Operations Manager
Complex Care (LD, Mental Health and Autism)
Supported Living and Residential
Leicester £55,000-£65,000, negotiable for the right person · Clear route to Associate Director
Some providers want a safe pair of hands to keep the lights on. This one wants someone to build.
Three new developments in the pipeline over the next 18 months, a service already growing, and two directors who are ready to step back and let an Operations Manager genuinely own operations and quality.
A growing, privately owned provider in complex care (learning disabilities, mental health and autism), across supported living and residential, is looking for an Operations Manager to take real ownership of operations and quality. You'd oversee a registered service plus supported living provision, line-manage experienced Registered Managers and senior teams who've been in post three years and genuinely know their stuff, and sit as the link between the directors and the front line. Around 80 staff. Roughly 3,000 care hours a week today, with three new developments in the pipeline over the next 18 months.
The directors are hands-on, but they want to step back from the day-to-day. That's the entire point of the role: to take it off their plate and own it.
Why it's worth a conversation:
1. A genuine route to Associate Director. The plan is for you to grow into it and eventually replace yourself.
2. Autonomy from day one. You'll be trusted to run it, not babysat.
3. A growth story you get to shape rather than inherit.
4. A team they describe as transparent, driven and pulling the same direction. The 100% internal job satisfaction isn't a number invented for a poster.
Worth being straight with you: this isn't a finished, perfect service. The team is strong and hungry to learn, but they want someone who'll challenge and lift them, not coast. If you're the type who enjoys building, that's a feature, not a flaw.
The non-negotiables:
5. Level 5 in Leadership & Management (or equivalent), minimum.
6. Operations or multi-site experience in supported living and complex care, ideally around the 5,000-hours-a-week mark.
7. A track record that sits firmly in the Good to Outstanding bracket. Requires Improvement or Inadequate histories won't land here.
8. Someone who can be trusted completely, and who talks about people (their team, the people they support, and yes, former employers) with respect.
Practical bits: site-based in Leicester, Monday to Friday with flexibility for the occasional night spot check. They're ready to move fast for the right person.
If this sounds like your next move,