Director of operations and volunteer management jobs

Are you passionate about tackling the issues faced by young people such as school absence, loneliness and career opportunities, and determined in supporting their development of life and employability skills? Then there is a place for you at WeMindTheGap. 

We are seeking a special person to fill a new role, Director of Operations. You will bridge the gap between our Board of Trustees, CEO and Operational Delivery. You will be responsible for turning our 5-year plan into high-quality sustainable action while ensuring that our culture remains the golden thread running through everything we do. To do this you will need to be able to effectively manage our growing team of circa 31 staff, line manage our Senior Leadership Team, maximise our yearly budget of roughly £1.7 million, and monitor and report on our Key Performance Indicators directly to our CEO.

Over the last decade, WeMindTheGap has walked alongside the most amazing young people aged 11–25yrs who have fallen through the gaps to find their place in the world. However, sadly, factors such as the Covid-19 pandemic mean that the need for our programmes is greater than ever.  

That is why we have launched an ambitious 5-year plan to deepen our impact and expand our ‘Villages’. Through our place-based approach and continuum of five programmes, we provide our 'Gappies' with work and life skills opportunities, a sense of belonging in their communities, and a chance to build independent, fulfilling lives. 

If you are an individual who thrives in social system changes, complex systems work, if you are driven by purpose and want to be part of an organisation that changes the lives of young people today and for our future generations, we want to hear from you. 

Location: In-person at our WeConnect Hubs (Wrexham, Flintshire, Cheshire) 
Salary: £50,000 
Hours: Full-time, 5 days a week (37.5 hours) 
Start Date: ASAP, ideally by 01/05/2026 (negotiable) 
Contract: Permanent 
Deadline: 12:00pm, 11th of March 2026

To find out more and how to apply, please download and read our full ‘Director of Operations - Recruitment Pack’. 

Please note, the deadline for applying is 11th March 2026 and if chosen for stage 2 you must be available for interview in-person on 31st March or 1st of April 2026.

Operations Transformation Programme Director

When registering to this job board you will be redirected to the online application form. Please ensure that this is completed in full in order that your application can be reviewed.

Interim Operations Transformation Programme Director 

Full Time/Fixed Term Position for 18 Months (potential for permanent role)

Our offer to you 

We pride ourselves in being a great place to work, providing a supportive culture with opportunities to grow and develop your career, achieve a healthy work life balance and to be recognised for the great work you do. You will receive: 

• Competitive salary and pension scheme
• 33 days holiday (inclusive of bank holidays) - increasing to 38 days over 5 years
• Hybrid, Flexible working
• Cycle to work scheme Electric Vehicle Scheme
• Health and Wellbeing portal – access to financial, health and wellbeing support and an Employee Assistance Programme
• Discounts – you will have access to Blue Light and NHS Discounts as well as discounts on mobile phones, gym membership, cinema tickets, restaurants, holidays and shopping 

 
About Us 

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a team of over 1,300 employees and over 28,000 volunteers, united by our goal of saving lives through essential first aid services, training and campaigning.  As a charity with rich heritage and a long history of serving humanity, we are proud of our past and excited about creating a healthier, safer, more resilient future.  

St John Ambulance works at the heart of communities, supporting and enabling them to access and receive physical and mental health first aid. We do this through developing and providing effective community response and outreach services (e.g. Ambulance Operations) and using our longstanding expertise to empower people with vital clinical skills and the confidence to use them such as our Volunteers and our Young Responders programmes. There is also a buoyant social enterprise network which delivers first aid training and supplies medical consumables to businesses and consumers.  And now with a new strategy and after a review of our current structures were recruiting to a new Operations Transformation Programme Director to help take our delivery to the next level and build our services. 
 
Job Summary 

As The Operations Transformation Programme Director, you’ll build and lead a new directorate driving major change across Estates, Fleet, Logistics and Supply Chain to ensure St John’s operational services are efficient, future‑ready and deliver outstanding support. Reporting to the COO, you’ll oversee Estates & Facilities, Fleet, Logistics, Clinical Equipment, Health & Safety and Business Continuity, managing a c.£22m budget. You’ll ensure that we implement our new Estates strategy, lead capital investment, transform contract management, and deliver a best‑in‑class logistics and supply chain model. Success means measurable performance improvements, achieving key transformation milestones, strengthening stakeholder relationships, and embedding a culture of innovation, inclusion and continuous improvement while ensuring value for money.

