Operations Manager - Employability

Salary: -45,000 per annum
Location: Edinburgh, Fife or surrounding areas
Contract: Permanent, Full-time
Working Arrangements: Home-based with regular travel across Scotland
Coverage: North and East Scotland

We are recruiting an experienced and driven Operations Manager to lead the operational delivery of the Jobs Guarantee programme across North and East Scotland.

This is a senior leadership opportunity for someone with a strong background in employability, skills, recruitment or government-funded programmes, who can demonstrate the ability to lead teams, drive performance and deliver high-quality services across a geographically dispersed operation.

You will take overall responsibility for day-to-day programme delivery, ensuring participants receive effective employment support, employers receive a high-quality service and delivery partners operate to agreed contractual and quality standards.

Working closely with senior management, Business Managers, Supply Chain Managers and external stakeholders, you will play a key role in driving performance, developing teams and ensuring successful programme delivery.

Ideally, candidates will be based in Edinburgh, Fife or the surrounding areas.

Please note: Applicants must be based in Scotland, hold a full UK driving licence and be comfortable travelling regularly across North and East Scotland.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day operational delivery of the Jobs Guarantee programme across North and East Scotland.

• Take overall responsibility for programme performance, contractual targets, KPIs and employment outcomes.

• Lead, manage and develop Business Managers, Supply Chain Managers and operational support teams.

• Establish clear objectives, accountability and performance expectations across operational teams.

• Monitor performance using management information, dashboards and operational reporting.

• Identify performance gaps and implement effective recovery plans and improvement strategies.

• Manage subcontractor and delivery partner performance, ensuring contractual compliance and quality standards.

• Work closely with employer engagement teams to develop a strong pipeline of employment opportunities.

• Build effective relationships with DWP, Jobcentre Plus, employers, local authorities and community organisations.

• Maintain robust quality assurance, safeguarding, GDPR, compliance and governance arrangements.

• Monitor operational budgets, expenditure and resource allocation.

• Represent the organisation at DWP reviews, governance meetings and external stakeholder events.

About You

We are looking for an experienced operational leader who can demonstrate strong management capability, commercial awareness and a proven ability to deliver results within a target-driven environment.

Ideally, you will have:

• Experience in a senior Operations Manager or equivalent leadership position.

• A background in employability, skills, recruitment, education or government-funded programmes.

• Experience working with DWP, Jobcentre Plus or other relevant employability funders.

• Proven experience leading and managing operational teams and managers.

• Strong knowledge of contract management, performance monitoring and KPI delivery.

• Experience managing subcontractors, supply chains or external delivery partners.

• An understanding of budgets, resource management, quality assurance and compliance.

• Excellent stakeholder management, communication and relationship-building skills.

• The ability to analyse performance data and implement improvement strategies.

• A full UK driving licence, based in Scotland, with willingness to travel regularly across the region.

Experience of managing large-scale employability contracts or programmes funded through DWP or similar government bodies would be particularly advantageous.

What Success Looks Like

You will play a key role in ensuring:

• Strong performance against referral, engagement, job-start and sustainment targets.

• Consistent, high-quality participant support across all delivery locations.

• Effective leadership and development of operational teams.

• Strong subcontractor and supply-chain performance.

• A healthy pipeline of employer vacancies and employment opportunities.

• Robust compliance, safeguarding, quality and financial controls.

• Positive relationships with DWP, employers and delivery partners.

• Successful delivery of programme objectives within agreed budgets.

Location and Working Arrangements

This is a home-based position offering flexibility to work remotely. However, regular travel across North and East Scotland is essential to meet operational teams, delivery partners, employers and stakeholders.

Ideally, candidates will be based in Edinburgh, Fife or the surrounding areas.

Applicants must be based in Scotland and hold a full UK driving licence.

Apply Now

If you are an experienced Operations Manager with a background in employability, skills or government-funded programmes and are looking for your next senior leadership opportunity, we would like to hear from you.

For further information or to apply, please contact AE Talent Solutions.