Operations Manager

Enable; Inverness; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading employability services provider in Scotland is looking for an experienced Operations Manager to lead partnerships and programmes across multiple regions. This hybrid role requires a strong leader with expertise in employability policies, team management, and strategic development. Responsibilities include driving performance, building stakeholder relationships, and ensuring compliance across services. Key qualifications include team leadership experience, project management skills, and IT proficiency. A full driving license is essential for this role.

Qualifications

• An understanding of employability policies such as No One Left Behind.
• Ability to coach and motivate developing leaders.
• Experience writing impact reports.
• Self-management skills for competing deadlines.
• Experience of creating and managing budgets.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of Performance Managers and Team Leaders.
• Ensure compliance and performance excellence.
• Build relationships with local and national funders.
• Identify and cultivate new business opportunities.
• Drive services to achieve excellence in your area.

Skills

Understanding of employability and skills structures

Experience of leading a performance focused team

Effective project management skills

Confident communicator with experience of public speaking

Strong attention to detail

Tools

Microsoft packages

CRM systems

Job description

Operations Manager

Covering Highlands, Moray and Perth and Kinross (hybrid, with travel across all areas)

Role Profile

As a leader at Enable Works, you'll be at the forefront of our mission to deliver exceptional employability services for disabled people across Scotland. You will be responsible for leading partnerships and programmes across Highland, Moray and Perth and Kinross and will play a pivotal role in driving our organisation forward. You will have overall accountability for strategic development of your programmes and region, leading on performance management; financial and contract management and developing opportunities for new business, allowing us to grow our impact. You'll have significant oversight of operations and staffing for the region, as well as managing and leading key external stakeholder relationships, ensuring smooth and efficient functioning of the services in your remit.

This is a hybrid role with some office time and travel expected. A driving license and access to a vehicle is essential for this role.

While regular travel will be required across all 3 areas, a significant proportion of work takes place in Highlands, where you will be responsible for leading our 'All in Highlands' partnership. Therefore a consistent presence is expected in Inverness and across the Highlands.

What will you do?

• Setting and upholding high standards – you will be accountable for leading a team of Performance Managers, Team Leaders and Employment Coordinators, ensuring services meet and exceed expectations.
• Ensuring compliance and performance excellence – you will be accountable for all quality and compliance for services in your region, ensuring robust processes are in place that align with contractual expectations.
• Guiding a high performing team – as a leader you will be responsible for mentoring Performance Managers and Team Leaders, fostering their growth as leaders to provide effective mentoring and management for your team.
• Strategic engagement – building relationships with both local and national funders and stakeholders will be second nature to you, ensuring seamless contract delivery and long lasting partnerships.
• Pioneering opportunities – you will be responsible for proactively identifying and cultivating new business opportunities, staying up to date with emerging trends and policy changes to ensure your services can respond to local and national priorities.

Please see the job pack for more detailed information on the role.

Please note, a pay award for Enable staff is pending.

We really need you to have these:

• An understanding of employability and skills structures and systems in Scotland
• An understanding of national employability policies such as No One Left Behind
• Experience of leading a performance focused team
• Ability to effectively coach and motivate developing leaders to deliver high performance within your team
• Experience of successfully managing and forecasting performance profiles
• Experience of writing impact reports
• Ability to work autonomously, fully accountable for managing and driving the services in your area to achieve excellence
• Self-management skills and the ability to prioritise competing deadlines effectively
• Effective project management skills and ability to think strategically to achieve long-term goals
• A natural, professional relationship builder with the ability to partner and negotiate with stakeholders
• Experience of creating and managing budgets, delivering on financial expectations and forecasting change
• Strong attention to detail with professional presentation and personality
• Experience working in rural areas
• Confident communicator with experience of public speaking
• Role model who will demonstrate our values, leading by example
• IT proficient with experience of competently using Microsoft packages, and CRM systems
• A full driving licence and access to a car, as travel is required in this role

We would love it if you had these:

• Experience of working in employability out with Scotland
• Experience of business development including bid writing
• Experience of working with people who have multiple/complex barriers
• Experience of leading managers and working with geographically dispersed teams

More information about the Operations Manager role, is included in our Job Pack. Please ensure you include a detailed personal statement, outlining how you meet the requirements. We want to hear why you are a good fit for this role and what skills and experience you can bring to our organisation, so please take the time to clearly outline this in your application statement.