Operations Manager

Overview

McCarthy Stone are recruiting an experienced Operations Manager to lead a team of Registered Estate Managers and House Managers across Hertfordshire with occasional travel to our Hatfield office.

Hours: 37 per week – Hybrid working with travel to developments within Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire

Salary: £Competitive per annum DOE, plus benefits, bonus and company car

Job purpose: Accountable to the Divisional Director for managing the efficient and effective performance of our Retirement Living (RL) and Retirement Living Plus (RLP) developments, in line with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and associated dashboards.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the frontline team within the area to run the developments, our services and lead our colleagues in line with McCarthy Stone’s purpose and plan and associated Services Business’ objectives
• Drive a customer centric performance culture, which enables achievement of Services’ objectives and associated KPIs
• Achieve ‘brilliant basics’ in compliant service delivery for our customers, on which to build improvement and growth
• Establish high performing teams and collaborate with Services support function colleagues using a partnering approach
• Be on a monthly rota with other Operations Managers, to undertake emergency calls from estates and support, out of normal working hours. (additional pay given for this)

Customers

• Create and maintain vibrant communities in all developments through direct engagement with homeowners and promotion of an active, healthy and inclusive social life
• Deliver Net Promoter Score (NPS) targets and reduce complaints focusing on first contact resolution
• Resolve in a timely manner any complaints or issues highlighted by homeowners, colleagues, service providers or monitoring procedures, escalating as appropriate
• Ensure responsive high standards of property management and maintenance, working with Customer Services to ensure timely resolution of any in warranty repairs
• Work with the Operational Excellence team, ensure a consistent and high quality homeowner experience from start to finish with dynamic and systematic service delivery through demonstrable consistent embedding of standard operating procedures
• Work with the Care Quality team, support Registered Estate Managers to achieve a minimum Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating of good for all registered developments, make sure all developments are appropriately registered with the CQC and compliant to deliver safe, effective, caring, responsive, and well led services (or the equivalent regulatory bodies in Scotland and Wales)

Colleagues

• Recruit, develop, and motivate House Managers, Estate Managers and on site teams to achieve the business objectives
• Lead team members through the performance management and development processes through goal setting, feedback and performance development planning
• Promote regular individual and team recognition via the company wide recognition scheme and identify and action other ad hoc opportunities as they arise
• Set clear and ambitious ‘SMART’ objectives for the team and support the team to help achieve them
• Monitor and ensure your team is up to date with statutory and mandatory training
• Promote the completion of the Great Place to Work Surveys and follow up action plans

Business

• Ensure compliance with process, policy, standard operating procedure, embedding consistency of application in all your developments
• Ensure systems are used and trained as required and data is kept up to date
• Monitor and complete follow up improvement action for KPIs, particularly in terms of NPS, budget, additional services, occupation of properties, compliance, CQC, and staff turnover and provide reports on your area to your Divisional Head of Operations on the performance of your area for the monthly Performance and Hotspot meeting
• Ensure monitoring processes are in place and operating effectively to ensure all services and staff comply with their legal, regulatory and statutory duties, particularly in relation to property compliance, safeguarding, the delivery of care services, food hygiene and health and safety
• Have lead responsibility for quality assurance in the area, ensuring audits and surveys are completed in a timely manner on all developments, and that any identified action is followed up according to agreed timescales
• Ensure accident/incident reporting, escalation and learning is intrinsic within your team
• Work with the Care Quality team, so that the care and support services we provide are safe, of high quality and grow in line with business objectives

Health And Safety

As Line Manager your H&S responsibilities in relation to you and employees under your control are to:

• Take reasonable care of your/ their own health and safety and that of any person who may be affected by your/their acts or omissions at work
• Act in accordance with Company Health and Safety policies and procedures and ensure that employees under your control are:
• Trained and competent to carry out work properly and do so
• Familiar with, understand and discharge any allocated safety responsibilities
• Provided with adequate information, supervision and equipment to allow their duties to be undertaken in a safe manner
• Immediately stop any unsafe activity until adequate measures have been taken to remove the risk or reduce it to as low as possible, seeking advice from the H&S team as appropriate.

Person Specification

Education and Qualifications:

• RQF Level 5 or equivalent in Management relevant to a management role in retirement living or related sectors, e.g. hospitality, property management, health and social care, housing, leisure etc (desirable)
• Evidence of commitment to continuous professional development.

Knowledge, Experience, Skills, Competencies And Personal Attributes

• Operational management experience and expertise, across a group of retirement communities or equivalent
• Experience of working at management level in a customer and people centric organisation, which provides a range of services in house and outsourced services across a number of sites
• Demonstrable ability to manage a team remotely and through hybrid working
• Experience of successful working in a matrix management structure is desirable
• Demonstrable experience of and commitment to the highest possible standards of service and customer satisfaction
• Strong understanding of Health and Safety and compliance in general, and driving a positive and proactive culture in this regard.

Divisions/Sales Through Negotiation And Influencing Skills

• Committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable adults and older people.
• Detailed knowledge of relevant legislation, best practice guidance and quality standards.
• Must be computer literate with sound knowledge of Microsoft Office and other software programmes
• Financial and commercial acumen and experience of managing significant budgets
• Presentation skills including to a large and varied audience
• Proficiency in crisis management
• Ability to conduct investigations thoroughly in a timely manner

Could this role be the perfect job for you? Apply now! All applications will be reviewed as soon as they are received, and we hold the right to appoint before the closing date.

IND HP

About Us

As the UK’s leading developer and manager of retirement communities, we provide high quality homes to exacting specifications. As of January 2025, McCarthy Stone operates over 545 developments across the UK for more than 24,200 people.

We believe in championing the role, wellbeing, and happiness of older people in society. We help our customers have a better later life, so they feel more connected, recognised, and valued than ever. In late 2020 we launched the McCarthy Stone Charitable Foundation to support local causes that help older people in need across Britain.

We are proud to have been certified as a Great Place to Work 2025 as well as making the Great Place to Work Wellbeing list!