P+S Personnel are pleased to be working on behalf of our client, who is currently recruiting for a Head of Operations to join their team based in Southeast London & Essex on a full-time, permanent basis.
Role Summary:
The Head of Operations will have overall management responsibility for the residential children’s homes, supported accommodations, and residential family assessment centres. The role demands strong leadership and operational expertise to ensure high-quality services and compliance with regulatory requirements. The post holder will be instrumental to the Leadership Team and will play a key lead role in the expansion of two additional children’s homes, two additional family assessment centres and supported accommodation within the next two years.
Main Responsibilities:
- To be the Ofsted registered Responsible Individual for designated services and act on behalf of the organisation to ensure that they meet relevant requirements set out in legislation.
- Provide highly effective leadership across the residential children’s home, supported accommodations and residential family centre.
- Manage and implement change to help grow the business and achieve the stated objective within the next two years (two additional children’s homes, two additional family assessment centres and supported accommodation).
- Display good commercial acumen to develop and produce operationally viable and cost-effective solutions to business development opportunities, developing and working on bids in line with legislation and customer specification.
- Coach, support and motivate the senior managers to develop and enhance individual and team performance and to optimise service delivery.
- Develop and establish provision for care, accommodation and support through working with existing partners and building links with other partners and agencies as appropriate.
- A strong commitment to the safeguarding, including Health & Safety, children, young people, families and staff in all services.
- Provide a comprehensive placement service through managing admissions to residential establishments in partnership with all Local Authorities and other agencies.
- To monitor care plans and placement plans, activities and community involvement, and provide oversight of individual care planning for all homes.
- Implement quality assurance practices to monitor and evaluate standards of the individual and of the team performance, to support the company to achieve its objective to continuously improve upon quality.
- Be responsible for reporting regularly on each designated residential home to ensure that it fulfils its Statement of Purpose and function and is run in accordance with statute and company policies, guidelines and instructions.
- Ensure full compliance with all external regulatory bodies.
- To provide regular formal and informal supervision and management of senior managers, encouraging professional development, completing and identifying training and staff development needs to ensure objectives are met.
- To provide effective leadership, management support and guidance to operational Registered Managers in the development of the Residential Services.
- Ensure safeguarding and legislation is fully upheld and embedded within the homes culture and managed to safeguard children, young people and families.
- Promote a high standard of professional practice through personal example, encouraging appropriate professional training & development by managing a comprehensive programme of Performance Management and formulating specific Learning and Development Plans for each Registered Manager.
- Provide support to existing Senior Managers in day-to-day operations ensuring that the service meets the organisational requirements for quality management, health and safety, legal and regulatory requirements, environmental policies and general duty of care.
- Ensure that electronic and paper administration systems are current and appropriate, that recorded information is accurate, and that timely data is provided by Registered Managers.
- Promote and maintain a healthy and safe environment for all residential staff.
- Appoint/assist in appointing staff, ensuring the proper application of company recruitment and selection procedures and manage and oversee the Induction, Discipline, Capability and Grievance procedures.
- Contribute to, and/or participate in, projects and initiatives associated with the functions of both their own area of service delivery and others as required.
- To ensure that the services needs are met through a strong emphasis on communication and participation.
- Rapid improvement of quality within assigned homes with sustainability planning for long term.
- Prepare detailed reports for Statutory and Case Reviews to a consistently high standard.
- To participate in meetings and training events as required by line manager and Directors.
- Required to manage people and resources to ensure high quality standards of care and service are delivered to regulatory, contractual and company standards.
- Partaking with the on call for the company outside of normal working hours.
- Additionally, to provide defined operational support and management to existing site leadership where additional support may be required to drive quality, business development and financial viability in both existing provisions and new services.
Qualifications and Experience:
- Social Worker Degree/Equivalent.
- The role holder must have completed the full registration process and declared fit by Ofsted for each assignment to our services.
- Experience planning and leading strategic initiatives.
- Significant experience within leadership role in a multi-site organisation.
- Well established stakeholder relationships with a proven track record of running successful children’s residential care services and influencing change.
- Substantial recent experience of business partnership, relationship and facilitation management skills gained in a similar role.
- A strong background of successful residential children’s home management is essential, preferably with knowledge of Ofsted requirements, working in challenging environments and leading excellence in care.
- Turnaround experience in children’s homes and a successful problem solver.
- Achieved Good or Outstanding judgements in previous settings under their leadership.
Person Specification:
- A sound working knowledge of the statutory requirements associated with the residential care of young people. Including Children’s’ Homes Regulations, Residential Family Centres, Health and Safety legislation etc.
- Proven people management skills within a residential setting, including motivating, directing and delegating.
- Able to show how to implement approaches to simplify complex processes and make efficiencies and savings.
- Proven organisational and financial management skills.
If this is a role you are interested in, please apply online ensuring your CV is up to date.
Alternatively, please email your CV directly to jobs@pspersonnelltd.co.uk
