Key information 

• Salary: £45,000 - £50,000 per annum (dependent on experience) plus share options
• Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer
• Contract: Permanent, full-time
• Job Location: Remote-based 

Overview

Patchwork Hub is a rapidly scaling business in the recruitment and technology sector. A disabled-led social enterprise, we are passionate about realising our vision: closing the disability employment gap and creating a world where every individual is given the opportunity to thrive in work, achieving ‘decent work for all’. 

As we grow, we are seeking a Head of Operations to join our leadership team and drive forward the implementation of our vision for our inclusive employment platform.

Company Background 

Patchwork Hub is an award-winning employment platform and jobs board. Our platform connects disabled and neurodivergent people, carers, and others needing accessible work practices to job opportunities with inclusive employers.

Alongside our jobs board, we also support employers across their whole accessibility and disability inclusion journey, from attraction and recruitment to retention of talent. We provide a range of training, consultancy and support packages to drive forward change within organisations.

Our disabled-led team works with employers of all sizes, from key partnerships with FTSE 100 companies to charities and small businesses, delivering tangible improvements to their practices and culture. At the same time, we have a strong track record of working with policymakers and government to drive forward the policy and legislative change that is needed for a more disability inclusive and accessible world.

About the Role

The Head of Operations will play a pivotal role, overseeing and optimising the operational functions within Patchwork Hub, ensuring the smooth delivery of our services to both clients and job seekers.

As part of a disabled-led business, you will help to ensure that disabled people and an accessible user experience are at the heart of our platform, leading our efforts to become the leading online talent platform of choice for diverse talent and the go-to supplier of disability inclusion services in the UK & globally.

Our social enterprise is at a critical point in its trajectory as we look to commercialise and scale our service offering, and increase our client base. We are looking for leaders who can take the organisation to the next level in growing our community and delivering impact for our employers and job seekers. This role provides a unique opportunity to inform, lead and shape the future of our impactful social mission and growth. 

As a small but dedicated and expanding team, the successful candidate will form a key part of our leadership team, working closely with the CEO, Head of Technology and Head of Strategy and Impact, alongside line management of the Sales & Account Manager. The role spans across a wide range of internal work, alongside key stakeholder engagement with external clients.

The role would suit a dynamic, results-driven project manager with proven problem-solving skills and who thrives in a fast-paced agile team in an ever-expanding business.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership and Governance

• Operations Management:

  • Oversee day-to-day business operations, ensuring the smooth functioning of Patchwork Hub’s core services for customers (employers and job seekers).
  • Identify areas for improvement in operational processes and implement solutions to enhance productivity and reduce costs.
  • Work with the Head of Strategy and Impact to establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) around the effectiveness of operational processes.
  • Responsible for effective day-to-day communication with external sources (including clients, support services and 3rd party providers).
  • Lead on the development of an Operations Roadmap, accountable for delivering operational improvement and excellence to time and budget.

• Governance and Risk Management:

  • Ensure continued compliance with relevant regulations, standards and best practice, including accessibility, data protection, and cybersecurity.
  • Lead on the development and implementation of risk management strategies and reporting across the portfolio.

• Team Leadership & Collaboration:

  • Lead and line manage the Operations and Account Management team, fostering an inclusive, collaborative and high-performance culture. 
  • Ensure your teams are fully briefed on strategic plans and that their team and personal objectives are linked to delivering desired organisational outcomes.
  • Lead the day-to-day activities of the Operations and Account Management team, ensuring effective coordination and communication across the organisation.
  • As required, close collaboration and communication with the Head of Technology, Head of Strategy and Impact and CEO on key areas of overlap.
    
    

• Senior Leadership:

  • As part of the senior leadership team within Patchwork Hub, working closely with CEO and other senior leaders to drive progress and the direction of the business in this critical stage of expansion and growth.
  • As part part of the executive leadership, deputise for colleagues as required, providing leadership and decision-making support in their absence.
  • Assume and ensure collective responsibility for organisational decisions, delivering the core objectives and driving the overall success of Patchwork Hub.
  • Take an active role in ensuring the organisation is making the right decisions to achieve our objectives and milestones, through bringing a commercial and operational lens whilst prioritising the wider needs of the organisation.
  • Ensuring high levels of staff engagement and morale.
  • Provide support for events, strategy development, recruitment and interview processes.
    
