Head of Care Operations

Location: Remote/Home Based - with national travel across ALS Care services
Hours: 35. Monday - Friday. 9am - 5pm
Salary: Circa £80,000
Contract: Permanent

For almost 70 years, Abbeyfield Living Society has been a leading provider of housing and care for older people across England. Guided by our five core values –
Care, Compassion, Community, Integrity and Excellence – we're committed to creating welcoming communities where people can live well, maintain their independence and stay connected.

We're looking for an inspiring and commercially minded Head of Care Operations to lead our care operations function, driving outstanding care, operational performance and sustainable growth across our services.

As a member of our Senior Leadership Team, you'll play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering our organisational strategy, ensuring our services remain safe, high-quality, financially sustainable and focused on improving the lives of older people.

Reporting to the Director of Customer Operations, you'll provide strategic leadership across our care services, working closely with Regional Operations Managers and colleagues across the organisation to deliver excellent resident outcomes and operational performance.

You'll be responsible for:

• Quality and resident experience: Ensuring residents remain at the heart of everything we do, promoting dignity, independence, personalised care and wellbeing.

• Operational and financial performance: Taking accountability for the care operations portfolio, including budgets, profit and loss, occupancy, revenue and resource efficiency.

• Governance and compliance: Driving high standards of safeguarding, regulatory compliance, quality assurance and continuous improvement.

• Leadership and workforce development: Building an engaged, capable and resilient workforce through effective leadership, talent development, succession planning and colleague wellbeing.

• Strategic partnerships: Developing strong relationships with local authorities, NHS organisations, regulators, commissioners and community partners.

• Transformation and innovation: Leading service improvement, digital transformation and new ways of working to enhance resident outcomes and organisational sustainability.

• Social impact: Championing initiatives that reduce loneliness, strengthen community connections and promote healthy ageing.

This is an opportunity to make a significant contribution to the future of care at ALS, influencing organisational strategy while ensuring our services deliver meaningful, lasting benefits for residents and their communities.

You'll be an experienced senior leader with a strong track record of leading complex, multi-site operations within a regulated care, health, housing-with-care or social care environment.

You'll bring:

• Significant experience of leading geographically dispersed teams and delivering operational excellence.

• A strong understanding of adult social care regulation, safeguarding, governance and quality improvement.

• Proven financial and commercial acumen, including responsibility for substantial budgets and profit and loss performance.

• Experience of leading organisational change, service redesign and digital transformation.

• The ability to develop high-performing teams, strengthen workforce capability and build effective succession plans.

• Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills.

• Experience of working collaboratively with health, social care and commissioning partners.

• A commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging.

• A full UK Driving Licence and access to a vehicle is required for travel across ALS care services.

You'll be a values-led leader who balances commercial performance with compassion,…