About You 

You will bring senior leadership experience from a large, complex organisation, with strong expertise in either estates and FM, or supply chain, logistics, medical devices and contract management. You will have led large, diverse and geographically dispersed teams, delivering major transformation and operational improvement programmes. Degree‑educated with relevant professional development, you will demonstrate inspirational leadership, excellent communication, analytical thinking, confident board‑level reporting, and proven budgetary management.

About the Role 

• Own and be accountable for the development and delivery of transformation plans for estates, fleet, logistics, and supply chain, aligned with organisational strategy and ensuring safety, quality, and efficiency
• To be accountable for the account management of key external providers across Fleet and Estates
• To hold overall accountability for a significant P&L and ensure adherence to plan delivering value and measurable improvements.
• Lead change initiatives, engaging stakeholders and driving adoption of new processes and technologies.
• To role model, empower and enable your people. To champion and exemplify compassionate, ethical and accountable leadership and St John HEART values.
• Establish and drive continuous improvement of KPIs and dashboards to measure and drive effectiveness across the various teams and the business and to ensure we meet internal and external compliance requirements, continually measuring and acting on customer/stakeholder feedback
• Cultivate relationships with external stakeholders, partners and customers.

Please see the job description for more detail (this can be viewed on our website or once you click apply) 

If you are a current St John Ambulance employee, please apply here: Click here 

For all other candidates, or St John Ambulance volunteers wishing to apply: please apply below 

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive high volume of applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible. 

St John Ambulance are committed to increasing the diversity of our team and making sure we best reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.   At St John, everyone is valued and supported to thrive, we have several networks including Multi Culture, Disability and Accessibility, Pride, Family and Carers and Women’s groups.  We do not tolerate any form of discrimination and engender a sense of belonging for all, by creating an environment of mutual respect, where we value unique differences and demonstrate authentic allyship. We believe passionately in equality, diversity and inclusion.    

'St John Ambulance is committed to safeguarding and we promote safe recruitment practice. Therefore, all successful applicants will undergo pre-employment checks, including DBS Clearance, as part of the onboarding process, if applicable to the nature of the role'. 

Please note: St John does not accept speculative CVs and will only review CVs sent in application for an advertised vacancy. 

Director of Healthcare Operations & Income

When registering to this job board you will be redirected to the online application form. Please ensure that this is completed in full in order that your application can be reviewed.

Director of Healthcare Operations & Income

Hybrid 

Full Time/Permanent

Our offer to you 

We pride ourselves in being a great place to work, providing a supportive culture with opportunities to grow and develop your career, achieve a healthy work life balance and to be recognised for the great work you do. You will receive: 

• Competitive salary and pension scheme
• 33 days holiday (inclusive of bank holidays) - increasing to 38 days over 5 years
• Hybrid, Flexible working
• Cycle to work scheme Electric Vehicle Scheme
• Health and Wellbeing portal – access to financial, health and wellbeing support and an Employee Assistance Programme
• Discounts – you will have access to Blue Light and NHS Discounts as well as discounts on mobile phones, gym membership, cinema tickets, restaurants, holidays and shopping 

 
About Us 

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a team of over 1,300 employees and over 28,000 volunteers, united by our goal of saving lives through essential first aid services, training and campaigning.  As a charity with rich heritage and a long history of serving humanity, we are proud of our past and excited about creating a healthier, safer, more resilient future.  

St John Ambulance works at the heart of communities, supporting and enabling them to access and receive physical and mental health first aid. We do this through developing and providing effective community response and outreach services including our Ambulance Operations and using our longstanding expertise to empower people with vital clinical skills and the confidence to use them such as SJA Volunteers, and our Young Responders programmes. There is also a buoyant social enterprise network which delivers first aid training and supplies medical consumables to businesses and consumers.  And now with a new strategy and after a review of our current structures were recruiting to a new National Head of Ambulance Operations to help take our delivery to the next level and build our services. 
 
Job Summary 

In a newly refreshed role, were looking for an outstanding individual, someone that will bring robust experience in aligned fields, is used to working in a challenging but rewarding environment, enjoys leadership and is genuinely driven by the cause of St John. 

