Operational Children's Services Manager

Operational Children's Services Manager
📍 Location: Coalville, Leicestershire
💰 Salary: £44,807 - £50,741 per annum
🕒 Hours: Full Time | 37 hours per week
📄 Contract: Permanent
💙 Lead Outstanding Children's Residential Services

For more than 150 years, this employer has been transforming childhoods and changing lives by supporting children, young people and families when they need it most. Their belief is simple: every child deserves the best possible start in life, regardless of their background or circumstances.

Today, that commitment remains at the heart of everything they do.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and passionate Operational Children's Services Manager to provide operational leadership across a diverse portfolio of children's residential homes throughout Leicestershire.

If you're an inspiring leader who is committed to delivering exceptional care, supporting high-performing teams and helping children thrive, I'd love to hear from you.

🚀 About the Role
This is a varied and rewarding leadership role where no two days are the same.
You'll provide operational oversight across several specialist residential services, working closely with Registered Managers and senior leaders to ensure homes consistently deliver safe, nurturing and high-quality care while maintaining full regulatory compliance.

You'll oversee a range of specialist services, including:
🏡 Emotional Wellbeing Homes
🏡 Assessment Services
🏡 Family Assessment Provision
🏡 Contextual Safeguarding Services
🏡 Complex Mental Health Residential Services
🏡 Overnight Short Break Services

You'll be a visible leader within the homes, offering practical support, mentoring managers, responding to operational challenges and driving continuous improvement to help achieve Outstanding outcomes.

⭐ Key Responsibilities
As Operational Children's Services Manager, you will:
✔️ Lead and support multiple children's residential homes across Leicestershire.
✔️ Provide operational leadership to Registered Managers and their teams.
✔️ Ensure homes remain compliant with Ofsted regulations and children's legislation.
✔️ Coordinate recruitment, staffing and workforce planning.
✔️ Lead on quality assurance, audits and service improvement.
✔️ Support services following critical incidents, including debriefing and action planning.
✔️ Coordinate mandatory training and professional development.
✔️ Build positive relationships with commissioners, partner agencies and senior stakeholders.
✔️ Monitor performance, produce operational reports and drive continuous improvement.
✔️ Step into Registered Manager responsibilities where required, including supporting Ofsted registration during management vacancies.
✔️ Champion safeguarding, positive outcomes and a culture of excellence across every service.

👤 About You
We're looking for someone who leads with compassion, confidence and integrity.
You'll ideally have:
✅ Significant management experience within children's residential services.
✅ Strong knowledge of Ofsted regulations, safeguarding and children's legislation.
✅ Experience managing or supporting multiple services.
✅ Excellent leadership, coaching and people management skills.
✅ Experience working alongside local authorities, commissioners and multi-agency professionals.
✅ Strong organisational, project management and problem-solving abilities.
✅ Experience managing budgets, quality assurance and service performance.
✅ The confidence to lead during challenging situations and make sound operational decisions.
✅ A recognised qualification relevant to children's residential services.
✅ A genuine passion for improving the lives of children and young people.

🌱 Why Join?
This organisation has spent more than 150 years supporting vulnerable children and young people, continually adapting to meet society's changing needs while remaining true to one core belief:

Every child deserves to feel safe, supported, valued and full of hope for the future.

You'll become part of a service where collaboration, compassion, inclusion and continuous improvement are genuinely embedded within the culture.

If you're looking for a role where your leadership will directly change lives every single day, this is an opportunity to make a lasting difference.

🎁 What's on Offer
✨ Salary of £44,807 - £50,741
🌴 26 days annual leave, increasing with length of service
➕ Opportunity to purchase additional annual leave
💷 Excellent pension with employer contributions
🛡️ Life assurance
👨‍👩‍👧 Enhanced family-friendly policies
💙 Employee Assistance Programme
🩺 Health Cash Plan
🚲 Cycle to Work Scheme
🛍️ Discounts at hundreds of retailers, supermarkets and leisure venues
📚 Extensive learning, leadership development and career progression opportunities
🏠 Flexible working opportunities where operationally appropriate

🌟 Who We're Looking For
This role would suit professionals currently working as:
Operations Manager
Area Manager
Responsible Individual
Children's Residential Service Manager
Multi-Site Registered Manager
Regional Manager
Senior Children's Services Manager

📩 Ready to Change Lives?

If you're ready to join an organisation with a proud history of improving children's lives and want to lead services that truly make a difference, we'd love to hear from you.

🌟 Apply today and help shape brighter futures for children and young people across Leicestershire