Age Well East (formerly Age Concern Colchester & North-East Essex – current rebrand running) has gone through exponential growth. Since 2017 the focus has increased from Colchester to North-East Essex and now across Essex and Suffolk. This growth is driven by unmet needs and this growth requires strengthening with a Head of Operations within the senior leadership team to maintain the current operation and manage future growth. The Head of Support Services, Head of Operations and CEO form the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and complement the established base of Operations Managers, Team Leaders and the frontline staff that underpin excellent operational delivery.
The Head of Operations will grow an established operations unit to develop first-class frontline services that change lives. A key element of this role is maintaining existing operations, embedding recent contract wins for April 2022 and then developing services based on new major contract wins.
The organisation, due to high growth, will have direct reports, team leaders and operations managers reporting in. Over time, and as the department and income settle, this will restructure to a more traditional structure of operations managers reporting lines. Therefore the right individual will be comfortable managing at different levels until the full structure is in place.
Role for Head of Operations
Strategic Leadership as part of a close-knit SLT
Stakeholder Management; commissioners, NHS, Local Government
Developing a high calibre operations unit
Experience operating to and maintaining ISO standards
Adept at budgets and P & L accountability
Operational excellence in line with agreed quality and governance processes
Monitor and lead legal, safeguarding, risk assessment, H & Safety, data protection, and EDI operationally
Drives a positive culture, highly focused on people and living and promoting the values of Age Well East
Developing commissioning and grant income awards from NHS and Local Government (major contracts)
Contract management inclusive of sub-contractors and matrix leadership with partner organisations
Able to develop major contracts from the ground-up
Delivery of the five-year business plan, partnering closely with the CEO and Head of Support Services
Scope for Head of Operations
Two operations managers initially
25 employees rising to 40 by April 2022
350 volunteers rising to over 600 in 2022
P & L £750k year 1, rising
Engagement in relevant Trustee Sub-Committees
Deputise for the CEO as required
The Individual for Head of Operations
Highly people focused
Must have a growth mindset
Able to identify, qualify, convert, monitor and manage major contracts
Well networked in Essex in local government and the NHS (client-side)
Very strong team player in relation to SLT working
Strong communicator
Cultivates internal and external relationships
Excellent leadership qualities
Intelligent, emotionally intelligent and highly adaptable
Skills for Head of Operations
Degree or equivalent or experience commensurate with the role
Higher management or professional qualification (desirable not essential)
If you are a passionate leader looking to take a high growth operation to new heights we welcome your CV and covering letter and to meet in person. We are building something special at Age Well East and we are looking for a high calibre Head of Operations to lead the frontline team.
We aim to be an equal opportunities employer and we are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, age, disability, religion, belief, sexual orientation, marital status, or race, or is disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable.
Further Information
Mission
Age Well East supports and empowers individuals to become happier and healthier.
Values
Trust
Compassion
Community
Excellence
Courage
Apply today and we look forward to discussing what we can achieve together.
In this episode we speak with Catherine Mahoney about the recent UK Giving Report from the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).
1. Giving is up but givers are down
It’s a little disconcerting to hear that there are so many fewer donors here in the UK compared to previous years, we’re not sure if this is also being seen in other countries too.
However, total giving seems to have gone up, showing that those who are giving seem to be giving more. What we don’t know is why. If we look at the growing wealth gap in our society, and the job losses that have come from the pandemic, the vast furlough scheme which has given many people less over much of the last two years, this might give us some idea.
2. Would could charities do to overcome giving fatigue?
So while the pot may not be getting smaller, the loss of so many donors suggests that competition for support may be on the increase. It would be useful to understand more from charities about whether their funds have gone down or whether their supporter numbers have gone down and they are just seeing larger average gifts. We also don’t know how the emergency appeals of the pandemic will continue to perform, some believe that giving fatigue is setting in, or will do in the short-term.