We have huge ambition at St John to increase our income, reach and impact and as lead Director, you will hold overall responsibility and accountability for the Healthcare Operations Directorate encompassing Event Healthcare, Ambulance Operations and Community Healthcare delivery. You will drive the commercial ambition of your portfolio, shaping strategy, setting direction, and delivering against stretching targets. You’ll work closely with volunteer leaders across the organisation, forging strong partnerships that strengthen our impact and help us build new community centred healthcare provision. 

You will take the lead on our engagement with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and key external partners, regulators, stakeholders and commissioners, including Event Customers, ICBs, Trusts and the wider NHS. Central to the role is championing innovative, high quality, patient centred services that are reliable, financially viable, effective and continuously improving. You will provide visible, motivational leadership across your directorate, embedding our HEART values and positioning our services as an employer of choice beyond the NHS. Alongside fellow leaders, you will share collective responsibility for delivering the charity’s strategic objectives, while confidently managing a significant P&L of approximately £20m+.

About You 

You will be degree‑educated (with a relevant master’s desirable), ideally hold a clinical qualification such as Registered Paramedic. You’ll bring substantial senior leadership experience in large, complex organisations, with a strong track record in delivering ambulance or health service strategies, leading in CQC‑regulated environments, and managing a commercial operation of £20m+ with full P&L accountability. You’ll have experience shaping effective policies and processes, leading large staff and volunteer teams, and delivering complex change programmes. Exceptional interpersonal, influencing and people‑centred leadership skills, underpinned by emotional intelligence and collaboration, are essential.

About the Role 

• To lead and hold overall responsibility and accountability for our major services including Event Healthcare, Ambulance Operations and Community Healthcare delivery.
• To hold overall accountability for a significant P&L and ensure adherence to plan
• To ensure that our services are patient focused, responsive, safe, effective, well led, and sustainable, and hold overall accountability for CQC leadership and the highest standards of delivery.
• To role model, empower and enable your people. To champion and exemplify compassionate, ethical and accountable leadership and St John HEART values.
• Inspire excellence, compassion and commitment in your leadership team
• In collaboration with key colleagues, lead on the development of effective business and commercial development and marketing strategies that drive revenue surplus, enhance market share, and strengthen brand value.   
• Establish and drive continuous improvement of KPIs and dashboards to measure and drive effectiveness across the various teams, including Events and Ambulance Operations, and the business and to ensure we meet compliance of all Healthcare Operations contracts, continually measuring and acting on customer/stakeholder feedback
• Cultivate relationships with external stakeholders, partners and customers (including key Event customers, Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE), ICB’s, and NHS England), ensuring the Charity is well positioned to capitalise on potential business and funding opportunities

Please see the job description for more detail (this can be viewed on our website or once you click apply) 

If you are a current St John Ambulance employee, please apply here: Click here 

For all other candidates, or St John Ambulance volunteers wishing to apply: please apply below 

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive high volume of applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible. 

St John Ambulance are committed to increasing the diversity of our team and making sure we best reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.   At St John, everyone is valued and supported to thrive, we have several networks including Multi Culture, Disability and Accessibility, Pride, Family and Carers and Women’s groups.  We do not tolerate any form of discrimination and engender a sense of belonging for all, by creating an environment of mutual respect, where we value unique differences and demonstrate authentic allyship. We believe passionately in equality, diversity and inclusion.    

'St John Ambulance is committed to safeguarding and we promote safe recruitment practice. Therefore, all successful applicants will undergo pre-employment checks, including DBS Clearance, as part of the onboarding process, if applicable to the nature of the role'. 

Please note: St John does not accept speculative CVs and will only review CVs sent in application for an advertised vacancy. 

Do you have excellent financial management skills and a desire to make a difference to the world around you? Are you able to think strategically, focus on detail and help others to plan and manage  budgets to achieve their goals?

We are looking for a Finance Manager to run the day-to-day finance systems and processes of the Trust, managing the financial reporting and compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements. You will provide support and advise budget holders to help us achieve our vision of restoring nature on a grand scale in the West of England. 

This role offers the opportunity to make a real difference to our organisational effectiveness, working with managers, staff and Trustees to embed a culture of financial awareness and inform decision-making.  You will manage our small finance team, produce high quality financial information to support the effective management of the Trust, and support our Finance & Operations Director in reporting accurate and up to date financial information.

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the Senior Leadership team, the Director of Finance and Operations post is a key role within WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation.  Responsible for providing strategic leadership across finance and operational functions, the post holder will ensure WDC has the resources to deliver our mission, ensure WDC meets reporting and governance standards and ensure timely and efficient reporting to all levels of WDC employees, trustees and relevant external bodies and will ensure resources are deployed to maximise operational benefit.  Alongside this, this new position will lead core operational functions of Supporter Services (including leadership of the CRM), facilities and IT.

