Chief Operating Officer

As COO, you will strengthen & modernise the charity's organisational foundations, lead our support services, driving digital & operational transformation, improve financial resilience, governance & enable delivery of our People & Culture Strategy. 

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Direct Reports: Finance Manger, Central Office & Facilities Manager, Data Officer (TBC)

Salary: Competitive - circa £55,000 - £65,000

Location & Flexibility

This is a hybrid role, with regular visits to our Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire centres to build strong relationships and attend Senior Leadership Team meeting.  You may also choose to be based at one of our centres.

What matter most to us is finding the right person (or people).  We are very open to part-time, job share, or compressed hours and we welcome conversations about flexible working.  Who you are, what you bring and the impact you'll have are more important to us than where or when you work.

About the Role

The prime purpose of the Chief Operating Officer is to strengthen the organisational foundations of Jerry Green Dog Rescue (JGDR) by leading and modernising the charity’s support services, developing scalable and efficient processes across the charity and leading the digital transformation, improving financial and compliance disciplines, and enabling the delivery of the People & Culture Strategy.

This role provides critical senior leadership capacity as the organisation enters a period of significant expansion—growing its income, workforce, and impact. The COO will build the systems, processes and capabilities required for a modern, accountable, data-led, financially resilient, safe, and high- performing organisation.

Working closely and collaboratively with the Chief Executive and wider Senior Leadership Team, the COO will drive operational excellence, champion continuous improvement, and ensure the organisation meets all regulatory and statutory obligations, enabling teams to deliver the charity’s purpose effectively.

The COO will transform the organisational foundations of Jerry Green Dog Rescue by leading and modernising our core support services and our processes. Change management will be core to success in this role in the early years.

What You’ll Be Responsible For

Strategic Leadership & Organisational Transformation

• Play a central role on the Senior Leadership Team, shaping and delivering long-term strategy
• Lead the transformation and modernisation of support services
• Embed a strong business-partnering culture across the organisation
• Design and implement scalable systems to support significant workforce growth
• Reduce reliance on the CEO by strengthening operational leadership capacity

Digital, Data & Systems Transformation

• Lead the charity’s digital transformation, introducing modern systems and automation
• Improve IT capability and digital confidence across teams
• Embed meaningful data, dashboards and management information to support decision-making
• Streamline processes to improve efficiency and eliminate duplication

People, Culture & HR Leadership

• Lead delivery of the People & Culture Strategy
• Embed modern, compliant and inclusive HR practices
• Strengthen capability across recruitment, employee relations, management development, EDI, GDPR and employment law
• Improve leadership and management capability across a diverse, geographically dispersed workforce

Finance, Procurement & Commercial Leadership

• Modernise financial planning, budgeting, forecasting and risk management
• Embed strong financial discipline and business partnering
• Introduce value-for-money, benchmarking and commercial frameworks
• Strengthen procurement, contract management and financial controls
• Provide high-quality financial insight to support operations, fundraising and retail

Compliance, Governance & Assurance

• Strengthen frameworks across health & safety, safeguarding, HR risk and quality
• Lead audit and assurance processes suitable for a growing organisation
• Oversee facilities and estate management with a focus on safety, efficiency and value

Executive Leadership & Line Management

• Provide strategic leadership to the Central Office team
• Redesign support services to align resources with organisational priorities
• Coach, mentor, and develop managers to build a high-performance culture

Who We’re Looking For

You’ll be a values-led, strategic leader with strong operational expertise and a genuine passion for building organisations that work well for people. You’ll be comfortable leading change, strengthening systems and processes, and bringing clarity and confidence during periods of growth.

Experience in the charity sector is welcome but not essential; what matters most is your ability to lead transformation with empathy, rigour and purpose.