Independent living director jobs in Liverpool, merseyside

Director of Operations

Lead with Purpose. Shape the Future of Christian Care.

Pilgrims’ Friend Society has been providing Christian care to older people for over 200 years. Today, as the UK faces an unprecedented ageing population, we are growing to meet the challenge and we need an exceptional leader to help us deliver our vision of fulfilled living for older people.

We operate 12 care homes and 9 housing schemes across England, with ambitious plans to expand to 15 homes and beyond. Our mission is clear: to provide outstanding care rooted in Christian values, and to partner with local churches so that older people experience dignity, community, and the love of Christ.

About the Role

As Director of Operations, you will:

• Lead and oversee our portfolio of established care homes and housing schemes.
• Ensure regulatory compliance, quality of care, and financial sustainability.
• Drive operational excellence, innovation, and efficiency through systems and processes.
• Work closely with our Executive Team to deliver our Growth and Renewal Programme, including new builds and acquisitions.
• Inspire and develop a talented team of managers and operational leaders.

This is a senior leadership role with significant influence on the future of our organisation and the lives of hundreds of older people.

About You

• We are looking for a strategic, values-driven leader who brings:
• Significant experience in adult social care operations or a closely related sector.
• Strong knowledge of regulatory, Health & Safety, and compliance frameworks.
• Proven ability to deliver quality and financial targets at scale.
• A collaborative leadership style, with a commitment to developing people and culture.

A personal Christian faith and alignment with our basis of faith(a genuine occupational requirement under the Equality Act 2010).

Why Join Us?

• Be part of a growing organisation with a clear vision and calling.
• Influence how society values older people and supports churches in ministry.
• Work in a culture that prioritises prayer, faith, and excellence.
• Competitive salary, generous holiday, pension scheme, and life assurance.

The Pilgrims’ Friend Society is a long-established Christian charity supporting older people to live well in safe, caring communities. We are seeking an experienced and inspiring Housing Operations Manager to lead our housing services and shape their future.

This is a pivotal role, driving the delivery of our Housing Strategy, ensuring excellent tenancy and estate management, and leading housing managers to achieve high performance, strong compliance and outstanding resident satisfaction.

You will provide visible, pastoral leadership to housing managers and residents, fostering cohesive teams, engaged communities and well-run schemes. You will oversee budgets, service charges, health and safety, safeguarding and GDPR, while ensuring our properties remain clean, safe and attractive. Resident engagement sits at the heart of the role, including meetings, consultation, prayer and community building.

Have a watch here of "What it means for us, to work in a Christian Care Home like ours:" https://youtu.be/uCa1_BtS34w

For more information, please read the job pack

Key responsibilities

• Lead delivery of the Housing Strategy 2025–30 and action plans
• Line-manage and support housing managers, promoting accountability and innovation
• Oversee allocations, tenancy and estate management, and resident engagement
• Ensure full compliance with housing legislation, policies and audits
• Manage budgets within agreed tolerances and monitor service charges
• Drive improvements in resident satisfaction, wellbeing and community life

About you

• At least 3 years’ management experience in social or supported housing
• Strong people leader with a supportive, values-driven approach
• Confident managing budgets, compliance and performance
• Highly organised, adaptable and IT-literate
• Willing to travel nationally and work flexibly, including on-call cover

*Applicants must be evangelical Christians (This role has an Occupational Requirement to be filled by a Christian under the provisions of the Equality Act (2010)).

Hours:

40 hours per week, usually worked over 5 days.

"On-call" cover required to meet demands

Benefits:

• Company car available if required
• Remote working
• Ongoing and continuous training and development
• Ongoing support from management
• Being part of our friendly and committed staff team
• Employee assistance programme
• Perkbox rewards
• Team events
• Paid DBS checks
• Pension scheme
• Recommend a Friend Scheme
• Medicash

— What our staff say about working at Pilgrims' Friend Society: …“a loving and supportive company …" —

Pilgrims’ Friend Society is a registered charity. Our Christian ethos is central to everything we plan and do. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds.

We are committed to having a diverse senior management team and we encourage applications from disabled and Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic candidates, as these groups are underrepresented on our senior management team at present.

Please note: this vacancy may close sooner if sufficient applications have been received so please apply as soon as possible if interested.

Are you a dynamic and results-driven professional with a passion for retail management? We are seeking an experienced Area Manager to oversee c 11 home stores across Nort West England.

If you thrive in a fast-paced environment, have excellent leadership skills, and a keen eye for business development, this role is for you!

This is a field based to role, therefore willingness to travel to various sites and a full UK driving licence is essential.

What does this role involve:

The Area Manager will work closely with the Regional Manager and fellow Area Managers of both facias to ensure BHF values are upheld, and our ambitious targets are met.

