Young Urban Arts Foundation (YUAF)
Head of Operations
Get notified of more jobs like this · No spam, ever
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Head of Operations Job Description
About the Role
For the past seven years, the Chief Executive has worked alongside an exceptional leader who held impact, organisational development, and much of the organisation’s operations. They built clear processes across the charity, became a trusted contact for funders and key partners, and supported and line-managed the team. They were part of the spine of how YUAF grew. As that person moves on, we are using the opportunity to rethink and widen the role.
This post exists to hold the organisation steady and take operational responsibility away from the Chief Executive, so she can focus on strategy, key donors, and the funding pipeline. You will report to the Chief Executive and sit on the Senior Management Team. You will hold income generation, impact and evidence, business planning, governance, performance management, and the systems underneath them. You will line-manage four people: the Pathways Lead, Marketing Lead, Project Manager, and Futures Lead.
You will not be doing this alone. We have a Finance Lead, the Chief Executive holds contracts and co-leads on recruitment, and we bring in specialist HR advice when we need it.
The first six months are a settling period at 30 hours per week. You will learn how the organisation actually works, become embedded in the culture, and understand the programmes by spending time with young people and the people who deliver them. You will build relationships across the team, with funders, and with partners. By month three, we want people to naturally come to you as a trusted point of contact. You will also look at YUAF with fresh eyes. Where are the gaps? What is held together by one person’s memory? Where does the work get heaviest, and what would take the pressure off? What would make life easier for the staff doing the hardest work? We want you to bring both the diagnosis and the solutions. The timing gives you room to learn. November to February is our quietest season, when the Studio Bus is largely off the road. Delivery picks up again in March 2027, so the role gets busier in stages rather than all at once.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Where the role can go
As YUAF grows, this role is intended to develop into a Chief Operating Officer position, based on income generation and organisational need. The longer-term scope may include:
- Full ownership of the income strategy alongside the Chief Executive, including corporate partnerships and major donor relationships
- Financial management, growing from oversight of project and delivery budgets into the wider finance cycle alongside the Chief Executive and Finance Lead
- Ownership of the monitoring and evaluation framework across every programme
- A growing team as the structure develops
- Delegated authority and deputising for the Chief Executive, agreed once the role is established
- The opportunity to shape the role around your strengths. If you are stronger on income than systems, or systems than income, we will build the team around that rather than force the fit
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
If the role expands into a Chief Operating Officer position, the hours and the salary will be set to match that post. We would not expect anyone to take on a bigger job on the same terms.
Key responsibilities
Income and fundraising
- Identify and develop new funding opportunities through research and networking
- Maintain a structured pipeline of prospects and a clear grants timeline
- Lead funding conversations and engage prospective funding partners
- Prepare and submit grant applications alongside our contracted bid writer, working with the Chief Executive on compliance and budgets
- Build and maintain relationships with existing funders, including visits to projects where appropriate
Impact, evaluation and reporting
- Prepare and submit mid-term and final grant reports on time and in line with funder requirements
- Oversee programme data collection and evaluation
- Work with programme leads to gather evidence, draft case studies, and communicate impact accurately
- Maintain the project impact-report schedule, including grant amounts, payment dates, and reporting deadlines
- Research and draft sections of the Annual Report
- Know the programmes well enough to write about them honestly
We have ran out of character space - the full Job Description is in the APPLY LINK below.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills
Location