Assistant Operations Manager - Children's Residential Services

Location: Aylesbury

Overview

New and exciting opportunity to be part in our Buckinghamshire Councils Children’s Services Residential team as an Assistant Operations Manager.

Due to development and procurement of new homes, we at Buckinghamshire Council, Children’s Services are looking to recruit an Assistant Operations Manager covering up to 10 homes in the Buckinghamshire area, working alongside the Operations Manager.

We are recruiting for an Assistant Operations Manager who can effectively manage multiple services and work within our high standard of “Making a house a home”. All our homes are created to provide a warm and homely atmosphere.

About us

Our children's homes in our current portfolio have achieved Ofsted GOOD and OUTSTANDING outcomes. We also have one new Parent and Child provision that opened in 2023. Also, we are in the process of establishing additional supported living facilities and Registered Children's Homes within the project stage. Ten homes are what we hope to have in our prosperous portfolio.

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally. 

Buckinghamshire is an ambitious, rapidly growing county, and our economy is one of the strongest in the country. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and ranks as one of the top rural areas to live in the UK and yet it is incredibly well connected– only an hour from London on the train. The county has a rich history and heritage and is the birthplace of the international Paralympic movement.

We are looking for motivated, ambitious and inspiring people to join us on our journey. You will be entitled to a range of different benefits to make sure you are happy both at work and at home.

About the role

Your job role will require a high level of delegation and people management, ensuring that our high standards are upkept and the children have a safe and nurturing environment, culminating in a positive future as they make the transition into adulthood and beyond.

You will be managing up to 10 registered services, working within the Operations Manager and Management team. You will receive a high level of support from management and colleagues, we strive to welcome you to Buckinghamshire Council, Children’s Services and to ensure you have the correct resources and facilities to effectively carry out and shine in your job role.

We can offer you a fantastic, driven, and highly motivated staff of residential managers and support workers. You will need to create strong internal bonds and continuously strive for OUTSTANDING Ofsted ratings.

For a full list of responsibilities please see attached job description.

About you

For a full list of requirements, please see attached job summary.

Other information

If you would like to find out more about this role, please contact Laura Armstrong at [email protected]

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

  • All unspent cautions and convictions cautions
  • All adult cautions and spent convictions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020). For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) guidance or Ministry of Justice (MOJ) guidance (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

  • a fair and inclusive culture
  • the chance to really make a difference to those around you
  • health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
  • a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
  • ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
  • opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Buckinghamshire is a successful, growing place with fantastic natural assets, a highly productive economy and many resourceful and thriving communities. However, we are far from complacent and our new and ambitious unitary authority is well placed to tackle the challenges associated with growth, an aging population, climate change and inequalities in both opportunities and outcomes – particularly for our children and young people.

Children’s Services is on an improvement journey and as our very recent Ofsted report shows, we have continued to improve despite the pressures of the pandemic and have built solid foundations for future success. Relationships with partners are strong and our collective response to the pandemic has strengthened and deepened our work together.

We have a big, ambitious agenda for Buckinghamshire, and our teams work collaboratively and at pace to make a positive difference to the lives of children and young people across the county.

We are looking for talented and driven individuals to help us achieve the best outcomes for our children, young people and families in Buckinghamshire. Our key priorities include continuing to protect vulnerable children and young people from harm, whilst sustaining an environment where social work practice can thrive. Through our vital work with our partners, including The Buckinghamshire Safeguarding Childrens Partnership, we continue to improve our collective response to children and young people who have been exposed to domestic abuse, exploitation, substance misuse and mental health issues.

No matter what role you take on in our Children’s services, you will be part of a team who is dedicated to supporting children and their families to achieve their full potential.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. We also offer a salary sacrifice personal car lease scheme to those who are eligible and have passed their probation period. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/