Pure Insight are looking to recruit a Head of Operations and Organisational Development.
Role: Head of Operations and Organisational Development
Location: Hybrid—regular travel across service areas Stockport, Salford, Cheshire East, Warrington and Halton / weekly presence in delivery team area -Thursdays and every other Monday evening
Reports to: CEO
Salary: £47,500
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time (35 hours, flexible working considered)
Annual Leave: 24 days plus bank holidays, increasing to 26 days after 2 years and then up to 27 after 5 years employment
Benefits
· A friendly fun and supportive working environment.
· Great flexible working options.
· Extensive learning and professional development opportunities
· Employee Assistance Programme
· Extra days annual leave for your birthday.
· Option to join our Medicash scheme
About the Organisation
We are a relational, trauma-informed charity working alongside young care leavers to create safety, belonging, and meaningful opportunities for the future. Our practice centres on trust, compassion, and consistency. As we grow, we are strengthening our internal infrastructure to ensure that our teams can provide the highest-quality support and that young people continue to shape everything we do.
The Head of Operations and Organisational Development is a new strategic role that will lead and shape our operational, structural and business functions, enabling the charity to thrive and deliver relational, trauma-informed support across multiple areas.
Purpose of the Role
To provide strategic and operational leadership across business operations, service delivery, infrastructure, risk, HR processes, finance oversight, data, and income generation. The postholder will ensure the organisation is safe, well-governed, compliant, financially sustainable, and equipped to deliver high-quality, trauma-informed support for young care leavers.
This role acts as a key organisational anchor—creating clarity, structure and stability so that staff and young people experience a consistent, relational environment.
Initially this role will involve overseeing a front-line delivery team in one area, providing valuable experience in understanding the nature of the business and young people we support from the ground up.
Job Description
Strategic Operations & Leadership
Lead the development and implementation of organisational structures, systems and processes that uphold sustainable, safe, relational practice.
Support the CEO with organisational change and restructuring where required.
Provide senior leadership at a cross-organisational level, modelling relational, reflective practice.
Service Leadership & Management
Line-manage the Business Support Manager, Data/Impact Lead and oversee core operational workstreams (HR, Health & Safety, GDPR, Data/Impact, Website, Admin).
Line-manage one Area Team, ensuring reflective, relational supervision and supportive accountability.
Participate in the organisation’s safeguarding rota.
Ensure staffing structures, role clarity and workflow support effective service delivery.
Lead recruitment across the organisation ensuring service/skill gaps are addressed and trauma-informed processes, a positive candidate experience.
Organisational Structure, Policy & Risk
Lead on developing and embedding organisational policies and procedures.
Develop manuals, guidance and tools for key roles.
Strengthen internal processes to ensure clarity, consistency and relational ways of working.
Lead on organisational risk management (operations and business), ensuring risks are understood, monitored and mitigated.
Oversee and deliver project management for new initiatives or improvements—planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
Finance Oversight
Work closely with the CEO and Finance function to oversee budgets for each area and identify gaps, monitor expenditure and support financial planning.
Ensure financial decisions and future planning reflect organisational priorities and sustainability.
Income Generation
Support funding applications, ensuring timely, accurate and relational reporting to funders.
Identify and explore new funding streams that align with the organisation’s mission and values.
Reporting, Evaluation & Impact
Oversee organisation-wide reporting and outcomes data with CRM Data Impact Lead, ensuring systems are trauma-informed, ethical and meaningful.
Produce the annual Impact Report with support from Leadership Team and digital designer.
Ensure data collection and analysis strengthen learning, service quality and young people’s voices.
Lead on developing external evaluation processes and relationships.
Stakeholder Management
Build and maintain positive relationships with local authorities, funders, partners and community organisations.
Represent the charity at meetings, events and networks.
Promote the charity’s values, trauma-informed practice and mission in all external communication.
Stakeholder Management
Travel to any area where services are delivered.
Work from lead delivery area day per week (Thursday) and every other Monday evening.
Experience - Essential
· Significant senior operational or service management experience within the charity, social care, youth work or related sector.
· Experience leading teams—ideally including hybrid or multi-site teams.
· Experience managing organisational systems, processes, risk and/or compliance.
· Experience with budgets, financial planning or project financial oversight.
· Experience producing reports, impact data or funding applications.
· Experience developing or embedding policies and procedures.
Experience - Desirable
· Lived experience of the care system or experience working directly with young care leavers.
· Experience of organisational growth, restructure or change management.
· Experience of trauma-informed practice and relational leadership.
Skills and Knowledge - Essential
· Strong understanding of operational delivery, organisational governance and risk management in services supporting young people or vulnerable adults.
· Excellent project-management skills with the ability to lead multiple workstreams.
· Strong communication skills and the ability to build trust across teams and partnerships.
· Ability to analyse data, identify patterns and translate insight into practice improvements.
· Strong Knowledge of safeguarding responsibilities (additional training can be provided).
· High attention to detail and ability to produce high-quality written work.
Skills and Knowledge - Desirable
· Understanding of the needs, barriers and experiences of young people with care experience.
· Knowledge of GDPR, HR processes, H&S frameworks or quality assurance environments.
Qualities (Values-based)
These are essential and central to the role:
· Relational and trauma-informed mindset : able to lead with compassion, curiosity and consistency.
· Reflective and self-aware : understands how their leadership impacts others and welcomes feedback.
· Calm and grounded : able to hold boundaries and clarity in complex or fast-moving situations.
· Collaborative : works alongside staff, young people and external partners to co-create solutions.
· Organised and proactive : able to bring structure to the organisation without losing relational warmth.
· Ethical and integrity-driven : committed to safe, inclusive and values-led practice.
Additional Requirements
· Willingness to travel across regions.
· Willingness to work occasional evenings or weekends (scheduled in advance in addition to those specified).
· Enhanced DBS check.