Job Description

Operations Manager

Employer:

Pioneer Training Solutions

Organisation Type:

Business (Start-Up) - Expected commencement is within a few months with potential start date to be mutually agreed.

About:

Pioneer Training is committed to supporting people through their personal transformation process. We provide transformational training programs that address key societal challenges such as addictions, mental health and financial difficulties. We are a start-up business that strive for excellence as we seek to make a difference in people's lives. Our team is made up of committed and talented individuals who are keen to help others. We love to talk to great people and are looking to find someone who aligns with what we're about and is a great addition to our team.

To help us launch and grow, we're seeking an Operations Manager to join a highly skilled team. Taking full ownership of this role will allow the CEO to focus on achieving one of our varied goals. We are seeking an ambitious 'go-getter' with a can-do attitude and desire to achieve results, who will provide a clear focus to client service, such that the successful applicant strives to instil this in their operational team. The individual must be an assertive and positive people manager, ensuring they get the best from an operational team on a weekly basis. The ideal candidate will have experience in high level organisations or companies and of supervising others. The role requires outstanding organizational, communication, and leadership skills and an ability to develop innovative solutions that push boundaries. The Operations Manager will work closely with the Managing Director and CEO to strategize and develop long-term plans that usher in new levels of productivity and success.

Objectives of this role

Collaborate with senior management in the development of performance goals and long-term operational plans

Oversee day to day operations of business such as HR, Payroll, GDPR, Compliance and aspects of service delivery alongside other staff.

Oversee staff by being a promoter of our employee first culture and provide necessary support for maximum employee performance and well being

Work with CEO in the development of financial and budgetary plans

Analyse current operational processes and performance, recommending solutions for improvement where necessary

Operations Manager duties and responsibilities

As a high-level staff member, you will be responsible for a wide variety of tasks and report to the CEO/Managing Director. The main duties and responsibilities include:

Develop, implement, and monitor day-to-day operational systems and processes to provide visibility into the goals, progress, and obstacles of key initiatives

Draw on relationships with department heads, external partners, and vendors to make decisions regarding operational activity and strategic goals

Plan, monitor, and analyze key metrics for day-to-day operations to ensure efficient and timely completion of tasks

Evaluating overall organisation performance

Providing all necessary reports, assisting management in goal setting and promoting organisation growth and anticipating and forecasting trends and patterns of the organisation and marketplace

Devise strategies for ensuring the growth of programs enterprise-wide, and implement process improvements to maximize output and minimize costs

Adhere to the company's policies and standards, and ensure that laws and regulations are being followed

Take on Human Resources lead to lead the team with integrity and to establish and maintain a trusting, inclusive, and productive environment

Creating and documenting process

GDPR Monitoring and related duties

Review Internal policies, such as our Program Policy etc

Seeking new and effective ways to increase revenue and establish new partnerships

Maintaining and building relationships and partnerships with customers and key stakeholders etc

Effectively work with Business Admin etc to deliver excellent customer service delivery 24/7 x 365

Design and implement process and workflows between teams as required

Oversee team of Administrators and Officers to ensure service areas such as IT and general business operations are successfully completed

Maintain ongoing training and personal development within the teams

Manage/maintain close contact with HR & Payroll needs as required to ensure effective delivery and compliance as needed

Manage staff absences/holidays and general HR responsibilities

Managing finances, developing, monitoring and analysing the departmental and organisation budgets and financial reports

Creating financial plans for increasing revenue and distribution

Creating operation strategies to minimise losses, implementing initiatives to reduce organisation costs

Health and safety champion of the team

Ensure financial duties with Contracts/Invoices etc are completed in time, with variations and managed in time with applications

Driving and motivating all employees and leading performance reviews, to ensure an engaged and skilled workforce.

Additional Roles & Responsibilities

Online Pioneer Shop Management

Pioneer Training Solutions will be launching an online merchandise shop. Part of the Operations Manager role will be to oversee all operations in relation to this with the support of several junior staff such as Business Support, Marketing Officer, Business Administrator and Customer Service Admin. This will sell the normal type of business and promotional merchandise such as t-shirts, clothing, stationery, cups and many more items. With the focus on positive and hopeful branding, we hope to develop a thriving online store and welcome ideas and suggestions from staff. Our online store is not purely for revenue purposes, but to help keep our training front and centre in the minds of our customers. The hope is that our calendars, magnets, posters & T-shirts, will serve as a reminder of what they have learned and hopefully they continue to put their new Pioneer skills into practice. This will primarily be managed by Operations staff, however, it is likely that staff from across the business will be required to provide input or cover as it grows and expands, such as Administrative staff helping to cover/provide customer service to customers.

Pioneer Empowerment Fund Assistance

We have a Pioneer Fund in order to support our clients to sustain long term transformation. It is also in keeping with our founding principle which is to provide a platform of support for those who are committed and ready for the help they need. The main work of identifying client funding/support needs are done by the Support workers and then Pioneer Fund forms are passed to the Training Manager or Training Co-Ordinators for approval. Once approved they are then passed to the Business Support & Accounts Officer to process the fund request/support with the oversight of the Operations Manager who will monitor also. The Pioneer Fund is primarily overseen by the Training Support Manager however, the Operations Manager will also be aware of all the processes and set budget etc.

