Operations Manager in Congleton

Salary £33-35k per annum (depending on experience) plus benefits

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced and highly organised Operations Manager to help drive the effective delivery of our charity's services. This role is ideally suited to an individual with strong expertise in Human Resources, operational management, policy development, and organisational improvement. The successful candidate will develop and maintain a culture of trust, collaboration, diversity, and inclusion across the organisation, while ensuring that all operational functions are aligned, efficient, and delivered to the highest standards.

Key Purpose of the Role

• Understand the charity's operational plans, priorities, measurable objectives, and timelines, helping to coordinate and implement delivery across all departments.
• Facilitate effective communication between departments to ensure programmes are aligned, appropriately sequenced, and delivered to a consistently high standard.
• Provide day-to-day operational leadership and coordination across all services.
• Maintain and continuously improve departmental standards to ensure compliance with, and where possible exceed, ADI and NAS expectations.
• Lead the development and monitoring of service standards, quality assurance processes, impact measures, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Use operational data, performance reporting, and organisational insight to identify risks, support decision-making, and inform future planning.
• Support the implementation of new initiatives, projects, and ways of working across the organisation.
• Assist departmental managers in balancing resources, coordinating annual leave arrangements, overseeing volunteer deployment, and supporting the induction of new staff and volunteers.
• Conduct regular staff appraisals and support professional development through training, mentoring, and upskilling opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate, and support teams operating across two locations within a dynamic and time-sensitive environment.
• Translate organisational strategy into practical operational plans that support effective day-to-day service delivery.
• Ensure services remain efficient, impactful, sustainable, and of a consistently high quality.
• Promote and uphold excellent standards of dog welfare, ethical practice, and safeguarding throughout the organisation.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning, accountability, and improvement.
• Develop and maintain effective communication frameworks across all departments, including: Therapies and Family Support, Dog Training and Aftercare, Animal Welfare and Foster Services, Maintenance and Property Management, Programme Management and Client Administration.
• Review and improve operational processes to increase efficiency and effectiveness.
• Develop, implement, and maintain policies and procedures that support organisational objectives and regulatory compliance.
• Monitor operational performance through reporting, measurement, and analysis.
• Create and coordinate training plans that support staff development and organisational growth.

About You

You are a thoughtful and strategic operational leader with a modern approach to planning and service delivery. You adapt your communication and leadership style to support different individuals and teams, helping people develop confidence, solve problems, and remain motivated. You value quality, consistency, ethical practice, and collaboration. You build trust across departments, communicate clearly, and are comfortable balancing support with constructive challenges when required.

Skills and Experience

The ideal candidate will:

• Have significant operational management experience, ideally within a veterinary, assistance dog, animal welfare, disability service, healthcare, or charitable organisation.
• Be prepared to travel and coordinate across our Cheshire and Lincolnshire properties.
• Demonstrate the experience of leading organisational change across multiple teams or departments.
• Be capable of guiding people through periods of change with clarity, empathy, and consistency.
• Take an analytical and data-driven approach to decision-making, using performance information to identify trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Be confident using digital systems, databases, operational dashboards, and reporting tools.
• Have strong cross-functional coordination skills, ensuring services remain connected, efficient, and aligned.
• Possess knowledge of safeguarding, ethical practice, and animal welfare standards.
• Be an excellent written and verbal communicator, capable of producing high-quality reports and operational insights for senior leadership teams and trustees.
• Demonstrate strong organisational skills, sound judgement, and the ability to manage operational complexity calmly and effectively.
• Have substantial experience of Human Resources, including recruitment, staff management, performance reviews, and employee development.
• Hold experience in developing policies, procedures, and operational frameworks that support organisational growth and compliance.