Dynamic Director of Operations needed to lead our Teams in London and the South of the UK. Relevant Experience in childcare industry Relevant education and qualifications Experience of working in a similar role Full, clean driving licence (Essential) £DOE plus car allowance and excellent OTE Closing Date for Applications: 11th February 2025 Purpose of the Role : The Divisional Operations Director role is a key leadership role in Bright Horizons UK, with responsibility for all aspects of operations in a geographical division. This role comes with responsibility for leading a team of Regional Directors, implementing a strategic approach, and contributing to the delivery of Operations’ objectives through ensuring all the key areas of People, Quality and Growth are delivered effectively in line with expected timeframes. The role works closely with the Executive Director of Operations, Early Childhood Team, HR, Finance and Marketing, to manage the execution of service delivery in line with regulatory, customer, client, and employee expectations of a sector leading provider, and to develop leadership capabilities within the Division for future growth of the organisation. Key Tasks and Responsibilities: Provide exceptional organisational leadership of Regional Director teams – promote HEART culture, values, and behaviours, to drive improvement in customer and client satisfaction and employee engagement, retention, and performance across the Division, making a positive contribution towards achieving exceptional service Lead and support the implementation of the People and Growth strategies and action plans across each Region for all nursery settings in the Division, to ensure alignment with company strategic objectives Support the Implementation of Bright Horizons UK pedagogy, through working in partnership with the Early Childhood Team. Implement and lead Keeping Everyone Safe strategies by continuously demonstrating, monitoring, and reporting the practices, processes and behaviours that underpin a safety culture Manage and deliver agreed proposals and projects for People and Growth innovations in collaboration with Finance, HR and Marketing teams as appropriate, and ensure all routine practices, procedures and policies are implemented securely and consistently across all nursery settings in the Division Working with HR, identify succession plans and nurture, create and continuously develop a pipeline of high performing Regional Directors and Nursery Managers building the strongest talent pool in the sector Working with Marketing, identify, create and implement commercial plans and strategies to deliver FTE growth across the Division Commercial delivery of the regional performance, optimising revenue generation and overhead reduction opportunities to deliver and exceed the annual budgeted EBITDA Contribute to high quality statistical reporting through operational quality improvement/monitoring systems to enable value-adding business analysis and insight, which focuses on key performance indicators, to inform the UK leadership team, drive a culture of ongoing improvement and secure high-quality performance in nursery operations across the UK. Responsible For: Providing strong line management for a team of Regional Directors in the Area. Work in collaboration with Early Childhood Team, HR, Finance and Marketing colleagues throughout the business, to ensure cohesion and execution of the UK strategic goals. Plan, manage and account for the Operations budget, and support Regional Directors with understanding and managing their regional staffing and overheads, with a focus on managing labour costs, driving FTE growth and achieving or exceeding EBITDA targets, in agreement with the COD Ensure high quality leadership in every setting. Deliver, implement, and manage strong and effective performance management and ongoing monitoring processes, with the ability to demonstrate impact and achieve effective improvements in leadership performance, leading to the highest quality provision, improved inspection ratings, high levels of customer and employee satisfaction and growth. Develop the required capability and efficiency of the Regional Director team to enable the outstanding performance and achievement of operational targets. Create the environment for Regional Directors to focus on customer and practitioner engagement. Plan and provide suitable professional development activities and opportunities for personal growth, within a culture of self-drive development to encourage individual and team expertise in all aspects of operational development and learning, to secure a highly effective, motivated, and innovative team. Take responsibility for own personal and professional development, accessing high level leadership and management activities that inform general and operational management based on national and international perspectives of ‘best practice’. Essential Experience: Experienced multi-site operator responsible for 60 or more sites, with proven record of success within a medium/large service sector organisation in a highly regulated environment delivering high quality customer, client and employee propositions, securing YOY growth. Demonstrable track record of driving leadership strength and development of successful ongoing performance management and impact measurements, in close partnership with HR Experience of developing high performing teams, with a successful track record of supporting effective regulatory compliance, quality improvement, innovation and service excellence. Ability to plan and deliver strategy, use systems and analytics, digital technology and data to identify actions to turnaround and improve performance; drive commercial outcomes and measure the impact of initiatives and work-streams Confident decision-maker, with the proven ability to support change and drive innovations; a secure understanding of the complex relationship between business/commerce and service excellence within regulated large organisation, with the ability to follow guidelines and work with others to achieve success Desired Experience: Previous experience of working in education settings and successful regional management, leading to ‘good or better’ regulatory inspection outcomes across multi-site businesses Significant experience (more than 10 years) within multi-site leadership role, with secure understanding of relevant legislative frameworks, service delivery and operational challenges. Understanding of national, local, sector and political agenda that impact business sustainability Expert knowledge of Local Authority and Regulatory requirements and inspection processes across the UK Qualifications Essential / Desirable: A degree in Early Childhood or a similar related subject / leadership/business management (desirable) Leadership and Management accredited qualification (Desirable) Evidence of continuous professional development (Essential) Bright Horizons are committed to creating inclusive environments where everyone has a sense of belonging and has the opportunity to contribute and thrive in meaningful and impactful ways. We are an inclusive employer and welcome people from all backgrounds to apply. We will consider reasonable adjustments required by applicants. If you share our passion, values, and have most of the skills listed, we encourage you to apply – as you may be just what we are looking for Please note, due to our sector all roles are subject to an Enhanced DBS. Some of our roles require specific qualifications by law, this will be highlighted as essential within the advert. We look forward to receiving your application If you experience any problems, please email europe.recruitmentbrighthorizons.com and we will be happy to help.