Hybrid Ops Leader: Drive Service Excellence & Growth

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Full details of the job.

Vacancy Name

Vacancy Name Operations Manager

Vacancy Number

Vacancy Number VN2837

Location City

Location City Exeter

Employment Type

Employment Type

Permanent

About us

More than 50,000 professionals across 2,600 schools and settings have been trained in the Thrive Approach, giving over 600,000 children and young people access to evidence-based emotional development support. As we continue to grow, our ambition is to reach 1.5 million learners.

Thrive is part of Supporting Education Group, a fast-growing family of education businesses united by a shared mission to improve education for all, create fulfilling careers for our people, and make a lasting difference to schools and communities.

About the job

Reporting to the Head of Operations, you'll lead our Operations function, ensuring our customer journey runs smoothly from booking through to training delivery. You'll oversee a team comprising a Team Leader, Bookings Coordinators and Training & Trainer Support Coordinators, creating an environment where colleagues can thrive while delivering an exceptional customer experience.

This is a varied leadership role where you'll drive operational excellence, improve processes, analyse performance data, and work collaboratively across the business to ensure we continue delivering outstanding service to our customers. You'll play a key role in supporting Thrive's continued growth by ensuring our operations are efficient, scalable and customer-focused.

As Operations Manager, you'll:

• Lead, coach and develop the Operations team, fostering a high-performing and engaged culture.
• Ensure customers receive an outstanding experience by maintaining high service standards and resolving operational issues where required.
• Monitor operational performance, using management information and data to identify trends, improve processes and support business decisions.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives, identifying efficiencies across systems, workflows and customer processes.
• Work closely with teams across the business to ensure course availability, trainer allocation and operational capacity support business growth.
• Lead and support operational change projects, embedding new processes and ways of working.
• Ensure operational activities remain compliant with company policies and relevant regulations.
• Build strong relationships across Thrive and the wider Supporting Education Group to share best practice and continuously improve service delivery.

You'll ideally have:

• Previous experience in an Operations Manager or similar leadership role.
• Experience leading, developing and motivating operational teams.
• Strong people management experience, including recruitment, coaching and performance management.
• Experience managing operational KPIs and using data to drive decision making.
• Excellent organisational and planning skills, with the ability to prioritise competing demands.
• Strong analytical skills and confidence interpreting and presenting operational data.
• A collaborative approach, with the ability to build positive relationships across all levels of the business.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• A proactive mindset with a passion for continuous improvement and delivering operational excellence.
• Strong IT skills and confidence using a range of business systems and technology.

• Experience working within the education sector.
• Experience using CRM, Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Zoom.
• A degree or professional qualification in Business, Operations Management or a related discipline.

• Whilst we work in a hybrid way, with collaboration being one of our values, we’d expect you to regularly be in our Exeter office, at least two days per week.
• 28 days holiday and get an extra day for each year you stay with us, up to max 33 days PLUS bank holidays
• Health Cash Plan, once you’ve passed probation, which includes access to a private GP
• F…