Head of Operations

Overview

• Salary : £45,000 – £50,000 per annum (dependent on experience ) + share options
• Reporting to: CEO
• Contract : Permanent, full-time
• Job Location: Remote-based

Patchwork Hub is a rapidly scaling, disabled-led social enterprise. We are passionate about realising our vision: closing the disability employment gap and creating a world where every individual is given the opportunity to thrive in work, achieving ‘decent work for all’.

As we grow, we are seeking a Head of Operations to join our leadership team and drive forward the implementation of our vision for our inclusive employment platform .

Company Background

We are an award-winning employment platform and jobs board. Our platform connects disabled and neurodivergent people, carers, and others needing accessible work practices to job opportunities with inclusive employers.

Alongside our jobs board, we also support employers across their whole accessibility and disability inclusion journey, from attraction and recruitment to talent retention. We provide a range of training, consultancy and support packages to drive forward change within organisations.

The Role

The Head of Operations will play a pivotal role, overseeing and optimising our operations, ensuring smooth service delivery to both clients and job seekers.

You will help to ensure that disabled people and an accessible user experience are at the heart of our platform, leading our efforts to become the leading online talent platform of choice for diverse talent and the go-to supplier of disability inclusion services in the UK & globally.

We are at a critical point in our trajectory as we look to commercialise and scale our service offering , and increase our client base. We are looking for leaders who cantake the organisation to the next level in growing our community and delivering impact for our employers and job seekers.

As a small but dedicated and expanding team, the successful candidate will form a key part of our leadership team, working closely with the CEO alongside line management of the Sales & Account Manager.

Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership and Governance

Operations Management:

• Oversee day-to-day business operations to ensure smooth delivery of Patchwork Hub's core services for employers and job seekers.
• Identify areas for improvement in operational processes and implement solutions to enhance productivity and reduce costs.
• Work with the team to establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs ) around operational processes.
• Responsible for effective day-to-day communication with external sources .
• Develop and own the Operations Roadmap, accountable for delivering operational improvement and excellence to time and budget .

Governance and Risk Management :

• Ensure continued compliance with relevant regulations, standards and best practice , including accessibility, data protection, and cybersecurity.
• Lead on the development and implementation of risk management strategies and reporting across the portfolio.

Senior Leadership

• Working closely with CEO and other senior leaders to take collective responsibility on decisions and drive progress and the direction of the business.
• Deputise for colleagues as required, providing leadership and decision-making support in their absence.
• Take an active role in ensuring the organisation is making the right decisions to achieve our objectives and milestones .
• Provide support for events, strategy development, recruitment and interview processes.

Client and Customer Experience

Employment Platform user journey and experience (employer and job seeker ):

• Working with the Head of Technology to deliver and maintain a scalable website.
• Ownership of the user journey for both employers and job seekers on our website.
• Identification of pain points and improvements to the user experience .
• Manage co-design of user experience with disabled, neurodivergent and other users to embed lived experience into our platform.
• Working with the Leadership Team to ensure collection and monitoring of relevant management information around user journeys and user profiles from the website and CRM.

Employer client management

• Line management of the Sales & Account Manager to address day-to-day requirements of our employer clients.
• Supporting the CEO in the development and management of key client relationships .
• Alongside the CEO, responsible for the product development of our suite of services for employers.

Job seeker user engagement

• Line management of the Account Manager to address day-to-day requirements of Patchwork Hub’s job seeker users.
• Developing an understanding of job seeker user profiles and job seeker user interaction with our employment platform.
• With the Head of Strategy and Impact, collaborate on the wider opportunities available to our job seeker users.

Sales, Income Generation and Business Development

B2B (Employer ) Customer Acquisition

• Lead the team to deliver on targets across all income streams, agreeing and meeting all income and associated KPIs.
• Accountable for building and delivering a pipeline of future income.
• Track, manage and implement improvements in the performance of income streams .

B2C (Job seeker ) Customer Acquisition

• Including through line management of Account Manager, lead on job seeker user growth.
• Develop a strong network and funnel that will allow the organisation to achieve its growth target .
• Maintain the CRM (Hubspot) and oversee the utilisation of our CRM to align with the company’s operational needs.

Budget Management:

• Develop, manage and report on the budget for operations , ensuring cost-effective use of resources against agreed budgets and timescales.

About you

Essential Skills and Attributes

Operational Skills

• Ability to turn strategy into operational plans , with the project management skills to deliver those plans to time and budget.
• Experience developing, implementing and improving key processes, procedures and pipelines within a business.
• Knowledge and experience of UX/UI across both technical & non-technical settings, including co-production and testing with disabled and/or neurodivergent users.
• Knowledge and understanding of web development, service design and inclusive design.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills, able to develop and deliver compelling messaging in the company’s tone of voice and present persuasively to senior internal or external stakeholders.
• Ability to lead and motivate cross-functional teams.

Business Development:

• Capacity to meet annual targets and grow revenue over time.
• Potential to lead sales , partnerships , and funding efforts.
• Skilled in generating revenue from a range of income streams.
• Compelling advocate for our mission , able to engage and elicit commitments from a range of clients and our wider audience.
• Effective collaborator , able to work well with colleagues across the organisation and externally.

Leadership and management:

• Strong leadership abilities with the capacity to oversee both operations and sales/customer account functions .
• Excited to contribute towards a small, fast-scaling company and committed to growing with the company to support its long-term success .
• Experience of line managing a team and of developing others.

Knowledge of disability inclusion & accessibility:

• Personal interest in and commitment to Patchwork Hub’s social mission .
• Knowledge of best practice around disability inclusion and accessibility in the workplace.
• Demonstrable professional expertise around some core areas of our business’ services and specialist functions (e.g.: NRAC accreditations; WCAG & IAAP certificatio n).
• Lived experience of disability or neurodiversity is a positive.

Desirable Skills and Attributes

Industry Experience:

• Experience in delivering and maintaining compliant technical solutions , meeting GDPR and cybersecurity requirements .
• Experience in building and maintaining a strong network of clients and partners in the disability inclusion or wider ED&I space .

Technical and Market Knowledge:

• Knowledge of technology trends and their application to business operations .
• Proficiency in using a CRM to manage customer interactions, pipelines and client communications.
• Ability to access a network of potential supporters for Patchwork Hub’s mission, particularly corporate partners and other clients .

Income Generation:

• Experience in commercial bid development and income generation .
• Ability to develop and maintain revenue pipelines , providing accurate forecasts and understanding the current financial position .

Other Requirements

• Flexibility to travel occasionally across the country, as needed.

Benefits include

• Autonomy and product ownership – Helping to shape and share the rewards of an expanding business
• Remote Working
• Flexible Working
• EMI Share Options
• 25 days annual leave
• A commitment to your learning and development
• A supportive team of knowledgeable, driven and passionate colleagues

Accessibility Statement

As a disabled-led business, Patchwork Hub is committed to ensuring that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible for everyone. This includes making adjustments for people who have a disability or long-term condition.

If you would like us to do anything differently during the application process, please contact and020 3916 5773.

How to apply / The Recruitment Process

Selection Process : Application >Screening >1st stage interview > Final stage interview > Job Offer

The first step is simply to apply. Send us by email your CV and a supporting cover letter detailing why you think you would be a good fit for this opportunity to

Application Closing date: 30th December 2024 (applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis ).

Equal Opportunities

Patchwork Hub are committed to becoming an employer of choice irrespective of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender, religion or belief, marital or civil partnership status, age, disability, neurodiversity, caring responsibility or pregnancy and maternity.

We particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience of our mission, in particular disabled and neurodivergent people.