Operations Director & Responsible Individual

Salary: Up to £70,000 per annum + Performance Bonus
Contract: Full Time (40 hours per week)

Lead Outstanding Children's Residential Services

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Operations Director & Responsible Individual to join a well-established and highly regarded provider of children's residential services.

This senior leadership position is ideal for an ambitious and strategic leader who is passionate about delivering exceptional outcomes for children and young people. You'll work closely with the executive leadership team to oversee a portfolio of established children's homes, ensuring the highest standards of care, compliance, safeguarding and operational performance.

This is an opportunity to join an organisation with an excellent reputation for quality, where you'll have the autonomy to influence future growth while building on an already strong operational foundation.

The Role

Reporting directly to the senior executive team, you will provide both strategic and operational leadership across a portfolio of children's homes.

As the Responsible Individual, you will ensure services consistently deliver outstanding care, remain fully compliant with regulatory requirements, and continue to achieve excellent outcomes for children and young people.

You will support and develop Registered Managers, drive continuous improvement, oversee quality assurance and maintain a culture where children remain at the heart of every decision.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership across multiple children's residential services.
• Fulfil Responsible Individual responsibilities in line with Ofsted regulations.
• Lead, mentor and support Registered Managers to achieve high performance.
• Maintain outstanding standards of care, safeguarding and compliance.
• Ensure services remain inspection-ready through robust quality assurance systems.
• Drive continuous improvement and service development initiatives.
• Monitor operational, financial and quality performance.
• Build strong relationships with local authorities, regulators and external partners.
• Promote a positive, accountable and high-performing culture.
• Contribute to organisational growth and strategic planning.

About You

We're looking for an experienced senior leader who has a proven background within children's residential care and is passionate about achieving exceptional outcomes.

Essential Requirements

• Significant senior leadership experience within children's residential services.
• Experience as a Responsible Individual or the capability and knowledge to undertake the role.
• Excellent knowledge of Children's Homes Regulations, Quality Standards and safeguarding legislation.
• Strong commercial awareness and budget management experience.
• Proven ability to lead quality improvement and operational excellence.
• Outstanding communication, leadership and stakeholder management skills.

What You'll Receive

• Salary up to £70,000 plus performance bonus.
• Company car or car allowance.
• A senior leadership role with genuine influence over service development.
• Supportive executive team and collaborative working environment.
• Ongoing professional development.
• The opportunity to make a lasting difference to the lives of children and young people.

If you're an experienced operational leader looking for your next challenge within children's residential care, we'd love to hear from you.