Operations Manager

The Hounslow Wellbeing Network has grown from around 50 people to more than 2,000 members in just a few years. We’re looking for an Operations Manager to run it day to day and lead its next chapter.

We’re a free community wellbeing service run by The Arts Centre Hounslow, commissioned by the London Borough of Hounslow and funded by the NHS. Every week we run 26 sessions across the borough, from Zumba, chair yoga and Bollywood dance to Coffee & Chat, crochet, English classes and talking groups. We work with more than 70 partner organisations and over 50 volunteers, many of whom first came to us as members. The point of all of it is simple: nobody in Hounslow should have to feel alone.

The role

Our current Operations Manager is moving on at the end of December after three years of building the network. Our ideal start date is 1 December, so you can spend the month working alongside him and inherit the relationships, systems and plans properly.

You’ll:

• Run the weekly programme with our Service Delivery Coordinator, whom you’ll line manage
• Lead our volunteers and freelance facilitators
• Look after relationships with the council, NHS colleagues and our partners
• Find and write funding bids, and build financial and in-kind partnerships
• Own the budget, reporting to commissioners, and compliance on safeguarding, data protection and HR
• Lead our work to reach people we don’t yet serve well enough, including younger people and the LGBTQIA+ community, and grow across more of the borough

About you

You’ve run a service or operation in a community, charity, health or public sector setting. You’ve managed people and a budget, built partnerships that led somewhere, and written or contributed to funding bids. You’re comfortable working face to face with the public, including adults with mental health needs. Above all, you take ownership: you see things through without being chased.

You don’t need to tick every box. You do need to care about this work.

What we offer

• £36,300 a year, permanent contract
• 28 days’ holiday including bank holidays
• Workplace pension through NEST and an Employee Assistance Programme
• Support with training and development
• A month-long handover and real ownership of a service that makes a visible difference

Practical details

The role is full-time, 40 hours a week, Monday to Friday, with occasional evenings and weekends. Since we’re a community service, our work is people-facing, which requires us to be present in person at the office five days a week, at The Arts Centre Hounslow. You’ll need an enhanced DBS check, which we’ll arrange when you start.

Visa sponsorship

We hold a sponsor licence. This role is eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship where the salary meets the threshold that applies to you. In practice, that means you’re switching from a Graduate or Student visa, you’ll be under 26 when you apply for your visa, or you’re already on a Skilled Worker visa and were first sponsored before 4 April 2024 or are still within the new entrant period. Full criteria are in the job description.

How to apply

Apply online with your CV and short answers to four questions. We don’t need a cover letter. Using AI to help with your application is fine, and we encourage it, as long as the thinking and examples are your own.

https://wellbeinghounslow.co.uk/careers/operations-manager

The closing date is Sunday 8 November, 11:59pm, but we’re interviewing on a rolling basis and may close early, so please apply as soon as you can.

We particularly welcome applications from people across Hounslow’s diverse communities, LGBTQIA+ people, disabled people and people with lived experience of mental health challenges.

Belong. Breathe. Become.