Champion Our Pioneer Principles and Approaches

A significant part of the role will be to be a company ambassador for our principles, guidelines and approaches. This is in relation to our internal principles/procedures and also our Pioneer training approaches. We have a company wide Code of Conduct & Policy document which is the foundation of the company procedures, approaches and general company culture. This is a significant document that has many principles for working and behaving as employees and it is crucial that senior staff such as the Training Manager are positive advocates of the guidance in that document. Such as key health and safety guidance, safe working and also key internal operations like the "Prompt Communication Protocol" which ensures all staff respond within 3 days to all communication to avoid major delays and also single point of failure issues. Also our "Employee First" approach of focusing on people over profits by ensuring staff wellbeing is prioritized and they receive constant support due to intense nature of the job. The Training Manager and senior staff are expected to Champion these principles and approaches so that the whole company can have a healthy working culture and also achieve our societal goals.

Required skills and qualifications

Excellent organizational, communication, and leadership skills, backed by previous professional success

Superior knowledge of multiple operational functions and principles, including finance, customer service, production, and employee management

Excellent interpersonal skills of being able to relate well with others and deal with difficult employee situations if required.

Ability to plan and manage operational processes for maximum efficiency and productivity

Ability to streamline or implement structures and roles that boost speed and efficiency while supporting rapidly shifting demands

High degree of personal motivation

Preferred skills and qualifications

Experience in developing budgets and business plans

Superior negotiation skills for both internal and external purposes

Strong working knowledge of data analysis and performance metrics, using business management software

Employee FIRST Approach - The Key To Our Organizational Success

We believe the key to our success is our "Employee FIRST Approach". Many organisations focus first on goals and results, expect the staff to be efficient in delivering these results and put no emphasis on the wellbeing of their staff as they try to achieve these results. At Pioneer Training we do things differently, indeed oppositely to this. We put our employee wellbeing FIRST, we believe this leads to your excellence and will automatically result in us achieving our organizational goals.

Your Wellbeing Prioritized = Excellent Job Performance = Organisation Goals Achieved

So we do everything we can support your wellbeing so that you not only enjoy work, but your work/life balance is great so you can become your best and achieve your best. We know this approach will lead to your excellence and our goals will be achieved and indeed staff will even go the extra mile because they enjoy work so much. So we make flexible working, positive work culture and personal support where needed all available for you. So we are open to suggestions of what will make your work/life balance better and consequently improve your wellbeing, we will try our best to be accommodating while still maintaining organisational functions.

Avoiding Negative Workplace Behaviour

In order to sustain such a great and positive workplace culture, there are some positive guidelines that will help us achieve this. Including:-

No "Office Politics" culture

- So all staff are focused on respecting and honouring each other and avoiding the well known and potentially negative atmosphere caused by "office politics".

No gossip/slander

- We encourage deep discussions and of course discussing all issues of life including the controversial issues! However, we discourage staff slandering or gossiping about each other or because they may not agree with a managers decision etc.

Swear free zone

- We believe in a respectful and abuse free office and so avoiding abusive language that may offend some people is important for staff to maintain if we want a happy office.

Don't let negative emotions linger

. We encourage all types of discussion whether it is controversial or not, but we always remind staff to not let any discussions especially if heated to affect working relationships for any length of time. Eg. If someone loves Trump, but you hate Trump - please be considerate when discussing and once finished everyone smiles and forgets it - instead of deleting each other from Facebook!

What we offer

We don't want you to work all hours, and we really encourage work life balance. But if you do ever need to work outside of your normal hours, we will always support you to take off time to recharge. We have a culture of gratitude - we make the effort formally and informally to show our gratitude for our team members and volunteers, from team events to volunteer meetups, to cake, you will feel appreciated!

Benefits:

Great life- work balance (34 hours a week) Full time, Permanent 55,000 per year Shift Allowance (If required to cover other senior management during training sessions etc) - Additional 50 per evening shift worked. Evening shifts are maximum of 3 hours between 5am-8pm, but normally 6-8pm. Overtime - all overtime is paid at double time Generous Company Pension contribution 33-day holiday allowance Flexible working within Normal Hours: Mon-Thurs: 9am-5pm and Friday 9am-4pm. Work from home: At least 1 day per week and flexible arrangements will be made once client/training needs assessed. Work Location: Falkirk (But various as required to meet client needs) Company Events Training Development opportunities Relevant expenses included, including mileage rate of 45p per mile Strict no "Office politics" policy, so you can be rest assured of a great working environment and everyone treats each other kindly and with mutual respect Smart Casual dress Sick pay
How To Apply

We're so excited about this role, and even more excited to hear from you!

To apply, please read and carefully follow the below 2 requirements as without this your application is unlikely to be considered:

1. Provide a copy of your current CV

2. Answer the 8 questions on the Indeed application - Essential

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: 55,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Company pension Sick pay Work from home
Ability to commute/relocate:

Falkirk FK1 1LL: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Application question(s):

1. Please send a brief paragraph of how you would help to implement our "Employee First" approach as described in job description, which is all about fostering a culture of promoting employees well being i.e. People over Profits. 2. Please send a brief paragraph of how you would help to cultivate our positive work culture as per the section in job description on "Avoiding Negative Workplace Behavior". 3. What are some financial best practices that you follow as an Operations Manager and the process you would follow for developing & implementing financial budgets? 4. How would you describe your leadership style and how would you manage your team? 5. How would you create an environment of collaboration within the organisation and professional relationships with vendors outside? 6. Please send a brief paragraph explaining how your skills and working experience make you the ideal candidate for the Operations Manager role. 7. Please send a brief paragraph explaining how your personality will be an asset to the team and how you are a positive people person which is needed for this role. 8. Please send a brief paragraph explaining how you would manage the organisations day to day operations.
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Falkirk FK1 1LL