Director of Operations (Edinburgh, Newcastle, Merseyside) in Liverpool

Crisis is the national charity for people experiencing homelessness. We have embarked on our 10-year strategy for ending homelessness. We know it is not inevitable. We know together we can end it.

Location: Based in either Crisis Skylight Edinburgh (EH8 8BQ), Newcastle (NE1 2AF) or Merseyside (L1 5BD) at least three days per week. There is an expectation of regular travel across all sites and travel to our London head office approximately once every six weeks.

Contract: 12-month fixed term contract or secondment opportunity, including external secondments.

About the role: This is an exciting opportunity to step into a pivotal senior leadership role at a critical moment for Crisis. We are looking for a Director of Operations on a 12-month fixed term contract or secondment, someone who thrives in periods of transformation and can lead a geographically dispersed senior team. If you are energised by complexity, motivated by mission, and ready to make a real difference during a period of change, we want to hear from you.

With a bold new strategic direction placing Client Services at the heart of ending homelessness, Crisis is implementing a place-based approach to system change, becoming a housing provider, and scaling the impact of our nine Skylights and Christmas offer. This role sits at the centre of that change. You will provide strong, values-led leadership across our Skylights in Edinburgh, Newcastle and Merseyside, senior support to the Lead Clinical Psychologist as well as the entirety of Client Services across Great Britain. You will be bold in driving continuous improvement, collaborative in your approach to partnerships, impactful in your use of data and insight, and equitable in your leadership.

About you: Significant senior leadership experience in a relevant sector, such as homelessness, adult social care, health, education, or employment, with a strong track record of inspiring and empowering people and teams through change. Excellent networking, partnership-building and influencing skills, adaptable to a range of audiences from frontline staff to senior politicians and funders. A proven track record in operational leadership: implementing quality standards, compliance assurance, governance, and driving continuous service improvement. Strong analytical skills and confidence using data to generate insight that improves service effectiveness, alongside experience managing significant and complex budgets. A commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, and an understanding of psychologically informed, trauma-informed approaches when working with people who have experienced complex adversity. A genuine commitment to Crisis’ purpose and values, and a passion for ending homelessness — we particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience of homelessness.

Diversity Statement: We believe diversity is a strength, and our aim is to make sure that Crisis truly reflects the communities we serve. We are actively working towards our organisation being a place where everyone can thrive and make their best contribution to our mission of ending homelessness for good. We know that the more perspectives, voices, and experiences we can bring to this work, the better. We particularly welcome applications from people who have lived experience of homelessness, and people from all marginalised groups, communities, and backgrounds.

Working at Crisis: Our values – Bold, Impactful, Collaborative and Equitable – are at the heart of everything we do as we continue in our mission to end homelessness. Our staff, members, volunteers and supporters are vital to getting the right government policies in place, providing breakthrough services, and building a supportive community. We’ll lead by example to nurture a positive and ambitious workplace guided by ending homelessness.

Benefits: As a member of the team, you will have access to a wide range of employee benefits including:

• A competitive salary. Please note our salaries are fixed to counter inequity and we do not negotiate at offer stage.
• Interest free loans for travel season ticket, cycle to work, and deposit to secure a tenancy.
• Pension scheme with an employer contribution of 8.5%
• 28 days’ annual leave (pro rata) which increases with service to 31 days and the option to purchase up to 10 additional days leave.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, shared parental, and adoption pay.
• Wellbeing Leave to be used flexibly.
• And more!

Alongside our excellent staff benefits, we will support your ongoing development to build your skills, experience, and career. When you join us, you will have the opportunity to join our staff diversity networks, which aim to champion issues across the organisation, enable staff to be their authentic and best selves and contribute to making Crisis a truly diverse organisation.