Do you share our vision to end youth unemployment?

The King’s Trust is seeking an exceptional individual to become Director of Delivery for Wales.You should share our passion for supporting young people to realise their potential and increasing our reach and impact. 

You will lead a team of colleagues, delivery partners and volunteers to turn our strategy into action, ensuring that our programmes reach those who need our help the most, by building partnerships, upholding our commitment to inclusion and safeguarding and growing our income. You will also develop and implement plans to achieve our four strategy goals of Tackling Inequality, Building the Nation’s Workforce, Being a Bold Voice for Change and Making Every Pound Count.To do this, you’ll need to able to engage and motivate a dispersed team and collaborate effectively across the whole organisation. You’ll also need to have an understanding of the challenges facing young people.

You will be a member of the Trust’s Senior Leadership Team, working with colleagues across the UK and will lead on a number of cross organisational projects.You’ll need to be visible across Wales and the wider organisation, working in our centre in Cardiff at least three days a week, as well as travelling to other centres and partner meetings in Wales and the UK as required. 

We are recruiting for a new general manager post.

Our General Manager will be a key member of Different Planet Arts small staff team. Working closely with the Artistic Director and the Board of Trustees as part of the Senior Management Team, you will manage and organise operational support for Different Planet arts programme, ensuring we provide an excellent service to our participants, partners and audiences. This role is suitable for someone building a career in operations.

We are looking for someone who can maintain and provide the right systems and structures to enable others to lead and create our arts projects, and provide ongoing, efficient admin support. You will manage and be responsible for our systems and processes for financial administration, fundraising, governance procedures and processes, monitoring and keeping the Different Planet Arts office running day-to-day as an administrative hub. You will work closely with our treasurer (who is responsible for creating quarterly Management Accounts.) 

This is an ideal role for someone with strong administrative or company management experience who wants to help shape the culture and infrastructure of our much loved award winning inclusive theatre company. 

The Operations Director is a  senior leadership role at St Stephen’s, helping turn vision and strategy into effective day-to-day delivery. A highly relational role, combining strong operational leadership with collaboration, trust-building and a genuine care for people. The person we are looking for will lead across people, finance, systems, buildings and operations helping the church respond to the Holy Spirit and deliver our mission well.

Southall Community Alliance (SCA) is a charity that has been working in Southall for
over 30 years. We seek an enthusiastic and experienced Operations & Capacity
Building Manager to oversee the project work of our charity over the next two years.
We are looking for a candidate with excellent interpersonal skills, community
engagement and fundraising experience and the confidence to manage and deliver
projects that will extend our work and enhance local networks.
You will report to the SCA Director and be part of the growing SCA staff team.
Title: Operations & Capacity Building Manager
Salary: £36,000 per annum
Duration: Full time, two year fixed term contract, with the possibility of an
extension subject to review.
Location : Southall Town Hall, 1 High Street, Southall, UB1 3HA
Annual leave : 25 days

Job Description
1) Managing delivery of SCA’s funded projects and project related staff
2) Community outreach and engagement with a diverse range of residents and
stakeholders
3) Work with adults and young people to arrange training on community
campaigning, capacity building and equality issues
4) Promoting work on social media or website to share good practice and case
studies
5) Arranging arts and creative activities to engage young people
6) Prepare publicity to promote awareness of activities arranged in partnership
with statutory and community based partners
7) Preparing agendas, minutes and other relevant materials relating to SCA
projects
8) Supporting the recruitment and supervision of volunteers
9) Provide support for preparing monitoring, performance and evaluation reports
relating to project activities
2
10) Identify and apply for funding opportunities to sustain SCA projects and core
work
11) To ensure inclusion and diversity in all aspects of SCA’s operation and work
12) To report to the SCA Board of trustees and advisory boards, as required
13) To undertake other such duties as may be assigned by the SCA Director from
time to time

Pattern Church was launched in December 2018 by the Diocese of Bristol as a Revitalisation Trust Resource Church with a vision of inviting people into family to serve Swindon. Since then, the church has grown rapidly, planted two new churches (The Well and The Light Church), and become a hub of mission and community life across the town.