What does this mean for charities. Well one thing is that we need to continue to find ways of establishing long-lasting and thereby cost-effective relationships with supporters. Providing an authentic personal interaction, along with a reciprocal donor-centred approach to fundraising to help bring supporters into our cause and to live the passion that we, and our colleagues hold for it. With less resource, funding, time and energy this serves to be big challenge for many of us. And so, we must seek out within ourselves and from those around us the support we need to remain resilient, innovative and passionate.
This episode of Charity Chat has been brought to you by our platinum sponsor, fundraising platform Work for Good and the festive Small Business Star match funding campaign. This year there is a £50,000 match funding pot available. Head to www.workforgood.co.uk to sign-up for free!
This in-person workshop will explore the history and theories of autism, outline the current diagnostic criteria of autism, and look at strategies to support autistic people.
This workshop is interactive with discussions, activities and plenty of time for questions throughout, however participants are welcome to be involved as much or as little as they feel comfortable. There will also be regular breaks which will provide essential time to network between participants and speak to the trainers on a 1:1 basis. Refreshments will be provided however participants are required to bring their own lunch.
Grants of between £35,000 and £300,000 are available to help UK Armed Forces charities increase capacity in services and initiatives that offer supportive comradeship, engagement and wellbeing efforts for veterans who have served in Afghanistan and other recent conflicts and the wider veterans community. Organisations are invited to apply for one of four strands of funding from the Afghanistan Veterans’ Fund for projects that respond to the increased needs in veterans by improving wellbeing and resilience, and promoting good mental health. Funding is being made available by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs and will be administered by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust.
The deadline for applications is the 17th January 2022.
Funding is available to support innovative and creative arts and culture projects in communities across England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man which open up conversations about dying, death and bereavement in new and creative ways. Hospice UK’s Dying Matters Community Grants Programme 2022 will award funding to registered charities, CIOs and CICs for projects that reach new and diverse audiences, with a particular focus on inequalities and inclusion. Two types of funding are available: small workshop grants of up to £999 for activities such as one-off workshops of poetry, singing or art; and project grants of between £1,000 and £5,000 for larger scale community projects such as a theatre production, photography exhibition or community mural.
The deadline for applications is 5pm on the 21st February 2022.
Imkaan, the UK-based, umbrella women’s organisation dedicated to addressing violence against Black and Minoritised women and girls has announced a new fund for specialist Black and minoritised women and girls’ organisations who deliver frontline support addressing violence against women and girls. Framework 4 of Margin to Centre – A Fund for the Black and Minoritised Women and Girls’ sector will open to applications on the 10th January 2022 to re-dress inequality and support the frontline operational and long-term sustainability work of organisations working to end violence against women and girls in England and Scotland.
The fund is made available through contributions from the Tampon Tax Fund and the closing date for applications is the 31st March 2022.
While Christmas can be a very happy and enjoyable time of year, for some it can be a difficult period; mental health doesn’t get easier just because it’s the festive season.
Here we have put together a list of five ways that you can make the festive season less difficult for yourself and others facing mental health challenges.
Help the NHS to create their new website by completing this short survey.
“We’re looking to develop a new website to provide support and guidance for new and expecting parents, professionals supporting new parent and their carers with their Mental Health. The website will span across Greater Essex. Our aim is to find out what users would find most useful from this website.
We’ll use this information to design a better website for you. The survey shouldn’t take longer than 5 minutes to complete.”
Looking for a new, flexible and rewarding career in 2022? National food and farming education charity, The Country Trust may have the role for you.
If you’re someone who is passionate about providing immersive, hands-on experiences for children to connect with the world of food and farming, they’d love to hear from you.
The Trust has ambitious plans for 2022 and beyond. In collaboration with farmers, teachers, and educators, they’re aiming to support more children than ever before through connecting them to the land that sustains us all.
The Trust is recruiting a range of roles including a Food and Farm Discovery Coordinator working across Essex.
Closing date: 6 January, 8am.
Find out more about all these roles and apply online: