Citizens Advice East Devon are recruiting an Operations Manager. Working alongside the Advice Service Manager you will be responsible for day to day running of the charity. Your role will be to make sure that everyone in the organisation has everything they need to deliver advice to our clients.

Introduction

Citizen Advice East Devon (CAED) is a community-based charity that is part of the national Citizens Advice network.

Our aim is to be the independent advice service of choice for the people of East Devon.

Our advice is free at the point of delivery, confidential, and tailored to the needs of our community. We work in line with national quality-assured standards, and we enable people to move forward in times of challenge by giving them the knowledge and confidence to find a way forward.

We work with national, regional and local partners to maximise our reach and impact. Our service is inclusive to all people in our region, and we actively ensure that we reach those most in need of our services. Over the last few years CAED has worked hard to deal with the pandemic and the problems arising from lockdowns.

In 2022 the top priority was to strengthen the leadership team, and we achieved this through the appointment of a new CEO and a new Chair of the Board of Trustees and a new Treasurer and several new trustees. We also wanted to establish a strategy to reopen offices to the public and make sure that more people could access our services, and we are well on the way to achieving these aims. The quality of advice as determined by National Citizens Advice has continued at a very high level, and we have engaged with more community groups than ever before.

Our priority for the next 12 months is to review how we offer our services, including our premises, systems and processes to ensure that the organisation is robust and resilient and has a more certain future, while still delivering excellent advice today.

Vision Statement

Our vision is for an East Devon where everyone can access support to find their way forward.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to offer free and impartial information and advice, and to give voice to individuals and communities to influence decision making.

We have offices in Exmouth and Honiton and outreach locations across the region.

For an application form please email work@citizensadviceeastdevon.org

Closing Date for Applications:  9th February 2024

 

 

Job Description

Responsible to:                 CEO

Responsible for:                Management of all operational staff and volunteers

Office Location:                 You will work in our Honiton and Exmouth offices.

Operations Delivery

The role is responsible for effective administration and organisation of the charity. A key element of this is responsibility for ensuring our people, advisers and project workers, volunteers and employees have everything they need to deliver a high quality advice service to our clients throughout East Devon. Areas of responsibility will include:

• Ensure adequate staffing and resources with contingency arrangements for absence.

• Ensure that targets and outcomes are set and consistently applied whilst monitoring service delivery against agreed targets; reporting to Chief Officer, trustee board and funders.

• Advise Chief Officer on all staffing and operational issues.

• Support the strategic development of the organisation to ensure its management and services to clients reflect and support the Citizens Advice’s equality and diversity strategy.

• Identify and plan improvements to services and systems.

• Support the CEO by planning for and supporting teams to deliver on new work and projects and manage any change to ensure the effective integration of new and existing services.

• Support the CEO and Treasurer in preparing and managing the budget.

• Take the lead in internal and external communications

Leadership and Management

You will be one of a small management team who will be expected to take ownership of the performance of the organisation and make sure that everything is place for our advisers to advise. You will have the authority to make important decisions but will also need an eye for detail and ability to complete and deliver administrative tasks.

• Ensure the effective performance management and development of staff and volunteers through regular team and one on one meetings, appraisals and learning and development.

• Create a positive working environment in which equality and diversity are well managed, dignity at work is upheld and staff and volunteers can do their best.

• Plan and allocate future work (rosters), monitor absences and achievement of deadlines and support staff and volunteers as appropriate.

• Ensure that the service area is adequately staffed and resourced, encourage good teamwork and lines of communication between all members of staff and volunteers.

• Ensure recruitment and induction of new staff and volunteers as appropriate.

• Lead regular meetings of all paid, unpaid staff and project teams

• Take responsibility for monitoring relevant contract performance and support the Advice Service Manager to ensure advice / casework quality.

• Represent CAED at Devon Ops Managers Meetings

• Deputising for Chief Officer in their absence.

Learning and Development

You will use the CAED Training Plan to carry out an analysis of the training needs of the organisation and build a robust and deliverable training programme. You will organise facilities and resources as required and you will monitor requirements and expiries to ensure that all staff are compliant with relevant legislation and requirements.

• Identify your own learning and development needs in conjunction with your line manager and be prepared to undertake appropriate training in line with the learning and development plan.

• To review, agree and maintain the L&D plan

• Maintain and implement the L&D plan

• CAED is always represented at any Devon R&C meetings or events

• Mentor to students and apprentices and manage relationships with colleges

 

Administration

You will be the go to person at the centre of the organisation. You will know where things are, how to order new things and who in the community to talk to when the need arises.

• Represent the organisation as appropriate at Citizens Advice and other statutory, voluntary and commercial organisations, professional bodies and institutions.

• Oversee the admin team to ensure effective administration support across the organisation.

• Oversee and monitor effective and efficient administrative systems.

• Monitor an effective health and safety policy with regards to staff, equipment and premises with statutory requirements

• Manage our offices and outreach locations to ensure that volunteers and project workers have everything they need in each of our locations to comfortably and easily give advice

Other Duties

• Promote the aims, policies, and membership requirements of the Citizens Advice service

• Work flexibly to undertake such other reasonable duties and responsibilities, at any location within reasonable daily travel from your main place of work.

• Work within professional boundaries maintaining safety and appropriate confidentiality at all times.

• Carry out any other tasks that may be within the scope of the post to ensure the effective delivery and development of the service.

Priorities

Volunteers

•  Recruitment

•  Induction

•  Training

•  Retention

•  Development

Administration

• Office Roster

• Outreach Roster

• Staff and Volunteer Contact List

• Holiday Planning

• Regular Team Meetings

• Weekly Ops Report to CEO

• Management of SharePoint

Staff

• Staff Development 

• Succession Plan

• Training Plan

• Shared Resources using external trainers

• Certification and Records

Receiving Clients

• Live Calls

• Ensure that clients can access our services in the way that best suits them

• Devon AdviceLine assessment

Who are you?

You will have experience in organisation and administration – for example as a PA or Office Manager.

You will be able to take a complex operation and ensure that each part is managed and works efficiently and economically.

You will have experience in managing people, from recruitment to training organisation, appraisals, feedback and mentoring.

You will be able to write a newsletter or internal communication.

You will have exceptional Microsoft Office skills.

You will be able to work in both Exmouth and Honiton offices and ensure that both are tidy, well stocked, in good repair and available for the advisers.

You will be self-motivated and able to manage your time and workload.

You will be confident dealing with a variety of individuals, within and external to CAED,  voluntary and employed at all levels.

You will have excellent people skills and be able to put clients at their ease.

You  identify with our vision and mission and will take pride in CAED and work to ensure that we are at the centre of life in East Devon