Head of Spacemaking and Operations in London

A cleaned up version of the job description.

SUMMARY

• Position Title: Head of Spacemaking and Operations
• Level: Level 6
• Pay: £40,000 - 46,000 (FTE yearly)
• Reports to: Director of Finance, HR and Operations
• Location: Liberation Centre Brixton, London (New office in Brixton)/ Remote working within the UK with at least 3 days’ work from our office (Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays)
• Contract: Full time (40hrs/weekly), 2-year Fixed Term contract.
• Start date: As soon as possible

Benefits: TAA laptop and phone, employee assistance and health cash package including staff supervision, counselling, dental, optical care and more.

The Advocacy Academy is an activist youth movement. We serve as the political home for grassroots youth organising and the catalyst for collective action. The lives of the young people we work alongside have been directly shaped by living in an unjust world, and we exist to turn their anger into action.

AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

• You will become a key member of the Finance, HR & Operations Team, including but not limited to:

• Supporting the Director of Finance, HR and Operations in maintaining and improving operational systems and processes
• Supporting the delivery of the Liberation Centre strategy, working across teams to ensure the Centre provides a functional, welcoming, inclusive, and safe environment for staff, young people, and the wider community
• Building relationships across departments, understanding their needs, and communicating operational updates to the Director
• Ensure escalations to the Director of Finance, HR and Operations are timely, well-prepared, clearly articulated, and supported by relevant information to enable effective decision-making.

• You will ensure that your responsibilities run like well-oiled machines by supporting TAA’s facilities, ensuring the Liberation Centre operates safely, efficiently, and in full compliance with relevant regulations by:

• Acting as the main operational liaison for the Liberation Centre, including council, building management, and external contractors
• Managing relationships with facilities providers, maintenance contractors, cleaners, and IT vendors
• Overseeing health & safety compliance, including staff training, evacuation procedures, drills, and statutory checks
• Supporting the development and implementation of risk assessments (fire, general, wellbeing, incidents, remote work, etc.)
• Ensuring procurement, supplies, and stock levels are managed effectively and responsibly
• Coordinating first aiders and fire marshals as required
• Ensuring operational cost-efficiency across facilities and space-related services

• You will help shape the Liberation Centre as a purposeful, accessible, and welcoming environment by:

• Supporting the ongoing development of the Liberation Centre as a safe, inclusive, and values-aligned space
• Leading on accessibility improvements across the physical environment, ensuring equitable access for disabled community members
• Shaping improvements to layout, usability, and overall experience of the space
• Ensuring the space reflects TAA’s values of care, inclusion, and liberation in its physical design and use
• Working with internal teams to understand spatial needs and translating them into practical and experience-led improvements
• Supporting a positive, caring, and community-centred environment across all users of the space

• You will support reliable and secure operational infrastructure by:

• Acting as liaison for IT and facilities providers
• Supporting setup, maintenance, and improvement of workplace systems and equipment
• Ensuring infrastructure supports accessibility, inclusion, and ease of use
• Identifying improvements to systems that enhance operational efficiency and user experience
• Supporting secure onboarding and offboarding of staff from a systems and access perspective

• You will act as a key connector between operations and delivery teams by:

• Work with the Working closely with programmes, Organising & Campaigns, community, and communications teams to ensure smooth operational delivery
• Supporting logistics for events, residentials, camps, and programmes, including venue sourcing, bookings, and on-site coordination
• Providing operational and administrative support for space usage, scheduling, and bookings
• Supporting onboarding and offboarding processes from a space, systems, and logistics perspective
• Supporting new staff inductions and ensuring new starters are equipped to use the space effectively
• Supporting internal communication of operational updates across teams

• You will support the Director in embedding safety, wellbeing, and care into how the space is used and experienced by:

• Ensuring health & safety processes are embedded and consistently followed
• Coordinating safety training and maintaining up-to-date knowledge of regulations
• Supporting a culture of shared responsibility for safety within the Liberation Centre
• Working with the community team to ensure safety practices are values-aligned
• Supporting emergency preparedness and incident response processes
• Maintaining a safe and functional environment by ensuring the space is kept clear, organised, and free from unnecessary clutter or hazards.

• Culture, values and wider strategy and mission. Provide senior functional leadership for Spacemaking and Operations, ensuring delivery of organisational strategy through effective planning, coordination, and implementation across your area.

WHAT SUCCESS WILL LOOK LIKE

• The Liberation Centre runs smoothly, safely, and reliably day-to-day
• Staff and community members experience the space as welcoming, accessible, and well cared for
• Operational systems are efficient, compliant, and low-friction
• Space improvements are intentional, values-led, and responsive to user needs
• Teams can focus on delivery, supported by strong operational and spatial infrastructure

A BIT ABOUT YOU

• You are passionate about, and committed to, creating a more fair, just and equal world.
• You believe in the potential of young people to challenge the status quo and are dedicated to helping them become more powerful citizens.
• You’ve got a deep understanding of, and a personal relationship with, issues of social justice.
• You’ll be comfortable managing a “to-do” list of competing priorities and balancing your workload to meet competing deadlines.
• You’re a sensitive and thoughtful relationship-builder who is interested in building a network of relationships to support the Advocacy Academy’s work.
• You’re a confident written and verbal communicator, who is comfortable with tailoring communication to reach a diverse range of audiences and stakeholders.
• You’re proactive, organised, and eager to learn.

IDEAL SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• 3-5+ years’ experience in operations management, ideally including leadership responsibility for teams, workflows, or service delivery.
• Comfortable operating as the senior operational lead on site when required, maintaining full delivery responsibility and ensuring clear communication and escalation pathways.
• Demonstrated experience in facilities management and/or IT systems coordination.
• Working knowledge of operational tools and systems (e.g. Microsoft Excel / Google Sheets, Canva, and similar platforms).