Operations Coordinator in Sheffield

Location: Sheffield Office (with hybrid work available)

Pay Scale: £27,678 per annum

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full Time (37.5 hours per week)

SFJ Awards are a regulated Awarding Organisation, delivering high quality qualifications, and custom certification for learners through Approved Centres in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. We are also an Apprenticeship End-Point Assessment (EPA) Organisation approved by the Education and Skills Funding Agency to deliver EPA to apprentices for a growing number of apprenticeship standards in England.

Job summary: SFJ Awards provides a range of Awarding Organisation and assurance functions, including regulated qualifications and apprenticeship assessment. The Operations Coordinator is responsible for the day-to-day operational delivery of the organisation, across regulated qualifications, End-Point assessment and custom certifications. This will include conducting the core operations including the customer services function, supporting with apprenticeship delivery, supporting the onboarding of new customers, and all other operational support required to ensure excellent service and continuous improvement.

This role is central to maintaining and improving efficiency, driving service quality, and supporting sustainable growth. The post holder will ensure effective relationships with customers, as well as contributing to the wider development and successful achievement of SFJ Awards’ operational and financial plans.

What is the impact of the role on the business? The Operations Coordinator plays a crucial role in ensuring the smooth and efficient running of our programmes and services across The Workforce Development Trust. By managing day-to-day operations, coordinating resources, and maintaining high standards of delivery, this role directly contributes to the success of our workforce development initiatives and the positive outcomes we achieve for our partners and clients.

Key business skills necessary for the role:

• Strong organisational and coordination skills to manage multiple priorities effectively.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management to collaborate with both internal teams and external customers.
• A proactive approach to problem-solving and process improvement.

What does the daily work look like? A typical day will involve answering internal and external queries across a variety of communication methods. Ensuring overnight processes have been completed on the system and that all exams have been organised for the week. The work is varied and fast paced and involves close collaboration with colleagues across the organisation.

How does your team deliver a premium service for our customers? We pride ourselves on reliability, attention to detail, and a commitment to continuous improvement. Our customers trust us to deliver efficiently and professionally every time, and we achieve that by maintaining strong internal processes and always being ready to adapt to their needs.

What are the three most important personal skills needed for this role?

• Attention to detail
• Adaptability and initiative
• A collaborative and positive mindset

How would you describe the culture of your team? We’re passionate about making a positive difference through our work, and we celebrate each other’s successes along the way.

Key Responsibilities:

Reporting to the SFJ Awards Operations Manager, the post holder’s key responsibilities will include accountability for:

• Managing incoming telephone calls, dealing with enquiries efficiently, and ensuring calls are routed to the appropriate departments.
• Managing inbound support queries via Freshdesk, ensuring timely responses and effective resolution of tickets.
• Conducting the end-to-end operational delivery of all qualifications, ensuring consistent, high-quality service and compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Delivering high quality customer service to ensure timely, accurate, and professional support to potential customers, centres, employers, and learners, exceeding all KPIs and SLAs.
• Conducting operational support tasks – including (but not limited to): maintaining administrative systems supporting registrations, certification, centre onboarding, gateway evidence submissions, processing results and support with financial transactions.
• Production, storage, and dispatch of assessment resources and certificates, both electronically and by post/courier in line with regulatory requirements and published service level agreements.
• Providing employers, training providers and other relevant stakeholders with information, advice and training to support them with processes and systems, keeping them informed of scheduled activities and providing them with the appropriate resources to assist them in planning for and facilitating qualification delivery and EPA activities.

This role is subject to a criminal record check via the Disclosure and Barring Service. This job requires some days in the office. Please consider if you are willing to relocate before applying. Only apply if you currently have a valid right to work in the UK.

Please note, we reserve the right to alter the closing date before the one stated. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Generous annual leave entitlement up to a maximum of 28 days, plus public holidays and a potential Christmas closure. Flexible working - 50% working from home with a dress for your day approach. Staggered start and finish time. We provide enhanced leave, bereavement, carers, maternity, paternity and sickness leave. Health and wellbeing benefits, access to our mental health first aiders, a confidential employee assistance programme, free eye tests and payment for an annual flu jab. Enhanced pension scheme, with a contribution matching up to a combined 12%, and the option to join the Salary Exchange Pension Scheme along with death in service coverage at three times annual salary. Flexible employee benefits, portal including a cycle to work scheme. Buy annual leave scheme. Organisational development days and departmental training budgets. Payroll giving, this is a tax-free way to donate to any charity, good cause or place of worship.

The Workforce Development Trust is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes everyone. We strongly encourage people of all gender, religion, ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientation, and individuals with disabilities to apply. If you need any reasonable adjustments at any point, please let us know. In your application, please feel free to advise on your preferred pronouns, for example she/her, he/him, they/them etc.