirements.
• Develop and expand services and partnerships.

Skills

Understanding of women's issues in criminal justice

Knowledge of safeguarding principles

Understanding of organizational systems

Experience in strategic planning

Experience with complex needs

Relationship development with funders

Quality assurance implementation

Strong communication skills

Strong negotiating skills

Strategic planning abilities

Job description

Are you looking for a dynamic and rewarding role working for an organisation with the feminist agenda at the core of its ethos? Then Advance Charity could be the career choice for you!

We are looking for Senior Operations Contracts Lead

Salary: £38,000 per year, this may be negotiable for the right person

Location: Based across multiple locations with the flexibility to work from home up to two days each week. The three key locations for this role are Portsmouth, Caversham and Bedfordshire. The expectation is that a minimum of three days per week are spent in face‑to‑face, in‑person contact (e.g. in Women’s Centres, Estates or external visits), and one of these days being a monthly visit to Head Office (the purpose being for interaction with colleagues and Central functions). Visits also required to HMP Peterborough and HMP Bronzefield.

Hours: 35 hours per week

Contract: Fixed Term - until 31st March 2027

This post is open to female applicants only as being female is deemed to be a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010.

Please note: Any offer of employment will be made subject to references, confirmation of the right to work in the UK, and satisfactory enhanced DBS check. This role is also subject to Police Vetting.

About us

Advance is an award‑winning and innovative women‑only organisation, established in 1998, providing emotional and practical support to women and girls survivors of domestic abuse and supporting women with short‑term sentences to reduce offending. We believe in empowering women and girls to lead safe, non‑violent, equal lives so that they can flourish and contribute to the community.

We are a community‑based organisation who lead in best practice approaches to supporting women in their local community. We achieve this by being available to meet and support women in local settings and at our women’s centres, and by working in close partnership with other agencies.

Our values are to listen and support, to empower and respect, collaboration, innovation, and accountability.

About the role

As an experienced senior manager with a proven track record of leadership in providing services to women in contact with the criminal justice system and working with partners and funders, you will manage criminal justice projects, work to develop and expand our services and partnerships and manage criminal justice managers and other staff as required.

You will work with the management team to ensure, manage and oversee that the services work within the budget, are compliant with financial regulations, policies and procedures, and meet funding and Advance requirements.

About You

To be successful as the Senior Operations Contracts Lead you will need the below experience and skills:

• A thorough understanding of and knowledge of the issues relating to women in the criminal justice system
• A sound knowledge of safeguarding adult and children principles, child abuse, child protection issues and safeguarding
• A good knowledge and understanding of organisational systems and frameworks, line management and project management
• Significant experience, likely to have been gained over several years, of strategic planning and operational management at a service manager level, and developing and delivering services at senior service management level
• Significant experience of working with women and/or service users with a complex range of needs, particularly within the criminal justice system, in custody and/or community.
• Experience of developing relationships with funders/commissioners and achieving required outcomes
• Experience of implementing quality assurance frameworks, monitoring, evaluating and measuring impact
• Strong influencing skills, enthusiasm, self‑confidence, excellent verbal and written communication and presentation skills, and a can‑do proactive solution‑focused approach
• Strong negotiating skills and the ability to build strong and effective relationships and partnerships, dealing with ambiguity and resolving conflict effectively, achieving the right outcomes for the organisation, collaborating and networking
• Able to think, act and plan strategically to develop practical and creative solutions to the management of existing and new services and complex problems that may arise while maintaining high levels of diplomacy and professionalism

How to apply

Please submit your up‑to‑date CV with a supporting statement. Please note that only applications made via the job advert on the Advance careers page, and those that include a cover letter will be considered.

• Closing Date for Applications: Sunday 23rd November 2025
• Interviews are taking place on a rolling basis

Advance reserves the right to close the advert early, or on the appointment of a candidate.

What we can offer you - Employee Benefits

• A 35‑hour working week
• An exceptional 30 days of paid holiday per year (pro rata for part time), PLUS public holidays on top (that's nearly 40 days paid holiday per year!)
• Additional days off to celebrate International Women’s Day, and for religious observance and moving home
• Perkbox - an employee discount platform where you can receive free rewards as well as take advantage of savings on clothes, groceries, travel, leisure and more
• Pension scheme
• Enhanced maternity/adoption provision
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme
• Employee eye‑care scheme
• Clinical supervision for front line staff and first line management roles
• Refer a Friend Scheme - £250 for each referral who passes probation
• Organisation wide away days
• One‑week paid carers’ leave
• Career development pathways

Under the Equality Act 2010, we are required to make any reasonable adjustments. If you have a disability as defined under this act and/or have special needs, please email the Talent Acquisition Team via the Advance website and will aim to make the necessary arrangements to accommodate your needs.

Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunities

We are committed to providing equality of opportunity and actively seek to recruit people from groups underrepresented in our current team. We have policies and processes in place to ensure that all employees are offered an equal opportunity in recruitment and selection, promotion, training, pay and benefits.

Safeguarding

Advance is committed to safeguarding and creating a culture of zero‑tolerance of harm and expects all staff, including volunteers, to share this commitment. We believe all individuals have the right to live their life free from violence and abuse and the right to feel and be safe. We have a suite of safeguarding policies, procedures and practice guidance, accessible to all staff, which promotes safeguarding and safer working practices across all our services and activities. When we recruit staff, we follow rigorous safer recruitment practices, this involves carrying out pre‑employment checks including references, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, and identity checks. We ensure all staff undertake mandatory safeguarding training relevant to their role and responsibilities, to empower them to be competent and feel confident in recognising and responding appropriately to safeguarding issues and promote wellbeing.