Keychange is a Christian charity with a proud history of supporting people invulnerable situations for over a century. We believe that everyone has dignity and worth, and that people thrive best in communities where they are known, valued and supported. Across our care homes and housing communities, we seek to provide support that goes beyond compliance and is rooted in compassion, excellence and Christian values.
We are now seeking a Director of Operations to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our services and ensuring that our vision is lived out every day across the organisation.
The role
As Director of Operations, you will be a key member of the senior leadership team, working closely with the CEO and Board to translate strategy into high-quality, sustainable delivery with exciting future developments ahead.
You will provide strategic and operational leadership across 7 care homes and 3 housing communities in the south of England, leading and supporting a talented operations team to deliver safe, effective and person-centred services.
Key responsibilities include:
- Providing visible leadership that embeds Keychange’s Christian vision, values and culture across all services
- Leading and overseeing multi-site operations, ensuring consistently high standards of care, safeguarding and support
- Holding accountability for regulatory compliance, quality assurance and service improvement
- Driving operational excellence, innovation and efficiency through effective systems and processes
- Ensuring services are financially sustainable, working closely with finance colleagues on budgets and resources
- Developing, coaching and inspiring senior managers and leaders to perform at their best
This is a senior role with real influence – both on the strategic direction of Keychange and on the lives of hundreds of people we support.
About you
We are looking for a values-led, strategic and credible leader who brings:
- Senior leadership experience within social care, housing, homelessness or a closely related sector
- A proven track record of leading multi-site services and managing senior operational leaders
- Strong experience of working within regulated environments and delivering high-quality, compliant services
- Sound financial and commercial awareness, with experience of managing budgets and resources of a similar scale to Keychange (250 staff across 10 sites)
- A passion for developing people, culture and values-driven practice
- A personal commitment to the Christian faith and active agreement with the Keychange mission, vision and faith basis. (This is a genuine occupational requirement under the Equality Act 2010)
You will be someone who combines strategic thinking with practical delivery, and who leads with integrity, humility and purpose.
What we offer
This is a rare opportunity to take on a senior leadership role where your professional expertise and Christian faith can make a lasting and meaningful difference.
The role involves regular travel across our sites in the south of England with flexibility around base location.
Registered Charity
101 - 500
To focus on developing and encouraging community for vulnerable adults by seeking to address the risks in society of increased loneliness.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Job Title - Research Manager
Contract – 1-year fixed term contract
Work pattern - Full time or 0.8 FTE (for flexible working, including term time working)
Salary - £42,000 - £48,000 per annum (or pro rata)
Location - Flexible, with an expectation of working at Coram’s campus in London on average at least once a week.
We are looking for someone who is passionate about using their research and evaluation expertise, including involving children, young people and their families in research, to join our growing Impact and Evaluation team to help improve support for vulnerable children and young people, and ultimately make a positive difference in their lives.
About Coram and the team
Established as the Foundling Hospital in 1739, Coram is today a vibrant charity group of specialist organisations, supporting hundreds of thousands of children, young people and families every year from infancy to independence. We champion children’s rights and wellbeing, making lives better through legal support, advocacy, adoption and our range of therapeutic, educational and cultural programmes.
Coram’s vision for children is a society where every child has the best possible chance in life, regardless of their background or circumstances.
Building on our legacy as the first and longest continuing children’s charity, we have launched the Coram Institute for Children, the dedicated research and development organisation for children. The Institute will be instrumental in realising this vision by acting as a catalyst for change and collaboration, seeking evidence-based solutions to the challenges facing children in the 21st century in policy, law and practice.
This role will be based in Coram’s Impact and Evaluation team[1]which sits at the heart of Coram’s Institute for Children dedicated to improving the life chances of children.[2] This role will play an important part in building the Institute and the strategic direction of the team. The role offers exciting opportunities to work within the Coram’s Impact and Evaluation team to lead a portfolio of mixed methods research projects and evaluation studies. As well as build links across Coram as well as externally with research partners and universities to pursue research dedicated to improving the lives of children and young people.
As a team, are core research principles are to be child-centred, rigorous, grounded in experience, collaborative and impactful. We are dedicated to delivering child-centred research to ensure their voice is at the forefront of our work. We use co-design and participatory research methods to challenge power imbalances within research and work with marginalised groups.
About the role
The Research Manager will play an important role in working with the Head of Impact and Evaluation and across Coram to develop and expand work of the team within Coram’s Institute for Children.
Working within Coram’s growing Impact and Evaluation team (which currently includes eight permanent researchers) the Research Manager will lead the delivery of high quality, innovative qualitative and quantitative studies including externally commissioned research and evaluation to support the improvement of policy and practice for vulnerable children, young people and their families. This will include implementation and process evaluations with children/young people, parents/carers and professionals as well as quasi-experimental and experimental impact evaluations.
We welcome applications from mixed-methods, quantitative and qualitative researchers who have knowledge of a range of research methods and evaluation approaches. We are dedicated to delivering child-centred research to ensure their voice is at the forefront of our work. We use co-design and participatory research methods to challenge power imbalances within research and work with marginalized groups.
The Research Manager will work with colleagues across Coram and with external partners in local authorities, central government, businesses and other third sector organisations. They will have the opportunity to shape the work of the Institute by designing new research funding bids, responding to tender opportunities and developing our academic partnerships.
The role also comes with a range of personal and professional benefits including dedicated time for continuous professional development, 25 plus days of annual leave, regular team reflective practice sessions and flexible working arrangements.
This is a great opportunity for an experienced research manager who has a passion for innovative, participatory research to take the initiative to design and deliver high-quality evidence which improves policy and practice for children, young people and their families.
Coram is an equal opportunities employer and we are genuinely committed to encouraging candidates from all sections of the community we seek to support. This includes those from global majority groups, those that identify as LGBQT+, those with disabilities, those with lived experience of care, those with neuro-diversity, and those from other groups who are underrepresented in research roles. If applicants feel comfortable, we would encourage them to draw on lived experience in their personal statement as part of their application.
To apply for this role, please click on the 'apply now' button below to complete the application.
Closing date: 15/03/2026 @ 09.00AM
Interview dates: W/C 23/03/2026
We will also make any reasonable adjustments at the interview stage for applicants invited to interview to support inclusivity.
We are committed to the safeguarding of children and where appropriate will require the successful applicant to undertake a check from the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Registered Charity No. 312278.
Registered Charity
Coram changes lives, laws and systems to create better chances for children, now and forever.