You will need your combined skills of strategic leadership, team management and operational excellence to succeed:

• Drive commercial awareness throughout your area to maximize sales and profit
• Maximise performance by leading diverse teams, ensuring everyone lives by and demonstrates our values
• Ensure commercial performance is maintained within your area

What we are looking for:

• Experience in retail management, preferably overseeing multiple stores.
• The ability to motivate and guide teams toward achieving goals.
• A strong understanding of retail operations, financial metrics, and market trends.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• A proactive approach to addressing challenges and finding solutions.
• The willingness to travel within the designated area.

1st stage interviews will be held via Teams on 11th February 2026

What’s important to us?

At the British Heart Foundation (BHF) we offer a huge range of new and used quality furniture, clothing, jewellery and more, available in store and online.

In addition to raising funds for the BHF, we connect with our local communities and help reduce clothing and furniture waste across the UK. With over 700 stores we make a huge environmental impact by preventing around 70,000 tonnes of unwanted items going to landfill every year. We receive 1.6 million items donated to our home stores and 9.8 million bags of donated items and we will continue to build upon our reuse agenda in the years to come.

Everything we do comes back to funding lifesaving research for all heart and circulatory conditions. We are more ambitious and determined than ever – because the cures and treatments we need are in sight. You could be part of getting us there sooner!

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy, Igniting Change, along with our internal EDI group, Kaleidoscope, and a growing number of employee network groups (our Affinity Groups), help us create an environment where all our colleagues and volunteers can succeed.

Why join the BHF?

We have a strong culture of internal progression and will actively support you to develop your career.

Our generous staff benefits include:

• 38 days annual leave (plus the option to buy and sell leave)
• Holistic support leave of up to 10 additional days off each year
• Enhanced family policies (maternity, paternity and adoption leave)
• 25% staff discount
• Health cash plan (Dental, Optical, Therapies, etc)
• Access to a 24/7 Virtual GP and Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Pension with employer contribution of up to 10%
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounts on gym memberships
• Discounts with a wide range of retailers

Ready to apply?

To apply, please follow these simple steps:

1. Click the “Apply” button below.
2. You’ll be seamlessly redirected to the BHF Careers page.
3. Complete the application form, submit your CV and upload your employment history.

What do I need to know? 

Inclusivity Matters: We’re committed to fairness and consistency. As part of this commitment, we use anonymous CV software during the application process

Act Swiftly: Early applications are encouraged. We’ll be reviewing submissions throughout the advertising period and may close the advert early

Sponsorship: Please note that we are unlikely to be able to sponsor applicants in respect of this role due to the role not meeting the minimum salary criteria to be eligible for sponsorship.

Should you need any adjustments to the recruitment process, at either application or interview, please contact a member of the Recruitment team.

Reporting to: Co-Executive Director

Benefits:

25 days annual leave per annum, plus UK public and bank holidays (pro rata)
Office closure for a week in December and August
Annual leave allocation increases annually by one day (up to a maximum of five days)
10% employer pension contribution
Other standard Foxglove benefits 

About us

Foxglove is a non-profit that exists to make the use of technology fair for all. When Big Tech companies abuse their power, their workers or the planet – and when governments use technology to oppress, exclude or discriminate – we litigate and campaign to fix it.  

Big Tech companies have become so large – gobbling up a huge slice of the global marketplace and an unprecedented treasure hoard of user data – that they’re now more powerful than many states. The harmful effects of this concentration of power are everywhere – threats to our democracy, to our privacy, decimated workers’ rights and platforms rife with disinformation and hate. Big Tech and AI data centres are rapidly expanding, resulting in huge strain on energy and water supplies. Worldwide governments are ploughing ahead with the use of algorithms and mass data systems to cut costs and increase efficiency often resulting in digital tools that entrench unfairness and leave the most vulnerable in society in crisis. All these problems are only getting worse with generative AI. 

Foxglove works to bring the rule of law to the tech and AI giants who have upended our public square, workplaces, and social lives. We have a strong track record. We’ve launched landmark cases seeking structural changes to big tech’s harmful business models, supported 180+ Facebook content moderators fired for trying to form a union to sue Facebook and their outsourcing company, Sama – winning world-first judgements. We're urging competition regulators worldwide to stop Google’s theft of independent news. We’ve filed the UK’s first legal challenge to a data centre permission decision over the government’s failure to properly assess their environmental impact. We’ve forced disclosure of secret contracts between tech giants and the NHS, stopped a racist Home Office visa streaming algorithm, helped make grading fair for UK A level students, forced the government to pause the NHS Data Grab and challenged the Department of Work and Pension’s use of an algorithm unfairly flagging disabled people for benefit fraud investigations.