  • Role model our behaviours and values at all times and demonstrate your commitment to our mission.
    
    

Client and Customer Experience

• Employment Platform user journey and experience (employer and job seeker):

  • Working with the Head of Technology to deliver and maintain a scalable website.
  • Ownership of the user journey for both employers and job seekers on the Patchwork Hub website (registration, approvals, navigation etc).
  • Identification of pain points and improvements to the user experience of the website, implementing improvements alongside the Head of Technology.
  • Manage co-design of user experience with disabled, neurodivergent and other users to embed lived experience into our platform.
  • Working with the Head of Strategy and Impact and Head of Technology to ensure the collection and monitoring of relevant management information around user journeys and user profiles from the website and CRM.
    
    

• Employer client management
  

  • Line management of the Sales & Account Manager (and later Account Management Team) to address day-to-day requirements of Patchwork Hub’s employer clients.
  • Supporting the CEO in the development and management of key client relationships, ensuring an alternative senior point of contact within the business.
  • Alongside the CEO, responsible for the product development of Patchwork Hub’s suite of services for employers, helping to ensure:
    • a clear, end-to-end process from acquisition to delivery; and 
    • the highest standard of final product.
  • Developing an understanding of job seeker user profiles and job seeker user interaction with the Patchwork Hub employment platform.
• Job seeker client management
  
  
  • Line management of the Account Manager (and later Account Management Team) to address day-to-day requirements of Patchwork Hub’s job seeker users.
  • With the Head of Strategy and Impact, collaborate on the wider opportunities available to our job seeker users.
    • E.g. The development of our job seeker Opportunity Hub, leveraging key resources from our growing number of Impact Partners.
      
      

Sales, Income Generation and Business Development

• B2B (Employer) Customer Acquisition
  
  
  • Lead the team to deliver on targets across all income streams, agreeing and meeting all income and associated KPIs.
  • Accountable for building and delivering a pipeline of future income.
  • Track, manage and implement improvements in the performance of income streams, proactively identifying any remedial action as might be required.
    
    
• B2C (Job seeker) Customer Acquisition
  
  
  • Including through line management of Account Manager, lead on job seeker user growth.
  • Develop a strong network and funnel that will allow the organisation to achieve its growth target, including through optimising marketing, events and revenue and impact building opportunities.
  • Maintain the CRM (Hubspot) and oversee the utilisation of our CRM to align with the company’s operational needs, including leading the development and optimisation of workflows and email marketing campaigns.
    
    
• Budget Management
  
  
  • Develop, manage and report on the budget for operations, ensuring cost-effective utilisation of resources against agreed budgets and timescales.

About you

Essential Skills and Attributes

• Operational Skills:
  
  
  • Ability to turn strategy into operational plans, with the project management skills to deliver on those plans to time and budget.
  • Experience developing, implementing and improving key processes, procedures and pipelines within a business.
  • Knowledge and experience of UX/UI across both technical and non-technical settings,  including co-production and testing with disabled and/or neurodivergent users.
  • Knowledge and understanding of full-stack web development, service design and inclusive design.
  • Effective written and verbal communication skills, able to develop and deliver compelling messaging in the company’s tone of voice and present persuasively to senior internal or external stakeholders. 
  • Ability to lead and motivate cross-functional and multi-disciplinary teams.
    
    
• Business Development:
  
  
  • Capacity to meet annual targets and grow revenue over time.
  • Potential to lead sales, partnerships, and funding efforts.
  • Skilled in generating revenue from a range of income streams, including our web platform, training, consultancy and support services.
  • Compelling advocate for our mission, able to engage and elicit commitments from a range of clients and our wider audience.
  • Effective collaborator, able to work well with colleagues across the organisation and externally.
    
