Operations Director - Children\'s Residential Services

In a newly created role, YMCA Robin Hood Group are seeking an Operations Director to oversee our residential service for children in care. You will bring operational excellence to this role as you lead and manage our Operations Managers and Registered Managers of our current home portfolio with an ambitious plan to expand this service so we can support more children and young people recover from the trauma they have experienced in their lives so far. As a not-for-profit operator, we put the needs of children and young people ahead of everything else. Our priority is to enable these young people to ‘discover who they are and what they can become’.

The Role

As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, this role will focus on providing an outstanding environment for children to thrive in whilst ensuring that we are compliant with OFSTED and other regulatory bodies.

Core Duties

• Ensure all aspects of service delivery in the residential homes comply with contractual, legislative and other necessary requirements.
• Create and implement robust policies and procedures for placements across all homes for looked after children, including oversight of quality assurance and ensuring all staff work in a way which prevents abuse and safeguards everyone.
• Support and expand our children’s therapeutic care service, leading on contract negotiations for future placements, registration of new homes and supporting the Executive Director in introducing a continuum of care provision.
• Investigate any safeguarding concerns for the service area and make informed, fair, and transparent decisions based on information obtained including the production of investigation reports with recommendations and outcomes.
• Maximise resources and overall occupation to ensure your budget is responsibly managed.
• Provide strong cause-centric leadership and management to Operations Managers, to provide the highest professional standards of care and support to children and young people in our services, ensuring that they thrive who in turn will manage Registered Managers across all regions.
• Work with Operational Managers within the service to develop strategies that support ongoing learning, staff engagement and alignment to the organisations culture.
• Be a positive and active member of the organisation’s Senior Leadership Team, supporting and participating in YMCA initiatives, internal projects and community projects across the Group.

Your Background

With extensive experience in a children’s residential care setting in an Operational management role, you will bring to the role:

• Operational knowledge and expertise of working in and managing Children’s Residential / Children Leaving Care / Children Looked After sectors including experience of opening new residential homes.
• Experience of the support of successfully implementing new services; involvement in sourcing funding streams; and some experience of writing funding bids and applications.
• Demonstrable experience of working with OFSTED and other regulatory bodies, quality assurance frameworks and assessment standards.
• Experience of managing a dispersed staff team including recruitment, training, sickness absence and managing performance – staff team size of 50+ staff members.
• Compassion, empathy and understanding for the work your teams do every day.
• Passion for working within a home-setting, knowing the difference you are making to a young person’s life.
• Inspiration and motivation to ignite the passion for the work we do among your team.
• Your desire to disrupt and challenge the norm both within our organisation and across the wider Industry.
• Exceptional communication skills at all levels from child to Board member.

Our North Star will speak to the very core of who you are; the relentless dedication that all children and young people have the developmental relationships that support them to connect with one another and their communities.

Benefits

We offer the following benefits from day 1 of your employment with us:

• Equivalent of 27 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) increasing 1 day each year for your first 5 years!
• Workplace pension with Royal London (3% employer contribution, 5% employee contribution).
• 4 x Life Insurance/Death in Service whilst in the pension scheme.
• Reduced school holiday childcare places at YMCA Camp Williams Nottingham & Newark.
• 10% off in our hospitality venues including the Malt Cross and the Café at our Activity Village in Newark.
• Pastoral support.
• Cycle to Work Scheme.
• Excellent opportunities for development and progression.
• Support for further study up to post-graduate level 7 courses to support your development.
• £500 refer a friend scheme applicable across the Group.
• Regular ongoing inhouse training.
• Eligible to join the Blue Light Discount scheme.
• Staff events and annual celebrations.

On passing your probation, you can select from one of the following additional benefits:

• Private medical and dental cashback scheme with Westfield Health and access to Westfield Rewards for high street discounts.
• £120 cash annual contribution towards either Travel costs or Childcare costs or Private gym membership.

Closing Date – 22nd January 2025

Introductory Call – Ongoing to 22nd January 2025

1st Interviews – week commencing 27th January 2025

2nd interviews - week commencing 3rd February 2025

Location : Newark NG24 4FH

Contract Type : Permanent

Hours : Full time, 40 hours per week

Salary : £75,000