Job Title: Operational Improvement Lead
Salary: Competitive Salary Offered
Location: Yorkshire & Midlands
Hours: Full time position, 37.5 hours per week
Who We Are
We’re one of the largest adult social care providers in the UK today – and we plan to keep growing and benefiting more lives. Our support is dynamic, person-centred and fulfilling, so people can enjoy a flourishing life. We deliver care and support with energy, passion and positi vity.
Proudly recognised by The Sunday Times Best Places to Work for three consecutive years, and winners of the 2026 Health and Social Care Industry Award, we’ve built a culture where people can thrive every day.
Role Overview
As Operational Improvement Lead, you will lead a team of Operational Improvement Managers across Region 1 North and Midlands, ensuring specialist support is available where it's needed most. Whether providing leadership cover during management vacancies, supporting services through periods of change, driving improvement programmes, or helping new managers build confidence and capability, your team will play a key role in strengthening services.
This role is for someone who enjoys making a tangible difference, combining leadership with a practical, hands-on approach. Reporting to the Head of Operational Improvement, you will work alongside Operational Leaders to identify opportunities for improvement, remove barriers to success, and embed positive, sustainable change while ensuring the team delivers measurable value using data, feedback, and quality indicators.
Your Responsibilities
Leadership and Team Management: Lead, coordinate, and develop a team of Operational Improvement Managers, ensuring work is prioritised effectively and resources are deployed to meet organisational need.
Provide coaching, supervision, and professional development to Operational Improvement Managers, promoting high performance and continuous learning.
Provide quality assurance and oversight of Operational Improvement Managers' support, ensuring a consistent, evidence-based approach that delivers sustainable improvements.
Support recruitment, induction, and performance management within the Operational Improvement Team.
Deputise for the Head of Operational Improvement where appropriate.
Operational Improvement: Lead and coordinate improvement activity across multiple services, ensuring interventions are timely, proportionate, and deliver sustainable outcomes.
Personally lead on complex or high-risk improvement programmes.
Support services to achieve and sustain compliance with regulatory and organisational standards.
Work alongside operational leaders to improve quality, compliance, staffing stability, occupancy, agency usage, and overall service performance.
Contribute to the mobilisation and development of new services where required.
Partnership Working: Build trusted relationships with Area Managers, Registered Managers, and functional colleagues, acting as the primary operational improvement contact for Area Managers across the region.
Coordinate cross-functional support to services, ensuring improvement activity is collaborative and aligned.
Promote a culture of shared accountability for quality and operational excellence.
Measuring Impact and Assurance: Develop and monitor meaningful measures of operational improvement alongside the Head of Operational Improvement.
Evaluate the effectiveness of improvement interventions using operational, quality, and financial performance data.
Produce reports highlighting impact, trends, risks, and opportunities.
About You
We are looking for an authentic, approachable, and visible leader who is passionate about improving outcomes for the people we support. You will be collaborative, resilient, and solutions-focused, with the ability to lead by example and build trust quickly across teams.
You will be a confident decision-maker with sound judgement, who remains calm and effective under pressure and demonstrates integrity, professionalism, and accountability in all aspects of your work.
Skills and Experience
Essential:
Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Adult Care (or equivalent).
Full UK driving licence with willingness to travel regularly across services.
Significant leadership experience within adult social care services supporting people with learning disabilities, autism and/or mental health needs.
Experience leading improvement programmes that have delivered measurable outcomes.
Experience coaching, mentoring, and developing operational leaders across multiple services or geographical regions.
Experience building effective relationships with operational leaders and cross-functional teams to deliver service improvement.
Excellent understanding of adult social care legislation, governance, safeguarding, and regulatory requirements.
Strong knowledge of operational performance management and quality assurance.
Ability to lead, motivate, and develop high-performing teams alongside excellent communication, influencing, and relationship-building skills.
Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret quality, operational, and performance data to measure, evaluate, and demonstrate impact.
Excellent planning, prioritisation, and organizational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities.
Desirable:
Degree or professional qualification in Health and Social Care, Leadership, or Quality Improvement.
Experience establishing or mobilising new services.
Why join ivolve?
This is an exciting time to join a supportive and forward-thinking team where your contribution will genuinely make a difference. We offer flexibility, collaboration and the opportunity to work in a role where your insight and ideas will help shape operational and financial performance across the business. In addition:
Birthday off (after qualifying period)
Weekly lotto & scratch-card rewards
ivolve Extra discounts platform
Ongoing training & development (internal academies + external courses)
Annual colleague awards & recognition events
Salary advance scheme (after qualifying period)
If you are looking for a role where you can add value, influence change and continue developing within a collaborative environment, we would love to hear from you.
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