Do you have a business brain, a marketing instinct and a taste for innovation? Are you passionate about helping the most marginalised people to flourish, thrive and reach their potential? This brand-new role is for a special individual with vision and imagination as well as proven practical expertise across marketing and income generation, business development and innovation.

In this role you will have the opportunity to connect the people and businesses of Aberdeen and the North-East of Scotland with those who most need support. You will have the freedom to explore new ways of working, new ways of engaging with supporter groups and new ways of generating income – from traditional marketing, fundraising and sales approaches to new models of co-funding and social investment – all alongside local authority-commissioned services.

There will be opportunities to extend the reach and impact of VSA services, learning from local communities, not only as professionals but as neighbours and friends; to broaden the network of financial and business support from commercial, philanthropic and community organisations, and from the people of Aberdeen – and ultimately help to transform the lives of those who most need the professional services and support of VSA.

As part of the senior team, you will work directly with the CEO and the Senior Management Team, supported by a committed Board of local trustees, in building a thriving community of investment in the care and wellbeing of the people of Aberdeen and the North-East – and contributing to more and better services to meet the care needs of all local communities.

Your role will include leading the marketing, communications and fundraising team, building a stronger connection with the VSA brand, increasing awareness and confidence in how the organisation delivers impact, increasing their fundraising and new income stream capacity, and nurturing a highly-motivated and effective team.

We are keen to speak to candidates with experience in the following areas:

• Income Generation (in particular; Legacy, Major Gift/Philanthropy, Corporate and/or Individual Giving.
• Innovation – experience and implementation of a business case/strategy at this level in a similar role.
• Senior Management/Leadership – experience in a similar role at this level with a non profit would be an advantage.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Operations manager in Carr Gomm (due to the retirement of the current post holder), primarily based in our Falkirk office in Forth Valley.

This role would suit an experienced, values-oriented, person-centered social care professional. With a desire to lead teams working to support adults with learning and physical disabilities, you will be familiar with the complex challenges that people can face, with a determination to support people to live full, meaningful lives.

The role:

As an operations manager, you will be working closely with the Local Management Team – a brilliant team of experienced, social care managers. With the ability to manage your own diary and work routines you will thrive in roles with a good degree of autonomy, within clearly defined values and strategic objectives. You will be working within a busy and dynamic locality, which requires the flexibility to be responsive to the ever-changing environment. Contributing to the strategic management of Carr Gomm, you will have an appreciation of organisational values while developing a greater understanding of the organisational goals and objectives both for the people we support and all colleagues.

Excellent communication skills are crucial as a key contact for our internal and external partners. This role requires strong leadership and the passion to drive the locality towards achieving Carr Gomm’s strategic objectives.

This is a dynamic role in which you will never settle for ‘good enough’ but will always prioritize effectively in an ever-changing environment. You will appreciate that there is always capacity to innovate, improve, develop and stretch targets in the pursuit of a more equitable society in which people can lead full and positive lives as active citizens.

Reporting to the Senior Operations Manager, the Operations Manager is a key role for the success and development of the locality.

Success in this role includes, but is not limited to:

• Being the lead contact with local authority commissioners and regulators as a registered manager for the services.
• Maintaining excellent links with other health and social work and social care professionals.
• Participate in the strategic management of the organisation through formal groups; taking a lead on specific issues as and when required.
• Maintaining an overview of risk management for the organisation and services, and to take appropriate action to manage and minimize risks.
• Supporting Service Managers to develop services in line with Carr Gomm’s strategy, including the consideration of alternative and imaginative ways to support new and existing people.
• Ensuring that the services are working in line with Carr Gomm’s policies, procedures and values to meet the outcomes of the individual people supported.
• Ensuring that the services operate flexibly in response to changing requirements.
• Providing leadership and support to the Service Managers and other key staff, to assistant them to carry out their responsibilities in managing the services.
• Working with the Service Managers to ensure the services are contractually compliant, and financially viable by managing budgets.
• Being a strong role-model, and working with HR colleagues to lead positive employee relations and good working practice.
• To take charge of your own priorities for professional development, which you will be supported to achieve.

Who we are looking for:

Successful Operations Managers may come from different backgrounds and have a range of work and life experiences. All are creative and a have flair for engaging and inspiring people, whilst sharing our values of respect, interdependence, choice, control, openness and honesty, kindness, and compassion.

Key to being successful in this role in Forth Valley is the experience of managing person-centered services to individuals with often quite complex learning and physical disabilities, and an awareness of what getting it right for people means, both when developing new services, and when driving quality in existing services.

In our eyes, the best Operations Managers are natural leaders who are passionate, logical, and flexible; they have excellent communication and people skills which they use to forge strong, productive relationships; and they have the capacity to deliver. They are also confident problem solvers – curious with potential solutions and ideas to improve new ways of working and contribute to the development of Carr Gomm.

We expect that you will have experience of managing a range of community care services providing complex support. We also expect that you will have an understanding the Scottish Social Care sector, alongside good knowledge of the requirements of regulatory bodies such as the Care Inspectorate and SSSC. Professional qualifications (enabling registration with SSSC) and / or the ability to demonstrate relevant skills and experiences are desirable, as is an ability to demonstrate the experience of work which matches the requirements of this profile.

About Carr Gomm

Carr Gomm is a leading Scottish social care and community development charity. We provide person-centered support to over 4500 people every year so they can live their best possible life.

Our services are based on our values and reflect the choices and aspirations of each individual and community we work with. Our qualified staff work with people in their homes and communities, supporting people in their day-to-day lives and making plans to achieve their hopes and dreams in the future. Carr Gomm also fundraises to tackle isolation and loneliness in our communities through projects and activities across Scotland.

Benefits

• 35 days’ holiday per year, increasing to 40 days with length of service
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption, and sick leave
• A Defined Contribution pension scheme, with incremental employer contributions
• Membership to TELUS; employee well-being and perks platform
• Access to the Carr Gomm App, which includes online access to physiotherapy, personal training and counselling
• Membership of a credit union
• Cycle to work scheme