The Director of Operations is part of the leadership of the church, providing the organisational, financial, and strategic backbone that enables mission and ministry to flourish. They will work closely with the Senior Leader, Trustees, and wider staff team to turn strategic vision into practical reality, ensuring strong governance, robust systems, sound stewardship, and an effective, faith-filled culture across all areas of church life.

Our team culture is shaped by GRACE—we are Growing, Reliant, All-in, Championing, and Expectant. Everyone gets involved. There is a clear sense of what we’re trying to achieve together in serving God and helping people find and grow in faith in Jesus. 

We are living in a moment of remarkable spiritual opportunity. Research shows a sharp rise in openness to faith among younger generations, something we see reflected in our own ministry and growth. The opportunities before us are significant, and the Operations Director will play a pivotal role in enabling us to step into this season with confidence and clarity.

For a full job description and information about how to apply, please head to the Pattern Church website.

Closing date: March 10th

Interviews w/c March 16th

To apply please send a CV and a cover letter by email. In your cover letter please highlight how your experience and skills relate to the job description and essential skills.

The Operations Manager will play a central role in ensuring the Joy building operates smoothly, safely and in line with Open Door’s values and ambition. Taking overall responsibility for day-to-day site operations, you will help create a welcoming, inclusive and well-managed environment that supports staff, tenants, partners and everyone who uses the building.

Working collaboratively across the organisation, you will oversee facilities, maintenance, compliance and operational systems, ensuring Joy is consistently clean, secure and fit for purpose. You will act as the main point of contact for contractors and suppliers, manage utilities and building systems, and take a proactive approach to health & safety, risk management and statutory compliance.

As a key operational lead within the building, the role will support events and programmed activity, working closely with the Commercial & Events Manager, Programming Manager and Access teams to ensure activities run safely and smoothly. You will also build positive day-to-day relationships with tenants and partners, and contribute to cross-site support as Open Door continues to grow.

Check out the candidate pack for full details.

Head of Programme Operations

Contract: Permanent, Full Time

Location: The role can be based in London, United Kingdom, Abuja, Nigeria or Kigali, Rwanda, subject to right to work eligibility in the respective countries.

UK hybrid working – a minimum of 40 % of working time is spent face-to-face (London office, external meetings or travel). 60/40 hybrid working at WaterAid means roughly three days wherever you work best and two days together in person.

Salary: Salaries and benefits will vary in line with the location of the successful candidate and depending on experience.

• UK: £68,000 - £74,000 per year with excellent benefits.
• Nigeria: NGN 64,968,462 – NGN 90,955,847 per year with excellent benefits. 
• Rwanda: RWF 73,661,730- RWF 89,738,798 per year with excellent benefits. 

Change starts with water. Change starts with you.

Every day, millions of people live without clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. WaterAid exists to change that – for everyone, everywhere. Join us, and your energy will help unlock people’s potential and create a fairer future.

About WaterAid

We’re a global federation driven by one vision: a world where everyone, everywhere has clean water, sanitation and hygiene by 2030. Powered by our values of Respect, Accountability, Courage, Collaboration, Integrity and Innovation, we work alongside communities, partners and supporters to make change happen.

About the Team

The Programme Operations team sits within WaterAid UK’s International Programmes Department (IPD), operating in 17 countries in Africa and Asia. The team is a diverse and motivated group of 14+ people made up of planning, monitoring, evaluation and reporting (PMER), project design and management, and programme systems specialists. They support global operational excellence, PMER, risk management, donor compliance and performance assurance across WaterAid UK’s country and regional programmes. Working in partnership with regional and country leadership teams, the function provides technical oversight, systems development and operational support to strengthen programme delivery and organisational accountability.

About the Role

The Head of Programme Operations leads the development, implementation and continuous improvement of WaterAid’s international programme operations framework. The role provides strategic and operational leadership across programme operations, business management, systems, risk and compliance.

Key responsibilities include overseeing IPD business management processes, supporting financial planning and performance reporting, acting as a delegated focal point for operational risk, and providing senior troubleshooting support on complex operational and management challenges.

The role works in close partnership with Programme Funding to ensure operational readiness for new donor opportunities and effective grant start-up and close-out. It also leads operational assurance processes, strengthens compliance with donor and organisational requirements, and supports capacity strengthening across regional and country teams.