We are a small but growing team of lawyers, communications experts, and campaigners. Our work is global, and we work in partnership with lawyers, civil society, unions, and people impacted by Big Tech.

The role

As Head of Operations, you will lead all operational functions of Foxglove. You will ensure that our finance, HR, legal compliance, fundraising, systems and internal processes enable the organisation to carry out its mission effectively. You’ll work across Foxglove and closely with leadership, as well as with external partners to build a resilient and well-governed organisation, able to manage growth and complexity while staying mission driven. This role manages one member of staff and multiple consultants.

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Financial Management & Accounting

1.Oversee financial operations: budgeting, forecasting, cash flow, expenditure controls, financial reporting, payroll.

2.Ensure compliance with accounting standards, audit requirements and donor / funder financial reporting obligations.

3.Manage relationships with external accountants, auditors, banks, and financial service providers.

4.Ensure appropriate and best practice financial policies and controls are in place. 

5.Ensure financial risk is identified and managed appropriately.

Fundraising & Development

1.Contribute to the organisation’s fundraising strategy in collaboration with the Co-Executive Directors and Head of Strategy.

2.Ensure systems are in place to track and manage grants, philanthropic donations, and other income streams.

3.Support the preparation of funding proposals and reports and ensure accurate and timely reporting to funders.

4.Support relationship management with key donors, foundations and partners.

Operational Systems & Processes

1.Develop and maintain efficient operational processes and systems (e.g. finance, HR, IT, data protection, office management).

2.Ensure proper policies and procedures are in place for procurement, vendor management, travel & expenses, and record-keeping.

3.Oversee the infrastructure that supports remote / hybrid working, ensuring tools and systems support collaboration, security, and productivity.

Compliance, Risk & Governance

1.Lead on organisational compliance: legal, regulatory, health & safety, data protection / GDPR, employment law.

2.Ensure the organisation’s policies and procedures are best practice, legally compliant and up to date.

3.Establish and monitor risk management frameworks and our risk register.

4.Support governance structures (internal reporting, director meetings etc.), ensuring decisions are well informed and documented.

Human Resources & People Operations

1.Oversee recruitment, onboarding, performance management, and staff development.

2.Ensure policies on equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing are embedded in how we work.

3.Foster a positive culture in line with Foxglove’s values.

Team Leadership & Collaboration

1.Lead the operations team, ensuring clarity of roles, responsibilities, performance and support.

2.Work closely with the rest of organisation including the legal teams and advocacy to ensure operations enables, not hinders, impact.

3.Contribute to organisational strategy, helping translate strategic ambitions into operational plans.

Person specification

Below are the essential and desirable criteria for a successful candidate.

Essential

·Minimum of 5-7 years of senior operations / finance / business operations experience, including line management 

·Strong experience of budgeting, forecasting, audit & financial compliance 

·Excellent strategic thinking and planning skills, able to bridge between high-level strategy and operational detail 

·Strong risk-management and governance experience; familiarity with compliance, data protection / GDPR, employment law etc. 

·Highly organised and able to manage multiple priorities; excellent time-management skills 

·Excellent verbal and written communication skills; ability to present complex operational, financial or legal information clearly 

·Strong collaboration skills; ability to work across teams; good leadership and people management skills

Desirable 

·Qualified accountant (e.g. ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent), with proven experience in financial oversight and reporting

·Experience of operating in non-profit / mission-driven / legal organisations 

·Legal or compliance experience

·Experience of international operations, dealing with cross-border legal / regulatory issues 

·Experience of change management and scaling teams or systems 

·Understanding of, or interest in, legal, tech justice issues 

·Experience of hybrid / remote team leadership

·Experience with fundraising finances, grants management, donor reports

Length and salary

This is a permanent full-time role with six-month probation period. 

How to apply

Please make your application via the link to Applied provided by 9am on Tuesday 10 February (please disregard Charity Jobs' deadline), answering the application questions and uploading your CV. We will not review applications sent via a job board or to our email. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis with first round interviews likely to take place in mid February for selected candidates.

Foxglove does not use AI in its recruitment processes, except to detect applications for AI use. As a tech-justice organisation, we ask the same of our candidates.

Foxglove is growing and we are striving to build a team that is inclusive. We will create a diverse and adaptable environment where we support people to do their best work. We believe an effective and creative team is made up of people from different walks of life. You can read more about how we work and what we offer our staff on our website. 

If you require any reasonable adjustments to complete this process, or have any questions, please get in touch with us.

If you would like to know more about how we process your data as part of the recruitment process you can read our recruitment data use policy on our website.