Head of operations jobs in Edinburgh

About Us

The Early Education and Childcare Coalition unites the voices of parents, children, providers, early years professionals and the wider business community, working together for investment and reform of early education and childcare in England.

We believe that we all benefit from a well-functioning early education system and we all have a role to play in ensuring it works for children, parents and the economy.

We are backed by some of the most high-profile campaign and research organisations in the UK. Our members span providers, parent groups, trade unions, the business community and NGOs. Together, we use our collective voice and research to build public and political support for change.

This is an exciting time to join the Coalition. We have experienced significant growth in recent years and, with early years firmly on the political agenda, we expect this to continue.

About the role

• Hours: 30 hours per week (this can be worked over 4 or 5 days). We will consider other working patterns with a minimum of 3.5 days per week worked over 4.
• Duration: Two-year contract, renewed subject to funding
• Location: Home-working, can be based anywhere in the country
• Salary: c. £53,820 per annum FTE (£43,056 pro-rata for 4 days)

We are a remote team, with most colleagues based outside London. This role will support the whole organisation and requires occasional in-person meetings such as in-person team planning days which you will be expected to travel to.

We work flexibly and understand the realities of balancing work with caring commitments. We trust you to manage your time, but expect most hours to be worked within core office hours. To support effective remote working, all staff work on Thursdays.

This is a senior, cross-cutting leadership role sitting at the heart of the organisation. You will lead on operations, finance, HR and organisational systems, while working closely with the Executive Director and Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and the Board to ensure the Coalition is sustainable, well-run, and set up for growth and impact.

About You

You are an experienced operations leader with a strong track record of building and running effective organisational systems, ideally within a charity, social impact or policy environment.

You are equally comfortable developing strategy and rolling up your sleeves to deliver. You bring strong financial and organisational management skills, and are motivated by enabling high-impact teams to thrive.

You have experience working at senior leadership level and are confident operating across a small, fast-paced organisation where priorities can shift quickly. You are a systems thinker who can spot gaps, create structure, and improve how things work.

What You Can Expect to Be Doing

Function leadership

• Work as part of the Senior Leadership Team
• Contribute to organisational strategy, planning and growth
• Support organisational decision-making, balancing operational, financial and strategic priorities

Develop operations and organisational systems

• Oversee the day-to-day running of the organisation, ensuring efficient and effective operations
• Develop and implement systems, processes and policies to support a scaling organisation
• Take ownership of organisational infrastructure (e.g. CRM, internal systems, workflows)
• Improve internal coordination, planning and ways of working across functions

Financial management and sustainability

• Oversee day-to-day financial operations, including reporting, invoicing and payments
• Support organisational financial planning, forecasting and scenario modelling
• Work with external accountants/bookkeepers and ensure strong financial controls
• Support the Executive Director and Board on financial governance and decision-making

People management

• Ensure the organisation has robust HR systems in place, ensuring they reflect changes in legislation, support staff wellbeing and development and foster an inclusive and positive culture
• Lead recruitment, onboarding and staff contracts
• Support performance management, team development and organisational culture

Programme and contract management

• Oversee operational delivery of programmes and projects
• Manage funder agreements and contracts, ensuring compliance and reporting
• Support programme leads with planning, delivery tracking and coordination
• Strengthen systems for delivery and accountability

Governance and organisational support

• Support effective governance, including Board coordination and reporting
• Ensure strong administration of meetings, papers and decision-making processes
• Strengthen alignment between governance, strategy and operations

Cross-organisational leadership

• Act as a central coordination point across policy, campaigns, research and communications
• Support other heads of function to deliver effectively through strong operational systems
• Identify and address organisational capacity gaps, particularly in admin, finance and infrastructure

Person Specification

Essential

• Experience of working at senior leadership level
• Strong experience in operations and financial management
• Experience establishing or improving systems and organisational infrastructure
• Experience of HR processes and people management
• Experience supporting governance and working with senior stakeholders
• Ability to operate effectively in a small, fast-paced and growing organisation
• Strong organisational, problem-solving and communication skills

Desirable

• Experience in a charity, coalition, membership or policy organisation
• Experience supporting organisational growth or scaling
• Experience managing CRMs or digital systems
• While not essential, we would welcome applications from candidate who have either a HR or a financial qualification i.e. CIPD qualified or AAT qualification or similar level of experience and knowledg

The application process

Please apply with a CV and cover letter (no more than two pages) by the listed closing date. No agencies please. We recognise that the use of AI technologies can be useful in reducing the work that goes into job-hunting, however, we kindly request that you use your cover letter to evidence that you have understood the requirements of the role and provide examples of how you can meet the criteria.

The EECC is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion. We use anonymous recruiting during the application process and we use positive action under section 159 of the Equality Act in relation to disability or race. This means that if we have two candidates of equal merit in our process, we will seek to take forward the disabled or Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic candidate in order to diversify our staff team.

We regret that our small team does not have capacity to respond to unsuccessful applicants individually.

Timeline

• Closing date: 23:30, Thursday 11th June
• Notified for interview by: Tuesday 16th June
• Interviews: We expect this to be a two-stage interview process with first interviews held on either 24th or 25th June and second stage interviews arranged an agreed time.