In this role, you will:

• Provide Programme Operations Leadership
• Lead IPD Business Management and Support
• Drive Collaboration, Risk and Performance
• Oversee Systems, Compliance and Assurance
• Lead Capacity Strengthening and Support

To be successful, you’ll need:

• Proven experience in managing or overseeing large scale international programme operations in the INGO or development sector.
• Strong understanding of operational systems (finance, procurement, logistics, compliance) in multi country environments.
• Excellent relevant IT skills, primarily Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint and Word), but specifically relevant data systems that support high quality planning, monitoring and reporting.
• Experience of leading, managing and motivating others and driving change.
• Strong leadership and influencing skills, with the ability to build relationships and drive organisational change collaboratively.
• Experience working in complex matrix structures across multiple cultures.
• Strong analytical, problem solving and systems thinking capabilities.
• Demonstrated knowledge of donor compliance and grant management processes.
• Working style that reflects WaterAid’s values of Respect, Accountability, Courage, Collaboration, Integrity and Innovation.

Desirable:

• Experience in WASH, public health or community development sectors.
• Experience working with restricted and unrestricted funding portfolios.
• Relevant university degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Familiarity with WaterAid UK’s operating model and countries of operation.

Closing date: Applications will close 12:00 PM UK time on 3rd March 2026.   

How to Apply: Click Apply to answer the pre-screening questions upload your CV and cover letter.

Can I use Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology in my application? At WaterAid, we strongly advise against using AI technology at any stage of the recruitment process. Our goal is to ensure a fair and transparent process that provides every applicant with an equal opportunity to succeed. We value hearing about your unique experiences and perspectives in your application, and, if shortlisted, during the interview as well.

Pre-employment screening: To apply for this role, you must be able to demonstrate your eligibility to work in the respective country. All pre-employment checks will be carried out according to local law and WaterAid’s Safer Recruitment policy. All UK based roles require a basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Benefits

As a global organisation, WaterAid is committed to creating an environment where you can thrive and be yourself at your very best. Alongside our inspiring mission and meaningful work, we offer a range of benefits tailored to each country’s context and policies. These will be shared during the process

Our Global Commitment:

Our people promise

We will work with passion and focus to make sure everyone everywhere has clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. WaterAid is a place of purpose – where people have a real commitment and shared responsibility for the impact we have. We are a global community with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, motivated by inspiring, stimulating work. We are

determined to be a place where people feel safe and able to contribute their voice and truly live our values.

Equal Opportunities

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, beliefs, customs, traditions, ways of life and status. This includes, but is not limited to, race, ethnicity, caste, colour, gender, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, disability status, neurodiversity, age, marital and family status, sexual orientation and gender identity, health status, place of residence, economic and social situation.

Safeguarding

We are committed to protecting everyone we come into contact with. We have a zero- tolerance approach to abuse of power, privilege or trust across our global work, and to any form of inappropriate behaviour, discrimination, abuse, bullying, harassment, or exploitation. Safeguarding the people and communities we work with, our staff, volunteers and anyone working on our behalf is our top priority, and we take our responsibilities extremely seriously. All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks (which can include counterterrorism, safeguarding and criminal records checks).

Together, we’ll change the world through water.

Join us and be part of the change!

Assistant Director of Operations
Salary: £72,000 per annum
Work Pattern: This is a permanent contract, working full time, Monday to Friday, 37.5 hours a week.
Location: Your base can be at any of the 6 mainland UK Discovery Sites: Arundel BN18, Llanelli SA14, London SW13, Martin Mere L40, Slimbridge GL2 or Washington NE38. The 7th site is Castle Espie.
For this role we can offer the opportunity for hybrid working. It is expected the role will need you to be present at each of your sites on a regular basis, at least once per month.

About The Role

WWT is the charity for wetlands.

This is a critical role in the recently restructured Operations Directorate at WWT. As Assistant Director, you will be directly responsible for the performance of our 7 Wetland Discovery sites. You will provide inspiring and professional leadership to your teams, whilst proactively collaborating cross organisation and externally.

Your focus will be on driving meaningful improvements at sites across our three ambitions of Restore, Inspire and Thrive, with emphasis on financial performance driven by visitor experiences. Reporting to the Director of Operations, you will directly manage two Heads of Operations, a Head of Retail and Head of Catering. You will indirectly lead more than 400 staff and volunteers across Living Collections, Reserve Management, Visitor Experience, Trading, Marketing, Facilities and Grounds.

