Sovereign & Bale
Operations Manager
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Operations Manager - Adult Skills
Salary: £40,000
Location: Hybrid, London - Local and National travel may be required
Job Type: Full Time, Permanent
The Role
We are seeking an experienced Operations Manager to lead the delivery of funded adult learning, vocational training, and employability programmes. This is a fantastic opportunity for an operational leader who is passionate about delivering high-quality learner outcomes while ensuring compliance with funding, quality, and contractual requirements.
You will provide leadership to a team of Adult Skills Tutors, overseeing the full learner journey and ensuring performance targets, quality standards, and organizational objectives are achieved. You will play a key role in driving operational excellence, continuous improvement, and service development while building strong relationships with internal teams, employers, commissioners, and delivery partners.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the effective delivery of funded adult learning, vocational training, and employability programmes, ensuring contractual, quality, and performance targets are achieved.
- Manage operational performance through workforce planning, resource allocation, and effective performance management.
- Monitor learner performance, attendance, retention, achievement, and progression, implementing timely interventions where required.
- Use management information, dashboards, and data analysis to drive continuous improvement and maximize contract performance.
- Ensure delivery complies with funding regulations, awarding body requirements, quality frameworks, and inspection standards.
- Support the implementation of new programmes, contracts, and operational initiatives.
- Lead, motivate, and develop a high-performing team through coaching, performance reviews, training, and professional development.
- Manage recruitment, onboarding, induction, and ongoing performance of direct reports.
- Foster a positive, inclusive, and learner-focused culture across the delivery team.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with employers, commissioners, subcontractors, and external stakeholders.
- Support contract management activities, customer engagement, and business growth opportunities.
- Work collaboratively with internal departments including Quality, Compliance, Learner Engagement, and Safeguarding.
- Ensure learner records, attendance, progress, and achievement documentation are accurate and compliant.
- Support internal audits, external inspections, quality assurance activities, and continuous improvement planning.
- Promote safeguarding, Prevent, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and learner wellbeing across all areas of delivery.
- Contribute to organizational development by supporting new products, services, bids, and operational improvements.
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.
Skills and Experience
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
- Proven experience managing operational teams within an adult skills, employability, or funded training environment.
- Experience delivering against contractual performance targets and quality measures.
- Strong leadership experience managing teams across multiple locations and remote environments.
- Excellent performance management skills with the ability to motivate, coach, and develop high-performing teams.
- Strong analytical skills with experience using performance data, dashboards, and management information to drive operational improvement.
- Excellent planning, organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to build effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
- Good understanding of Ofsted requirements, quality assurance processes, and funded learning compliance.
- Experience working with funding bodies, awarding organizations, and commissioner requirements.
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced and evolving environment.
- Willingness to travel across the UK as required.
- Understanding of financial management and budgeting principles.
- Project management experience is desirable.
- Experience supporting bids, tenders, or business development activities is advantageous.
- Experience supporting organizations through Ofsted inspections is beneficial.
- Knowledge or experience of Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) is desirable.
- A collaborative approach with the ability to influence stakeholders and drive continuous improvement.
“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