As a leader at Enable Works, you'll be at the forefront of our mission to deliver exceptional employability services for disabled people across Scotland. You will be responsible for leading partnerships and programmes across Highland, Moray and Perth and Kinross and will play a pivotal role in driving our organisation forward.

You will have overall accountability for strategic development of your programmes and region, leading on performance management; financial and contract management and developing opportunities for new business, allowing us to grow our impact.

You'll have significant oversight of operations and staffing for the region, as well as managing and leading key external stakeholder relationships, ensuring smooth and efficient functioning of the services in your remit.

This is a hybrid role with some office time and travel expected. A driving license and access to a vehicle is essential for this role.

While regular travel will be required across all 3 areas, a significant proportion of work takes place in Highlands, where you will be responsible for leading our 'All in Highlands' partnership. Therefore a consistent presence is expected in Inverness and across the Highlands.

What will you do?

Setting and upholding high standards - you will be accountable for leading a team of Performance Managers, Team Leaders and Employment Coordinators, ensuring services meet and exceed expectations.

Ensuring compliance and performance excellence - you will be accountable for all quality and compliance for services in your region, ensuring robust processes are in place that align with contractual expectations.

Guiding a high performing team -as a leader you will be responsible for mentoring Performance Managers and Team Leaders, fostering their growth as leaders to provide effective mentoring and management for your team.

Strategic engagement - building relationships with both local and national funders and stakeholders will be second nature to you, ensuring seamless contract delivery and long lasting partnerships.

Pioneering opportunities - you will be responsible for proactively identifying and cultivating new business opportunities, staying up to date with emerging trends and policy changes to ensure your services can respond to local and national priorities.

About You

We really need you to have these:

• An understanding of employability and skills structures and systems in Scotland
• An understanding of national employability policies such as No One Left Behind
• Experience of leading a performance focused team
• Ability to effectively coach and motivate developing leaders to deliver high performance within your team
• Experience of successfully managing and forecasting performance profiles Experience of writing impact reports
• Ability to work autonomously, fully accountable for managing and driving the services in your area to achieve excellence
• Self-management skills and the ability to prioritise competing deadlines effectively
• Effective project management skills and ability to think strategically to achieve long-term goals
• A natural, professional relationship builder with the ability to partner and negotiate with stakeholders
• Experience of creating and managing budgets, delivering on financial expectations and forecasting change
• Strong attention to detail with professional presentation and personality
• Experience working in rural areas
• Confident communicator with experience of public speaking
• Role model who will demonstrate our values, leading by example
• IT proficient with experience of competently using Microsoft packages, and CRM systems
• A full driving licence and access to a car, as travel is required in this role

We would love it if you had these:

• Experience of working in employability out with Scotland
• Experience of business development including bid writing
• Experience of working with people who have multiple/complex barriers
• Experience of leading managers and working with geographically dispersed teams

More information about the Operations Manager role, is included in our Job Pack.

Please ensure you include a detailed personal statement, outlining how you meet the requirements. We want to hear why you are a good fit for this role and what skills and experience you can bring to our organisation, so please take the time to clearly outline this in your application statement.

About Us

At Enable we believe in developing all our staff and we provide an extensive learning programme together with in-house career development opportunities.

We also have an excellent range of staff benefits on offer including but not limited to:

• Health cash plans providing a wide range of health benefits to help people cover the cost of their everyday health care.
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to Work Scheme*
• Season Ticket Loans*
• Blue Light Card
• Where required, Enable will fully fund SVQ Health and Social Care qualifications – required for SSSC registration

*Terms and Conditions Apply

Starting a career with Enable is the first step towards making a real difference in our award-winning charity’s mission to help create an equal society for every person who has a learning disability.

Enable is an equal opportunities employer and our recruitment, selection and assessment process is based entirely on values, skills and competencies required of the specific roles.

The cost of PVG is paid upfront by the organisation and deducted from your wage if successfully appointed.

Enable reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications. Please submit your application as early as possible if this vacancy is of interest.

Note: The successful applicant will be required to register with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) within 3 months of their start date.

Garvald Edinburgh is a long-established Scottish charity supporting adults with learning disabilities through creative day opportunities, workshops, community participation, and public-facing social enterprise activities. Rooted in the principles of social therapy inspired by Rudolf Steiner, Garvald places creativity, respect, rhythm, individuality, and community at the centre of personal development.

The organisation exists to offer adults with learning disabilities meaningful opportunities to develop skills, confidence, and a sense of belonging, achieved through purposeful creative work, strong community integration, and innovative social enterprise.

Operating across multiple sites in Edinburgh, Garvald employs approximately 180 staff and has an annual turnover of over £4.5 million. The organisation is entering a period of important development, guided by a multi-year strategic plan that includes organisational review, enhancing financial stability, facilities planning, digital transformation, and the continued growth of social enterprise activity. This is a pivotal moment in Garvalds history, offering the opportunity to shape the organisation’s future while strengthening its values-driven culture.

The Board of Trustees is seeking a Chief Executive Officer to lead Garvald through this next phase. The CEO will provide strategic, operational, cultural, and organisational leadership, ensuring that Garvald continues to deliver high-quality, ethical, and person-centred services across all sites.

Reporting to the Chair and supported by a strong Senior Management Team, the CEO will shape and implement long-term strategy, embed a distributed leadership model, oversee financial sustainability, and strengthen governance, compliance, and risk management. They will also act as the organisation’s principal ambassador, building and nurturing relationships with commissioners, funders, partners, staff, members, and families.

The successful candidate will be someone who can hold complexity without losing clarity, lead change without compromising care, and inspire confidence and trust through their presence, integrity, and values-led approach. You will be confident in leading a large, multi-site organisation, with a strong understanding of regulation, finance, workforce dynamics, and governance. You will have experience of strategic leadership, organisational change, and financial sustainability, alongside the ability to engage effectively with all stakeholders—from trustees and commissioners to staff, members, and families.

Above all, the next CEO will be someone who combines strategic rigour with emotional intelligence, humility, and steadiness. You will be capable of setting direction, making difficult decisions, and developing innovation, while remaining grounded in Garvald’s values and the principles of social therapy.

This is a rare opportunity to lead a respected, innovative, and values-driven organisation at a transformative moment, ensuring that Garvald Edinburgh continues to be a place where adults with learning disabilities can reach their fullest potential and make a lasting contribution to the wider community.