Operations Director in Bournemouth

Location: Bournemouth

Contract: Full time permanent – 40 hours per week

Salary: £70,000 - £75,000 per annum, depending on experience

Benefits:

• Discretionary bonus of up to 10% per annum
• 25 days’ annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• Company Pension
• Life Assurance
• Employee Discount Scheme

About Us

Make a real difference in the lives of young people. Join Budwood. Budwood provides high-quality Registered Children’s Homes and Supported Living Homes for young people with complex needs, ranging from single-occupancy to 4 bed multi-occupancy provisions across Dorset and Hampshire. Our ethos is rooted in therapeutic, nurturing, family-style care - ensuring every young person experiences safety, stability and the opportunity to thrive. Driven by compassion, professionalism, and a commitment to excellence, we provide very high-quality services, with our inspection outcomes highly positive. We are continuously developing services that place young people’s wellbeing at the heart of everything we do. Budwood is part of the Polaris Community, one of the UK’s largest leading communities of children’s service providers. Within the community, we have independent fostering and adoption agencies who have been passionately improving the lives of young people for over 30 years, as well as education, residential and leaving care services, and bespoke children’s services contracts. Our nurturing community works collectively to support the very best outcomes for each and every child in our care. We’re ambitious for our children and young people, families and staff, and believe in their futures.

What We Are Looking For

Due to the expansion of Budwood, and more importantly striving for Outstanding Ofsted ratings, we are looking for an enthusiastic and driven Operations Director to support the Managing Director in delivering our services. If you are a leader who is passionate about transforming the lives of young people and committed to delivering exceptional care, we would love to hear from you.

Role Responsibilities

As the Operations Director, you will play a vital role in ensuring our homes run effectively and continue to deliver exceptional support. This is a leadership role where you will be a visible presence - coaching staff, championing high standards, and driving continuous service improvement. Your responsibilities will include:

• Overseeing the effective running of all homes to ensure high-quality, therapeutic support is consistently delivered.
• Leading, supervising and developing Area Managers, ensuring strong and motivated teams.
• Ensuring regulatory compliance and driving towards achieving Good and Outstanding Ofsted outcomes.
• Maintaining occupancy levels above 90%.
• Overseeing workforce planning, recruitment, and induction, reducing reliance on agency staff.
• Supporting the delivery of trauma-informed practice, working alongside clinical teams, therapists and psychologists.
• Managing budgets, rotas, and operational processes in line with legislation and company policies.
• Leading multi-agency liaison, chairing meetings and reviews, and ensuring safeguarding is upheld to the highest standard.
• Building strong relationships with internal teams, stakeholders, and commissioning authorities.

About You

• Minimum of Level 5 qualification in residential childcare.
• Proactive, enthusiastic, and committed to achieving the best outcomes for children.
• Experience of managing complex social care/LAC services and trauma-informed practice.
• Excellent understanding of safeguarding, Children’s Homes Regulations, and relevant legislation.
• Confident leadership skills, robust decision-making and strong written/verbal communication.
• Ability to manage budgets, oversee rotas and deliver projects effectively.
• A proactive, solution-focused approach.
• A commitment to personal development.
• Full UK driving licence.

We are an Equal Opportunities employer. The successful applicant will be subject to a DBS check. Polaris is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment.