Job title: Operations Manager
Contract: Permanent, with a three and six month review
Salary: £40,000 per annum, pro rata
Hours: Part time, 16 hours per week set flexibly across the week, could be every morning for 4 days per week or 2 full days per week (ideally Mondays and Wednesdays)
Location: Remote/ Home working within reasonable distance of London/ West Sussex to attend occasional team meetings for which reasonable expenses will be reimbursed
Application deadline: 5pm, Friday 29th September
About us
The Ideas Alliance CIC is a social enterprise that wants public services to work in partnership with local people, not to or for them. We partner with the brave pioneers and innovators who want to adopt this way of working. We use collaborative and community-based approaches to build bridges between communities and organisations – between stories and strategy.
We are a remote organisation with a small central team of staff (including Directors). We work across the UK on projects with local authorities, health organisations, community groups and charities. We operate as a small consultancy with brilliant Associates who work with us on a project by project basis. Our Associates are all experts in this style of working with heaps of community-based experience in collaboration, commissioning and co-production. We also publish great ideas and inspiring stories about this work on our Ideas Hub.
Our small team is looking for someone with a strong background in Operations to help us run as effectively as possible.
About the role
We are looking to recruit an experienced Operations Manager to work alongside our Business Manager and closely with our Directors to ensure the smooth, compliant and effective running of the company and its multiple projects. This will be a core role with operational oversight across the organisation.
We are looking for someone to maintain our operations function as they currently are, and be confident in reviewing them, bringing in new ideas, approaches and implementing appropriate changes and new processes based on experience and insight. With this position we are excited to bring in new expertise to make our processes and core function more robust and streamlined whilst maintaining our high quality outputs.
You will be methodical and able to manage multiple workstreams. A skilled organiser and confident manager you will be responsible for ensuring projects are set up and closed effectively and compliantly. You will be responsible for monitoring and following up with project teams and project leads to ensure the right processes are followed and that correct contracts and procedures are in place. Within the organisation you will lead on HR, data protection and operations across the organisation (with our Business Manager carrying out all day to day financial administration). You will be the main contact point for our Financial Director, line manage our Business Manager and report to our Directors.
This is not an entry-level role. You will have proven experience of successfully managing operations in a small or medium sized organisation. You will need to work across an administrative – operational – strategic spectrum as suits a small organisation and appreciate the flexibility and creativity required in such a role. No job will be beneath you and no job above you in terms of taking responsibility, contributing to the success of the organisation and working alongside the Directors.
Responsibilities would include:
General
- Responsible for tracking and logging projects starts, finishes and checking in on progress with project teams and supporting high quality deliverables
- Updating our pipeline of prospective projects and project overview
- Managing and tracking processes for the start and finish of external projects with clients and Associates. Ensuring correct contracts, paperwork and processes are all in place and procedures maintained
- Acting as Data Protection Officer for the organisation: ensuring Data Protection GDPR requirements are met and processes followed across central and project teams
- Maintaining, updating and implementing general company policies and procedures – coordinating and seeking internal and external support when required (e.g. from HR/ Data Protection specialists/ trainers)
- Leading on sharing any new or updated policies and procedures across the wider team (including Associates) and sending reminders about processes as needed
- Leading on weekly team meetings – organising and getting input on agendas and circulating main actions
- Leading weekly check ins with our Business Manager
- Joining our Business Manager for regular check ins with our Financial Services Director
- Attending monthly company budget meetings, recording minutes and actions
- Organising quarterly Board Meetings, confirming times, dates and inviting members
- Attend and contribute to sections of Board meetings relating to finance and operations
- Compiling operational reports for Board meetings and other internal meetings as required
- Compiling our yearly CIC annual report alongside our Business Manager
- Managing our online file storage: including reviewing, archiving and deleting data as required in line with data protection and project contractual specifics
- Compiling shared resources and guides as needed for project work and internal activity
- Line managing our Business Manager
- Supporting our Business Manager with ad hoc requests and queries
- Helping to arrange internal activities and projects as and when needed, such as team away days
- Managing our Google Workspace account
- Adhering to company financial and record management systems
- Undertaking other such duties as may be required to ensure the effective running of the organisation
Financial
- Having oversight of our cashflow using FLOAT (training provided on use of FLOAT)
- Working with our Business Manager to track internal and external project spending
- Advising Directors on project budgets, our Associate and client rates and working closely with our Business Manager and Directors to address any issues or changes
- Producing and circulating to Directors our fortnightly Financial Dashboard (training provided)
HR
- Inductions for Associates and any new staff
- Maintaining HR policies and staff contracts, monitoring annual leave and developing/ updating policies as we grow
- Keeping abreast of policy in relation to how we work with our Associates
Experience
Required:
- Previous experience in an operational management role, preferably for a small/ medium charity or organisation
- Experience of managing multiple projects at one time
- Experience of managing and tracking budgets
- Confident using online systems and learning to use new apps, platforms and software
- Experience of developing and updating general policies
- Good knowledge of data protection and GDPR
- Good knowledge of HR procedures and policies
- Experience of setting and working to targets, tight budgets and deadlines and supporting/ managing others to do so
- Experience of producing reports on organisational outcomes, outputs and financial activity
- Experience of identifying operational opportunities, issues and managing change
- High level of record keeping and accurate, detailed filing
- Must be confident using and managing online storage systems (Google Drive)
- Must be confident using Microsoft Office, Docs, Excel and PowerPoint
- Experienced at making contributions at a management level and shaping an organisation
Desirable:
- Experience of working in a start-up organisation building processes and procedures from scratch to suit an organisation
- Experience or knowledge of working in the public sector, specifically health and social care sector
- Experience using finance software such as Xero and or/ Float
- Experience using any or all Slack, Eventbrite, WordPress
- Financial management experience – any experience involved in managing budget, invoices, payroll, preparing accounts etc would be of benefit
- Experience using Google Workspace/ Google Drive
- Experience of managing a Google Workspace admin account
- Knowledge of safeguarding policies and procedures
Access
This is a remote working role. We are open to discussing flexible working and adapting our process in conversation with applicants. If you have any access needs we can support as part of the application process, please let us know.
Equal opportunities
At the Ideas Alliance we are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills. Our vision statement is a role for everyone and we are striving for a world where the diversity of skills and perspectives of all people who live and work in a local community are valued and utilised. We want to bring this mindset to our recruitment and we follow the guidelines of the Equality Act. So we encourage applicants from people identifying with any of the Equality Act’s protected characteristics.
To help us become a more equal organisation we ask that if you apply for this role you complete our Equality and Diversity form. This is voluntary and anonymous and the information you provide will only be used for monitoring purposes. (If you have any problems with the link, please let us know).
How we will use your data
We collect, process and store your data as part of our recruitment process. We will only use the data you provide to us for the recruitment process. Please read our privacy notice for full details of how we process the data you provide us as a job applicant.
How to apply
Please email us your CV and a supporting cover letter (letter no longer than 2 pages) by 5pm on Friday 29th September. Send them to our Business Manager Liz Tratt at liz@ideas-alliance.org.uk
Alternatively you can send your cover letter as a video or audio file if you prefer.
Shortlisted candidates will be informed by Monday 9th October. First interviews will take place via Zoom on Wednesday 18th October. Second interviews will take place on Friday 20th October.
If you are shortlisted for this role, but cannot make one of the interview dates we will work with you to try and find an alternative mutually convenient time. We are also open to considering evening interview times on the above dates if required.
We would be happy to speak to candidates who want to discuss the role ahead of applying. Please email any questions to liz@ideas-alliance.org.uk and we will get back to you.