You will work closely with Health & Safety and Sustainability leads to ensure good governance and compliance at sites and across the Operations Directorate.

You will have a background working in visitor attractions or a very similar sector, coupled with a passion for purpose-led organisations and a keen interest in the environment. You will be an inspiring leader with high levels of emotional intelligence and values & behaviours that align with WWT.

About You

To join as our Assistant Director of Operations, you will need to evidence:

• Experience in a senior position(s) held in the visitor attraction/events management sectors, directly accountable for site operations and visitor experience throughout the visitor journey.
• Strong skills in leading business planning, financial analysis, budget development and management, and delivery of significant capital projects across £multi-million business unit(s).
• Demonstrable ability to recruit, performance manage and motivate large (>100) diverse multi-disciplinary teams.
• The ability to develop, communicate and implement strategic change, turning organisational vision into improvements at scale.
• An inspirational and empathetic leadership style, able to role model an organisation’s values and behaviours, and to evidence strong emotional intelligence. Able to prioritise effectively, to collaborate, network and influence internally and externally at a senior level.
• A highly creative and inquisitive mindset, able to spot and exploit potential opportunities, keen to explore, test and learn as a means of driving continual improvement and excellence in the visitor experience.
• Experience of working collaboratively with insight, marketing and communications teams to deliver strong brand and marketing campaigns which drive footfall.

About Us

We’re WWT, and we’re on a mission to restore the super-powered ecosystems we call wetlands. There’s never been a more important moment for our work, and we’ve got some phenomenal people on the case.

Whether they’re taking a new visitor under their wing, or conducting ground-breaking research further afield, our team are second to none. And there’s nothing we love more than watching them soar.

Whatever you do here, you’ll be helping to restore wetlands and unlock their power. So, the only question left is, what role will you play?

Why you’ll love working at WWT

• Wake up every day knowing your work is helping to restore wetlands, and our world
• Be surrounded and inspired by our team of passionate, dedicated people
• 33 days annual leave (which goes up to 38 days after 5 years of service) – this includes bank holidays and you have flexibility to take those days whenever you want
• Free entry to all our wetland centres, including your family
• Free car parking and secure bike storage areas
• Colleague discount on shopping and memberships
• Cycle to work scheme
• Contributory pension scheme
• Life Assurance of three times your salary, for peace of mind for your loved ones
• Independent personal, workplace and financial advice from our Employee Assistance Programme

Closing Date: 23rd February 2026

N.B. We reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive a sufficient number of applications from candidates who meet the required skills and experience. We therefore encourage early applications.

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

WWT is an equal opportunities employer and all applications will be considered solely on merit.

No agencies please.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone with excellent strategic, analytical and leadership skills to join Impetus as an Investment Director and support us in our mission to transform the lives of young people.

The Investment Director (ID) is a key member of the Investment Team, playing a leading role in identifying, assessing, and supporting portfolio partner charities and other non-profit organisations to deepen their impact and scale their outcomes. This role works closely with other Investment Directors and Investment Managers to deliver external facing support to portfolio partners as well as internal projects to support the development of the investment model and portfolio strategy.

Investment Directors use strategic thinking, analytical rigour, and senior relationship skills to support a portfolio of amazing organisations that, together, will help shift the life chances and outcomes of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in the UK.

About the Investment Team

The Investment Team is responsible for selecting portfolio partners, managing our charity investments and supporting our portfolio partners to improve and scale their impact.

The Investment Team also leads the Impetus Leadership Academy, a leadership development programme to support talent from ethnic minority backgrounds in the UK youth sector to progress into senior leadership roles.

The team is made up of 18 people, including former teachers, charity chief executives, charity impact leads, management consultants, social investment portfolio managers and impact consultants.  

The team is led by a Portfolio Director who sits on the Senior Management Team. The Portfolio Director has 5 direct reports: a Deputy Portfolio Director, three Sector Leads (who lead our work in School engagement, School attainment and Employment Sectors) and an Impact Lead. Sector Leads line manage 6 Investment Directors. Investment Directors line manage Investment Managers (currently 5). Investment Directors and Investment Managers tend to primarily focus on a sector but might have mixed portfolios, depending on need, experience and interest.

The Investment Team has a good track record of role progression. All four Leads and a number of our Investment Directors were promoted from within the team.

The team is passionate, rigorous, determined, creative and warm. We come from a range of backgrounds and bring a broad mix of perspectives.  We care deeply for our colleagues, our portfolio partners and the young people we serve.