    
• Leadership and management:
  
  
  • Strong leadership abilities with the capacity to oversee both operations and sales/customer account functions.
  • Excited to contribute towards a small, fast-scaling company and committed to growing with the company to support its long-term success.
  • Experience of line managing a team and of developing others e.g., through line management support, coaching, etc.

• Knowledge of disability inclusion, accessibility and co-production:

  • Personal interest in and commitment to Patchwork Hub’s social mission: closing the disability employment gap and creating decent work for all who can.
  • Knowledge of best practice around disability inclusion and accessibility in the workplace.
  • Demonstrable professional expertise around some core areas of our business’ services and specialist functions (examples could include: NRAC accreditations; web accessibility guidelines (WCAG etc); IAAP certification, among others in the accessibility and disability inclusion space)
  • Lived experience of disability or neurodiversity is a positive.
    
    

Desirable Skills and Attributes

• Industry Experience:
  
  
  • Previous work experience in a similar position within a busy SME, startup or scale-up environment.
  • Experience in delivering and maintaining compliant technical solutions, meeting GDPR and cybersecurity requirements.
  • Experience in building and maintaining a strong network of clients and partners, ideally in the disability inclusion, accessibility, and business space.
    
    
• Technical and Market Knowledge:
  
  
  • In-depth knowledge of technology trends and their application to business operations.
  • Proficiency in using a CRM to manage customer interactions, pipelines and client communications.  
  • Ability to set up and maintain automated workflows to streamline processes such as lead nurturing and follow-up and/or email marketing campaigns.
  • Ability to access a network of potential supporters for Patchwork Hub’s mission, particularly corporate partners and other clients.
• Income Generation:
  
  
  • Experience in commercial bid-development and income generation.
  • Ability to develop and maintain revenue pipelines, providing accurate forecasts and understanding the current financial position.
    
    

Other Requirements

• Flexibility to travel occasionally across the country, as needed

Note: This job description is a general outline of the key responsibilities and attributes required for the Head of Operations role and may be subject to modifications based on organisational needs.

Benefits

True to Patchwork Hub’s values and vision, we believe that when our team members work in a way that removes barriers for them, it benefits the whole organisation.

Benefits offered include:

• Autonomy and product ownership - Helping to shape and share the rewards of an expanding business.
• Remote Working/Working from home.
• Flexible Working.
• EMI Share Option - Attractive equity options.
• 25 days annual leave
• A commitment to your learning and development, with opportunities and a chance to expand your skill-set and advance your career.
• A supportive team of knowledgeable, driven and passionate colleagues.

Accessibility Statement

As a disabled-led business, Patchwork Hub is committed to ensuring that our recruitment processes are barrier-free and as inclusive as possible for everyone. This includes making adjustments for people who have a disability or long-term condition.

If you would like us to do anything differently during the recruitment process, please contact our hiring manager, Dan Mercer at [email protected] or 020 3916 5773.

How to Apply

The Recruitment Process

Selection Process: Application > Screening > 1st stage interview > Final stage interview > Job offer

The first step is simply to apply. Send us by email your CV and a supporting statement detailing why you think you would be a good fit for this opportunity to [email protected].

Your application will then be reviewed by our hiring manager. If your application is progressed, you will have an online or telephone screening call that will allow us to assess your potential fit with the position. This will also be an opportunity for you to ask us any questions you may have and judge if you feel you would be a good match for the role.

Application Closing date: 30th December 2024 (applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis).

Equal Opportunities

Patchwork Hub are committed to becoming an employer of choice irrespective of race (which includes colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), sex, sexual orientation, gender, religion or belief, marital or civil partnership status, age, disability, neurodiversity, caring responsibility or pregnancy and maternity. 

The ethical and business case of ensuring that our workforce is representative of wider society is at the heart of what we do.  If you believe you have most of the skills to fulfil the role we encourage you to apply. We particularly welcome applications from people who also have lived experience in reference to our mission, in particular disabled and neurodivergent people.