Head of Operations-Restart

Head of Operations- Restart Scheme 

Permanent, Full-time 37 hours per week, Monday- Friday

Homebased role covering Wales and West Midlands territory

Up to £70,000 per annum plus car, bonus, and private medical cover

Serco are recruiting for a Head of Operations role to join our Restart scheme. This key role will take accountability for the delivery and performance of Serco’s Restart Scheme direct delivery operations. Serco currently deliver around 20% of our restart provision through our direct delivery sites located in Birmingham, Coventry, West Bromwich, and Cardiff. Through effective management, motivation, and leadership of a team of operations managers located at each of the delivery sites they will be required to ensure that delivery is standardised and optimised to deliver to the required performance. The role is home based but will require working from multiple delivery sites on a regular basis.

Our Head of Operations will support management teams to deliver consistently on primary objectives across each delivery site; the delivery of Tendered Performance Level outcome performance, consistent achievement of all CSS KPI’s, effective people management of their teams, and adherence to Serco’s delivery model, processes, and standard operating procedures. The Head of Operations will nurture and develop their leadership team to create a culture of high performance, exceptional quality of service and high levels of compliance, optimising delivery across direct delivery.

This post will be the point of contact between the direct delivery teams and corporate / shared services (e.g., HR, Recruitment, IT) and will be an active member of the Restart Senior Management Team, representing direct delivery teams in all SMT forums. You will also be responsible for ensuring that your team have the tools and support required to succeed in their roles, supporting the ongoing development of their direct reports as well as working collaboratively with the Performance Excellence team to iteratively improve and optimise service delivery.

Main accountabilities:

• Lead and manage successful delivery of key Performance Indicators, SLA’s & Customer Service Standards by across all direct delivery sites.
• Lead a team of Operations Managers, setting and meeting challenging targets and providing effective performance management, including the proactive management of under-performance.
• Oversee and guide the development and continuous improvement of Serco operations and services.
• Ensure compliance with contractual requirements across the team.
• Promote development and training across the contract, and address capability gaps to increase the overall performance of the team.
• Run system-generated reports and interpret contract performance data to ensure contract effectiveness.
• Take accountability for the resolution of operational, contractual and performance risks and issues as they arise.
• Ensure Operational Managers commit to a practice of continuous improvement and the sharing of best practice among the Serco network.
• Review workforce, demand planning and attrition data to ensure resources are sufficient to deliver Serco’s performance and financial targets.
• Build effective and productive collaborative relationships with the senior management team based on three key factors for success: mutual trust and understanding, openness and excellent communications, and a joint approach to managing delivery.
• Support the CPA with attendance at, and input to, the DWP’s Contract Performance Reviews.
• Act as a point of escalation within Serco’s complaints handling protocols, listening to participants’ complaints and identifying and facilitating solutions, or further escalating unresolved issues.
• Liaise with JCP District SPOC’s to ensure the relationship between referring JCP’s and Serco is productive and constructive, and issues are resolved quickly.
• Actively supporting succession planning and recruitment into Management roles to ensure that Serco direct delivery is effectively managed at all times.

What you’ll need to do the role:

• Extensive leadership & people management experience gained within the employability sector.
• Qualified to NVQ Level 5 (or equivalent qualification or experience).
• Demonstrable experience of employability programmes, operations and contract delivery.
• Demonstrable experience of leading high performing teams in a senior role.
• Experience of effectively analysing detailed management information to drive high performance across a range of metrics.
• Experience of carrying out effective performance and development reviews and effectively managing underperformance.
• Experience of resource planning and leading on recruitment processes and practices.
• Ability to effectively communicate at all levels, using a variety of communication methods (spoken, written, behaviour).
• Proven ability to build collaborative internal and external relationships at a senior level.
• UK driving licence

What we offer

• Up to 6% contributory pension scheme
• A range of benefits to support the health and wellbeing of you and your family such as Employee Assistance Programme, Simply Health Plans, Annual Leave Purchase Scheme and more
• Access to a huge range of discounts and exclusive deals such as Merlin Attractions, Mobile Phone discounts, Cinema discounts, Leisure and Hospitality discounts
• Committed to professional and personal development with a wide range of training and coaching opportunities to expand your capabilities 
• Up to 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Company car
• Bonus scheme
• Private healthcare

About Serco
At Serco, not only is the nature of the work we do important, everyone has an important role to play, from caring for vulnerable people to managing complex public services.  We are a team of 50,000 people responsible for delivering essential public services around the world in areas including defence, transport, justice, immigration, healthcare and citizen services. We are innovators, committed to redesigning and improving public services for the benefit of everyone.

By joining Serco you will have unlimited access to our Global Employee Networks – SercoInspire (Gender), SercoEmbrace (Multicultural), SercoUnlimited (Disability) and In@Serco (LGBT & Networks). Serco Employee Networks, led by colleagues who are passionate about diversity, inclusion and belonging. 

Apply
Please click on the apply button to complete your application. Occasionally we receive a large volume of applications for our roles and when that happens we sometimes bring the closing date forward, so please apply promptly to avoid disappointment. 

At Serco, we see people first and foremost for their performance and potential. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. As such we will make reasonable adjustments at interview through to employment for our candidates and strongly encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool. We are open to discussions around flexibility and flexible working. We operate a hybrid work structure in many of our business areas. We are proudly Disability Confident Leader employers and holder of the Gold Inclusive Employer Standard. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview.  For help with your application please contact 0345 010 4000.
 

At Serco we support fair access to employment for those with unspent criminal convictions through the ‘Ban the Box’ pledge (some may be exempt due to the nature of the role and the security clearance required). Please contact our recruitment team directly on 0345 010 4000 to discuss.