About this role

We believe that all young people deserve to succeed in school and in work, whatever their background. As we enter a challenging time with rising inflation and a likely recession, our work feels more vital than ever before. We are pleased to be able to expand our team to support our growing portfolio of charity and non-profit partners, in order to reach and impact more lives. The role of Investment Director presents an exciting opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the charities we serve, the team itself and the whole of Impetus.  

Key responsibilities

Finding high potential charities and non-profit partners for our portfolio

• Identifying potential charitable organisations for investment 
• Leading in-depth due diligence process within the scope of a grant round, to assess and build partnership foundations with potential partners – covering leadership and governance, and their impact, scale, and partnership potential; 
• Modelling from first contact of origination, our approach to engaged and trust-based investment management support;
• Developing and presenting high quality investment propositions to our Investment Committee.

Managing partnerships with portfolio partners

• Managing relationships with partner Chairs and CEOs 
• Agreeing Service Funding Agreements, including appropriate annual investment milestones to allow for a clear assessment of re-investment potential at end of phase 
• Regularly monitoring and assessing partner progress / risks against milestones and making evidence-based recommendations on progression or exit to Leads, Portfolio Director and the Investment Committee
• Escalating key risks on performance, leadership and safeguarding 
• Conducting annual partnership review with Sector Leads and partner CEOs
• Working with Impetus Finance colleagues to ensure timely distribution of grant payments, in line with Service Funding Agreements. 

Supporting portfolio partners 

• Providing direct support to CEOs and senior colleagues on key strategic topics, using a mix of at least monthly one-to-one meetings and group facilitation to:
  • clarify theory of change,
  • define long term ambition,
  • develop growth strategy
  • achieve a step change in the delivery and performance management of outcomes,
  • strengthen leadership (individual and collective) and governance capabilities,
  • develop path to scale,
  • build financial resilience;
• Scoping and project managing pro bono capacity-building projects (in addition to providing direct management support). Ensure projects are delivered to a high standard and contribute to charity progression;
• Identifying engagement opportunities for our donors and supporters with portfolio partners that are aligned with the partner’s activities and do not distract or undermine their core work;
• Collaborating with the Impetus Philanthropy team to support the development of additional funding opportunities for portfolio partners, enhancing their ability to deliver impact at scale;
• Effectively leveraging the support of investment managers to advance the objectives developed for each portfolio partner that is managed by an Investment Director.

Support to Impetus

• Developing expertise about “what works” in the sector through cultivation and use of expert input and engagement as well as investigation into key research and evaluative literature;
• Contributing insights and learning from portfolio work to inform Impetus’ strategy, model and delivery;
• Contributing to internal priorities and working groups (e.g. team strategy discussions, digital improvement initiatives, or equity, diversity, and inclusion)
• Contribute towards Impetus’ public affairs and philanthropy objectives through input into case studies, research and policy campaigns, donor reports and fundraising events
• Sharing the learning from our work across the team, across the organisation and externally working within Impetus strategy and agreed forums
• Engaging in Impetus pro bono, communications, and advocacy events, and engage portfolio partners appropriately in these events.
• Where appropriate, line-managing and supporting Investment Managers on the team to grow and develop, and achieve their project, role and team objectives.

Person specification

Essential

• A commitment to Impetus’ mission.
• Senior level responsibility and a strong track record of building trust-based relationships with senior stakeholders, advising them on key strategic decisions, and challenging them in a respectful and collaborative manner.
• A talent for strategic thinking around complex issues.
• Strong financial acumen and analytical skills.
• Understanding of impact measurement and evaluation fundamentals.
• Tenacity and initiative.
• Ability to flex personal style to needs of charity and leadership.
• Growth mind-set to seek out and act on feedback.
• Proven ability to work independently, and to exercise good judgment.
• Strong planning and time management skills.
• Interest in partnering closely with charities that are doing what it takes to get better.
• A commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.

If you don't tick all these boxes, but still feel that you fit the profile, please apply anyway.

Desirable

• Experience in the non-profit (charity or social enterprise) sector, through work, as a pro-bono volunteer or Trustee capacity.
• Experience in consulting, investment management, senior charity management, or other in-depth grant making and advisory work.
• Knowledge and expertise in UK education or youth employability sectors.
• Board experience in private, public or third sector.
• Understanding of or experience with commissioning impact evaluations.