Head of Operations

Home-based with regular travel to Birmingham, Coventry, West Bromwich and Cardiff
Circa £70,000 per annum + benefits
Full-time

Ready to make an impact?

As Head of Operations in our Restart Scheme team, you’ll lead the delivery and performance of Serco’s direct delivery operations across our Restart sites. You’ll play a vital role in helping people back into sustainable employment, driving excellence across multiple locations, and ensuring our teams deliver the best possible service to our participants and partners.

You’ll be entrusted to:

• Lead a team of Operations Managers to deliver outstanding performance across all Restart direct delivery sites.
• Drive achievement of key performance indicators, service levels and customer service standards.
• Foster a culture of high performance, accountability and continuous improvement.
• Ensure full compliance with contractual and quality requirements.
• Support and develop your leadership team, identifying and addressing capability gaps.
• Analyse data and performance insights to optimise operational delivery.
• Build strong, collaborative relationships with senior leaders, stakeholders, and partners including the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Jobcentre Plus (JCP).
• Champion participant wellbeing and maintain a safe, compliant and inclusive service environment.

Does this sound like you?

You’ll be a great fit for this role if you have:

• Leadership and people management experience, ideally within the employability, retail or similar sector.
• A proven record of driving performance across multiple sites or contracts.
• The ability to interpret complex data to inform decisions and enhance service outcomes.
• Experience managing change, motivating teams and addressing underperformance constructively.
• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to build trust and positive relationships at all levels.
• Strong problem-solving skills, with a proactive and adaptable approach.
• High digital literacy, including proficiency in Microsoft Office tools.

Discover all you need to keep growing

Here you’ll be part of a highly supportive culture with leaders you can count on to help you achieve your goals. From mentoring and training to our focus on internal progression, we’re proud to offer clear development opportunities – and the support and tools to help you seize them.

Because this is a place for you

Our people are integral to everything we do. That’s why our benefits are designed to put you first:

• Holidays: Up to 25 days plus bank holidays
• Pension: Up to 6% contributory pension scheme
• Bonus: A performance-based bonus scheme
• Company car: A company car
• Private medical insurance
• Training and development: A wide range of learning opportunities with over 1,100 internal courses available, funding for qualifications and apprenticeships, mentoring opportunities, and a focus on internal progression.
• Health and wellbeing: 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme, Bupa Anytime HealthLine, wellbeing app, Simplyhealth cash plans to claim back money towards healthcare costs, 30% off at Serco-managed leisure centres.
• Discounts: Save across around 1,000 retailers, from food and clothing to days out, entertainment and travel.
• Employee networks: Dedicated networks where colleagues can come together to find support, share challenges, discuss ideas, network and be part of a community.
• Charity: Support a charity or organisation with a paid volunteering day each year. You can also choose to donate to your favourite charity tax-free, through our Payroll Giving Scheme.

About Serco
At Serco, not only is the nature of the work we do important, everyone has an important role to play, from caring for vulnerable people to managing complex public services.  We are a team of 50,000 people responsible for delivering essential public services around the world in areas including defence, transport, justice, immigration, healthcare and citizen services. We are innovators, committed to redesigning and improving public services for the benefit of everyone.

By joining Serco you will have unlimited access to our Global Employee Networks – SercoInspire (Gender), SercoEmbrace (Multicultural), SercoUnlimited (Disability) and In@Serco (LGBT & Networks). Serco Employee Networks, led by colleagues who are passionate about diversity, inclusion and belonging. 

Apply
Please click on the apply button to complete your application. Occasionally we receive a large volume of applications for our roles and when that happens we sometimes bring the closing date forward, so please apply promptly to avoid disappointment. 

At Serco, we see people first and foremost for their performance and potential. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. As such we will make reasonable adjustments at interview through to employment for our candidates and strongly encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool. We are open to discussions around flexibility and flexible working. We operate a hybrid work structure in many of our business areas. We are proudly Disability Confident Leader employers and holder of the Gold Inclusive Employer Standard. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview.  For help with your application please contact 0345 010 4000.
 

At Serco we support fair access to employment for those with unspent criminal convictions through the ‘Ban the Box’ pledge (some may be exempt due to the nature of the role and the security clearance required). Please contact our recruitment team directly on 0345 010 4000 to discuss.