Head of Outreach Operations
3 days ago
City of London
Head of Outreach Operations (Foundation/CIO) Reporting to: Head of Impact Location: Peckham & remote bus locations Salary: circa £45,000 Contract: Full-time (40 hours) About Change Please Change Please is a social enterprise, we have grown from a small cart selling coffee in Covent Garden in 2015 to an international business. We aim end homelessness in 4 countries, using all the profits from our award-winning coffee sales, sold by our wholesale team to large, often global organisations and by our retail teams at multiple sites. This and the money raised by our fundraising team, allows us to support people experiencing homelessness by providing barista training, living wage employment, access to counselling, therapy, financial wellbeing and guidance, housing support, and onward employment opportunities with our incredible partners. We are about doing business better. At Change Please we exist to challenge stereotypes, to breakdown walls and kick open doors for those who may struggle to open them. It’s not about handouts, we want to harness the potential within everyone and enable them to be the best version of themselves. We partner with organisations to help them bring their social value pledges to life and enable them to make a difference to people from diverse and marginalised groups and local communities. We need Changemakers in our team who are passionate about coffee, people, teamwork and making the world a little better. Role Objective We are seeking an experienced and proactive Operations & Partnerships Manager to lead the day-to-day delivery and future growth of Change Please Foundation’s Driving for Change and Smile for Change outreach initiatives. These initiatives are complex, multi-stakeholder, mobile services backed by sponsors, subcontractors, and local authorities across London (with planned regional expansion). This role will own operational excellence, act as the primary relationship lead for councils and partners and work closely with the Head of Impact to scale the model sustainably and visibly. This is a hands-on, middle-management role suited to someone who thrives in operational environments, takes personal accountability, and is confident navigating both frontline delivery and senior external relationships. Key Duties & Responsibilities Operational Leadership & Delivery • Take full ownership of the day-to-day operational running of the Driving for Change and Smile for Change buses., • Ensure all operations are delivered in an appropriate, safe, compliant, and cost-effective way., • Anticipate operational risks and challenges, resolving issues proactively before they impact service delivery., • Act as escalation lead for breakdowns, service disruption, or operational incidents, including bus recovery when required., • Identifying opportunities for innovation, designing and implementing programs that advance our mission, and ensuring initiatives are sustainable, inclusive, and replicable., • Have strategic foresight on future projects Fleet, Logistics & Infrastructure • Manage relationships with councils and sites regarding bus parking, permissions, and electricity supply., • Oversee contracted bus drivers, ensuring adherence to routes, SOPs, and agreed protocols., • Work closely with mechanics to ensure all buses are maintained, serviced, and MOT-compliant across both initiatives., • Maintain oversight of fleet scheduling, servicing calendars, and operational readiness. Health, Safety & Compliance • Review and maintain all RAMS, H&S documentation, and Risk Location Assessments, ensuring they reflect current service delivery., • Own and update the Driving for Change Operations Manual, embedding best practice and continuous improvement., • Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, safeguarding requirements, and funder expectations. Service Coordination & Workforce Planning • Work closely with the Impact Administrator to manage rotas, contractors, and service staff across the buses., • Support the Service Manager in sourcing and onboarding contractors to fill gaps in service provision., • Coordinate stock, medical provisions, giveaways, and equipment required for service delivery., • Be the primary day-to-day operational contact for the Service Manager. Partnerships & Stakeholder Management • Act as the key relationship lead for councils, site partners, subcontractors, and operational stakeholders., • Manage expectations, delivery milestones, and operational budgets with partners., • Work with the wider Impact and Support teams to ensure full, consistent service delivery on the buses., • Support the promotion and visibility of the initiatives by working with internal teams and partners to share impact, learning, and growth opportunities. Finance & Administration • Oversee contractor invoicing, payments, and issue resolution, working closely with Finance., • Monitor operational spend against budget and flag risks or efficiencies early with finance. Growth & Scale • Work alongside the Head of Impact to plan and deliver further roll-out of the bus model., • Contribute operational insight to funding discussions, partnership development, and programme design., • Help shape scalable systems and processes that enable expansion without loss of quality. Person Specification Essential • Proven experience in an Operations Manager or similar delivery-focused role., • Strong administrative capability with excellent attention to detail., • Confident communicator with the ability to adapt style across frontline staff, senior partners, and internal teams., • Demonstrable experience managing multiple stakeholders and competing priorities., • Excellent planning, organisational, and problem-solving skills., • Comfortable working autonomously and taking ownership without close supervision., • High resilience and ability to see complex initiatives through from planning to delivery., • Proficient in Microsoft Office and Outlook (Word, Excel, OneNote, SharePoint)., • Excel skills at intermediate to advanced level., • Positive, solutions-focused, “can-do” mindset. Desirable • Experience working with or alongside homelessness services, charities, or public sector partners., • Knowledge of buildings, fleet, or facilities management., • Experience supporting service growth or scaling operations., • Basic working knowledge of social media or communications platforms. A note about Change Please Job Descriptions A job description is an outline of this role, setting out the main responsibilities and the skills, knowledge and experience required. It is not intended to be a complete detailed account of all activities involved. We would encourage anyone who has experience that would match this role and wants to join our movement to get in touch. Change Please is a fast moving, developing business so roles need to be flexible, and we need flexibility from our latest Change-maker! Change Please is an equal opportunities employer and, as such, we would encourage anyone, from any background, who feels they can excel in this role to come forward. We would always encourage applications from individuals from diverse backgrounds or underrepresented communities.