Employability Operations Manager

Job Role: Employability Operations Manager
Employability | Welfare to Work | Programme Delivery | Senior Leadership
Location: North & East Scotland
Home-Based with Regular Travel Across Scotland
Candidates should ideally be based within the Edinburgh, Fife or surrounding areas due to the geographical remit of the role.
Salary: £45,000 per annum
Contract: Permanent, Full-Time
 
Role Overview
We are recruiting an experienced and commercially minded Employability Operations Manager to provide visible leadership across a large-scale employability and employment support programme operating throughout North & East Scotland.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Operations Manager, Regional Manager, Service Manager, Employability Manager, Contract Manager or Programme Manager looking to lead a high-profile contract focused on helping individuals move into sustainable employment.
As Operations Manager, you will be responsible for driving operational performance, service excellence, compliance, quality and continuous improvement across multiple delivery locations and partners. You will lead Business Managers, Supply Chain Managers and operational support functions, ensuring participants receive a consistent, high-quality service while employers and delivery partners receive effective support.
Working closely with funders, employers, subcontractors, local authorities and community organisations, you will play a critical role in ensuring contractual performance targets are achieved while maintaining high standards of quality, governance and participant outcomes.
This is a home-based role with significant regional responsibility and regular travel across Scotland, particularly throughout North and East Scotland.
Key Responsibilities
Operational Leadership & Performance Management

• Lead day-to-day programme delivery across North and East Scotland.
• Drive performance against contractual targets, KPIs and service standards.
• Monitor operational activity including:
• Referrals
• Engagement
• Assessments
• Job Outcomes
• Retention
• Progression
• Programme Completion
• Ensure services are delivered consistently and within agreed timescales.
• Develop and implement performance improvement plans where required.
• Monitor operational dashboards, management information and reporting systems.
• Identify risks and underperformance early and implement effective recovery actions.

Leadership, People Management & Development

• Lead, coach and support Business Managers and operational teams.
• Develop a high-performance culture focused on quality, accountability and participant outcomes.
• Set clear objectives and performance expectations.
• Ensure effective workforce planning, resource allocation and caseload management.
• Promote colleague wellbeing and employee engagement.
• Address performance issues fairly and effectively.
• Support leadership development and succession planning activities.

Supply Chain & Partner Management

• Manage delivery partner and subcontractor performance.
• Monitor quality, capacity and contractual compliance across the supply chain.
• Conduct regular performance and compliance reviews.
• Ensure partners meet agreed KPIs, service standards and quality expectations.
• Escalate risks and concerns appropriately.
• Maintain strong and productive relationships with delivery partners.

Employer & Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and maintain effective relationships with:
• Employers
• Jobcentre Plus
• Local Authorities
• Community Organisations
• Delivery Partners
• Employability Stakeholders
• Support employer engagement strategies and vacancy generation activity.
• Ensure employment opportunities align with participant needs and local labour market demand.
• Represent the programme at partnership forums, governance meetings and stakeholder events.

Quality, Compliance & Governance

• Ensure compliance with contractual, regulatory and organisational requirements.
• Maintain effective controls around:
• Safeguarding
• Health & Safety
• Data Protection
• Information Security
• Audit Requirements
• Eligibility and Evidence
• Complaints
• Fraud Prevention
• Lead operational audits and compliance reviews.
• Ensure accurate reporting and robust management information processes.
• Maintain programme readiness for inspections, audits and assurance activity.

Financial & Risk Management

• Monitor expenditure against agreed budgets.
• Work closely with Finance teams to ensure accurate reconciliation and reporting.
• Maintain oversight of programme financial performance.
• Own and maintain programme risk registers.
• Ensure risks have clear owners, mitigation plans and escalation routes.
• Promote strong governance and risk management practices throughout delivery.

Continuous Improvement & Innovation

• Use performance data, participant feedback and stakeholder insight to drive service improvements.
• Share best practice across operational teams.
• Support programme mobilisation, growth and change initiatives.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, quality and performance.
• Promote innovation and best practice throughout programme delivery.

 
Essential Criteria

• Significant experience within a senior operational leadership role.
• Experience leading multi-site or regional service delivery teams.
• Proven track record of delivering performance against contractual targets and KPIs.
• Strong leadership and people management experience.
• Experience managing managers and operational teams.
• Experience working within:
• Employability
• Welfare to Work
• Skills & Training
• Recruitment
• Government-Funded Programmes
• Public Services
• Contracted Employment Services
• Experience managing subcontractors, delivery partners or supply chains.
• Strong commercial and operational awareness.
• Experience managing budgets and financial performance.
• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to interpret performance data and identify improvement opportunities.
• Strong stakeholder management and partnership-building skills.
• Experience driving quality, compliance and service improvement.
• Full UK Driving Licence.
• Ability to travel regularly throughout Scotland.

 
Desirable Criteria

• Experience working with:
• DWP-funded contracts
• Jobcentre Plus
• Scottish Government employability programmes
• Grant-funded programmes
• Public Sector commissioning environments
• Experience managing geographically dispersed teams.
• Knowledge of employability, welfare-to-work and labour market strategies across Scotland.
• Experience supporting programme mobilisation and growth.
• Project or programme management qualifications.