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Chief Operating Officer, SHiFT
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WE'RE LOOKING FOR A CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER TO STRENGTHEN SHIFT'S SYSTEMS, GOVERNANCE AND ORGANISATIONAL RESILIENCE SO WE CAN SCALE IMPACT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.
SHiFT's work depends on deep relationships, sharp thinking and courageous action. But impact at this level also depends on the systems behind the work: strong governance, clear decision-making, robust safeguarding, financial discipline, practical accountability and the resilience to respond well as the organisation grows.
We are looking for a Chief Operating Officer to hold that operational centre. This is a strategic leadership opportunity in a dynamic and growing systems change organisation, creating the conditions in which high-quality practice, sound judgement and sustainable growth can sit together.
SHiFT is at an important stage in its development. As the organisation grows its reach, partnerships and influence, in the wake of the launch of our second strategy this year, it needs a senior leader who can hold the operational centre: strengthening governance, sharpening accountabilities, building our culture, improving assurance and ensuring systems and controls support both mission delivery and organisational resilience.
Strong operating disciplines make impact possible. Our Chief Operating Officer will be responsible for ensuring SHiFT's operating model is effective, well-governed and capable of supporting high-quality delivery in a demanding and changing environment.
Role Summary
The Chief Operating Officer provides outstanding financial, operational and strategic leadership across SHiFT. Working closely with the Chief Executive, Board of Trustees and Senior Leadership Team, the COO ensures the organisation has the systems, governance, controls, assurance and resilience required to deliver its charitable objectives and growth ambitions.
The COO operates under a delegated authority framework approved by the Board of Trustees, with responsibility for day-to-day operational leadership whilst Trustees retain oversight of strategy, risk, governance and financial sustainability.
Within that framework, the postholder is accountable for translating strategy into an effective operating plan, developing our high trust and high expectations culture, strengthening systems of control and assurance, and ensuring the board has clear visibility of performance, risk, safeguarding, compliance and organisational sustainability. They will work closely with the Chief Executive as a support and challenge partner, leading with her and Senior Leader colleagues to position the organisation for maximum impact.
What You'll Do
Strategic and organisational leadership
- Work in close partnership with the Chief Executive on strategic and tactical priorities, helping convert organisational ambition into disciplined and deliverable plans.
- Contribute fully as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, shaping organisation-wide decisions and modelling high trust, high expectation and shared accountability.
- Lead the development, coordination and oversight of SHiFT's operating plan, ensuring priorities, sequencing, ownership and resource implications are clear across the organisation.
- Support organisational growth and development by identifying operational implications, readiness requirements and opportunities to strengthen delivery and sustainability.
- Deputise for the Chief Executive where appropriate with trustees, funders, partners and other senior stakeholders.
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Governance, assurance and accountability
Operations, systems and organisational resilience
- Lead and continually improve SHiFT's operating model so it supports excellence, coherence, efficiency and sustainable growth.
- Oversee core organisational infrastructure and support functions, including finance, people, compliance, IT, information management, health and safety and wider central operations as required.
- Drive continuous improvement across systems and processes, identifying weaknesses quickly and ensuring they are addressed in ways that strengthen delivery and accountability.
- Ensure decisions are underpinned by reliable information, proportionate performance reporting and a clear understanding of organisational capacity, risk and trade-offs.
- Strengthen organisational resilience through effective contingency thinking, business continuity planning and practical operational preparedness.
- Oversee procurement, estates and operational resources in a way that maximises quality, value for money and mission impact.
Finance, compliance and control
- Provide strong financial leadership, including oversight of budgeting, forecasting, financial planning, controls and reporting, to support sustainability and informed decision-making.
- Work with the Head of Finance & People and trustees to ensure SHiFT meets its statutory, regulatory and reporting obligations as a charity and employer.
- Ensure compliance frameworks are effective, proportionate and translated into practical systems, responsibilities and routines across the organisation.
- Support strong fundraising and resource stewardship by working closely with the Head of Fundraising on planning, reporting and organisational readiness.
Leadership of people and culture
- Lead, support and develop direct reports, building a high-performing, reflective and accountable culture across the functions within the COO's remit.
- Act as a steward of SHiFT's culture by balancing freedom with accountability, encouraging learning, challenge and improvement while protecting clarity and consistency in how the organisation operates.
- Help leaders across SHiFT understand and enact their responsibilities in relation to planning, risk, safeguarding, quality, compliance and performance.
Essential Experience
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
- Substantial senior leadership experience with a strong record of contributing to organisational success and leading through growth, complexity and change.
- Significant experience in operational leadership, with deep expertise in at least two of the following: finance, people, governance, compliance, information management or organisational assurance.
- Strong understanding of governance, safeguarding, risk, controls and accountability in a charity, public service or similarly mission-driven context.
- Demonstrable experience of building or improving operating models, systems and processes so they enable both quality delivery and organisational scalability.
- Excellent financial leadership skills, including budget management, financial planning, controls and support for organisational sustainability.
- A compelling track record of leading and developing high-performing teams and enabling others to lead well through periods of change.
- Highly effective communication skills, including the ability to explain complex or technical issues clearly to trustees, staff, funders and external partners.
- Strong judgement, political awareness and relationship management skills, with the credibility to challenge, influence and collaborate across organisational boundaries.
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Valuable Experience
- Experience in youth justice, children's services, safeguarding or a related field.
- Experience in a scaling or start-up environment.
- Experience in systems change work.
- Experience supporting boards or board committees with governance, assurance or organisational performance reporting.
- Experience managing cross-functional operational change or business improvement programmes.
Beliefs and attributes
- A deep belief that all people are capable of change and that skilled, trusting relationships can be powerful drivers of that change.
- Strong alignment with SHiFT's mission, values and cultural framework, including ambition, courage, flexibility, tenacity, high trust and high expectation.
- A commitment to high standards, accountability and positively disruptive improvement in pursuit of better outcomes for young people.
- Curiosity, learning agility and comfort operating in a fast-paced, ambitious and evolving environment.
Role relationships
The Chief Operating Officer reports to the Chief Executive and is a core member of SHiFT's Senior Leadership Team.
The postholder will line manage: Head of Fundraising and Head of Finance & People.
They will work closely alongside Director of Practice & Learning and Director of Systems Change.
How To Apply
We hope this pack, together with our website (https://www.shiftuk.org), gives you a clear sense of SHiFT's mission, this role and the leadership we are looking for. If you have questions that are not answered by the pack or our website, please contact our Chief Executive, Dr Amy Ludlow on amy.ludlow@shiftuk.org.
Applications should be sent with a CV and covering letter by email via the button below by 23.59 on Sunday 13 September 2026.
- Deadline for receipt of applications is 23.59 on Sunday 13 September 2026.
- Shortlisting decisions will be communicated by Friday 18 September 2026.
- Interviews will take place 14.00-18.00 on Thursday 1 October 2026 in person at Coram, 41 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AZ.
- Candidates will be asked to complete a task ahead of their interview and to attend a 30-minute online staff panel – details of this will be shared with candidates after shortlisting.
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