Chief Operating Officer

Chief Operating Officer, Place2Be

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Salary: £90k to £110k

Location: London / Hybrid working

Contract: Permanent, Full Time

Direct Reports: Regional Directors, Head of Research & Evaluation, Education Partnerships Manager, Contracts Manager, Executive Assistant & Business Manager.

Direct budget responsibility: £14.5m

About Place2Be

Place2Be is the UK’s leading children’s mental health charity. Every day we work alongside schools, families and communities to improve the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.

We are ambitious for the future. We believe no child should face mental health challenges alone, and we are committed to extending access to high-quality early intervention and mental health support in school communities across the UK. Through our direct services, training programmes, research and policy influence, we are helping to transform support for children and young people’s mental health nationally.

Role Purpose

The Chief Operating Officer is a pivotal executive leadership role responsible for ensuring that Place2Be has the organisational capability, culture, systems and operational excellence needed to deliver its mission and strategic ambitions.

Day-to-day, the Chief Operating Officer is responsible, through our Regional Directors and the teams they lead, for the delivery of Place2Be’s services, supporting and enabling children, families and school communities across the UK. The COO is also responsible for Place2Be’s Research and Evaluation function, ensuring evidence, effectiveness, research and continued learning is built into Place2Be’s delivery system and informs our thinking and thought leadership.

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, the COO will provide leadership across the organisation’s operational infrastructure, ensuring that our services, people, technology and resources are aligned behind a single goal: achieving greater impact for children and young people.

The COO will combine strategic leadership with a highly collaborative and emotionally intelligent approach, creating the conditions for teams, leaders and fellow Executive colleagues to thrive.

As a member of a close, collaborative Executive Team, the COO will lead business and strategic planning, working with the Chief Executive and the Board, while ensuring high quality delivery, effective execution, operational resilience and sustainable growth.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Lead business and strategic planning, working with the CEO, the Board and the Executive Team to shape and deliver Place2Be’s long-term strategy.
• Translate organisational ambition into clear operational plans and measurable outcomes.
• In line with the business plan, lead organisation-wide strategic initiatives and transformation programmes.
• Ensure Place2Be has the capabilities, structures and systems required to support future growth, with data, technology and AI used as enablers.
• Drive alignment between operational delivery and excellence in outcomes, financial sustainability and organisational impact.
• Working with the Clinical Director and Director of MarComms, identify key areas of insight from our Evaluation and Research, and use these to inform and drive forward Place2Be’s thought-leadership nationally.

Operational Leadership

• Lead the Regional Directors and their teams to ensure effective delivery of the comprehensive range of Place2Be services for school communities, children and families in every region through robust systems, processes and governance.
• Drive continuous improvement and organisational effectiveness across the charity. Lead our Research and Evaluation function and draw on findings to inform areas for improvement.
• Working with fellow Executives, lead operational excellence across all central support and enabling functions.
• Build a culture focused on accountability, learning, innovation and impact.
• Ensure services can scale efficiently whilst maintaining quality and safeguarding standards.

People Leadership and Culture

• Champion a people-first culture centred on partnership and collaboration, inclusion and making a difference for children and young people.
• Lead and develop high-performing senior leadership teams.
• Work closely with the Director of People & Culture to strengthen leadership capability and talent development.
• Embed the organisation’s values across all operational functions.
• Promote employee engagement, equity, diversity and inclusion.
• Ensure Place2Be remains a great place to work, to learn and develop a career.

Organisational Performance

• Establish and oversee performance frameworks that provide meaningful insight into organisational effectiveness.
• Ensure high-quality management information supports evidence-based decision making.
• Monitor key organisational indicators including service performance and impact, workforce metrics, school and commissioner satisfaction and operational efficiency.
• Drive delivery against strategic objectives and key organisational priorities.

Digital, Data and Innovation

• Working closely with the CFO, lead the development of Place2Be’s digital and technology strategy, enabling our service delivery.
• Ensure technology investments support service delivery, staff experience and organisational effectiveness.
• Support the responsible use of AI, alongside data and technology, so colleagues spend less time on administration and more time on work that improves outcomes for children and young people.
• Working alongside the Clinical Director with the Head of Evaluation & Research, build organisational capability in data, insight and evidence.
• Enable greater use of impact measurement and outcome data to improve decision making and demonstrate effectiveness.
• Support innovation in service delivery and operational practices.

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Ensure strong governance, risk management and assurance arrangements across our operational footprint.
• Participate in organisational risk, business continuity and crisis management planning.
• Maintain effective arrangements for safeguarding, data protection, health and safety and regulatory compliance.
• Support the CEO, Board and Committees through high-quality reporting and assurance.

External Leadership

• Build strong relationships with commissioners, schools, MATs, NHS partners, local authorities, funders and policymakers.
• Represent Place2Be externally at national and sector events.
• Support the CEO in strengthening Place2Be’s reputation and influence.
• Contribute to national conversations on children’s mental health and prevention.

Person Specification

Experience: Essential

• Significant Executive or Director-level leadership experience within a medium-large and complex organisation, with accountability for a significant budget and workforce.
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary operational functions and large-scale services delivered across multiple sites or regions, and through partners such as schools, civil society, the NHS or local authorities.
• Proven track record of organisational transformation and change management.
• Experience leading through growth, complexity and ambiguity.
• Experience building high-performing cultures and leadership teams.
• Experience overseeing organisational risk, governance and operational performance.
• Experience of sponsoring digital, data or technology-enabled transformation and using insight to improve organisational performance and service delivery.

Experience: Desirable

• Experience within children’s services, education, healthcare, social care or the voluntary sector.
• Experience of safeguarding and quality assurance in a regulated or clinical service setting.
• Experience supporting policy influence and national system change.
• Experience working with Boards and Committees.

Leadership Competencies

Values-led Leadership

Authentically champions Place2Be’s mission and values and consistently demonstrates integrity, compassion and inclusivity.

Strategic Thinking

Sees the bigger picture, anticipates future opportunities and challenges, brings flexibility in thinking and translates vision into practical delivery.

Emotional Intelligence

Builds trust across all levels of the organisation, fosters strong relationships and creates psychologically safe environments where people can thrive.

Collaborative Leadership

Is a collaborative leader, works across boundaries, encourages shared accountability and develops high-performing partnerships.

Delivering Impact

Focuses relentlessly on outcomes for children and young people whilst ensuring high performing, efficient and sustainable delivery. Is curious, questions and challenges to identify areas to share learning and for continuous improvement.

Benefits

Place2Be offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support wellbeing, professional development and work-life balance, including:

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (rising to 30 days after 5 years service)
• Additional wellbeing days
• 5% employer pension contribution with ability to choose personal contribution % via Salary Sacrifice
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Access to mental health and wellbeing support
• Life assurance cover
• Season ticket loan scheme
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Professional development and leadership coaching
• Volunteering opportunities
• Commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion

Closing Statement

This is a rare opportunity to help shape the future of children’s mental health in the UK. The successful candidate will combine strategic leadership, strong operational judgement and exceptional emotional intelligence to ensure Place2Be can increase its impact, strengthen its influence and help more children and young people thrive.

More information

For more information about the role and Place2Be, read the candidate information pack.

https://hartebridge.com/roles/place2be-coo-pack.pdf