Operations Manager
Baobab Care UK Limited
Location: Birmingham and wider West Midlands
Contract: Full-time, permanent
Salary: Competitive, dependent on experience
Reporting to: Director/Nominated Individual and Registered Manager
About Baobab Care UK Limited
Baobab Care UK Limited provides supported living and community-based care services for adults with learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs and complex support requirements.
We are seeking an experienced and resilient Operations Manager to strengthen our operational leadership team and support the organisation through a significant service improvement programme. The successful candidate will play a central role in addressing areas identified through recent CQC inspection activity and Birmingham City Council contract monitoring, while ensuring improvements are embedded and sustained across all services.
This is a senior operational role requiring visible leadership, strong regulatory knowledge, sound judgement and the ability to turn improvement plans into demonstrable outcomes.
Purpose of the Role
The Operations Manager will provide day-to-day operational oversight across Baobab Care’s supported living services. They will work closely with the Nominated Individual, Registered Manager, external quality and governance consultants, care coordinators, complex care leads, quality assurance staff and house leads.
The postholder will be responsible for ensuring that services are safe, well-led, person-centred and compliant with CQC regulations, local authority contractual requirements and Baobab Care’s internal policies and procedures.
A major priority will be to coordinate and monitor the organisation’s regulatory improvement plan, ensuring that actions arising from CQC and Birmingham City Council feedback are completed, evidenced, audited and sustained.
Key Responsibilities
Regulatory Improvement and Compliance
* Lead the operational delivery of the CQC and Birmingham City Council improvement action plan.
* Ensure all identified regulatory, safeguarding, environmental, medication, staffing, governance and record-keeping concerns are addressed within agreed timescales.
* Maintain a clear evidence tracker showing actions completed, responsible persons, deadlines, supporting evidence and outstanding risks.
* Support the Registered Manager and Nominated Individual in preparing responses, reports and evidence for CQC, commissioners and safeguarding authorities.
* Ensure services comply with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 Regulations, CQC Fundamental Standards, the Mental Capacity Act, safeguarding requirements and relevant local authority contracts.
* Ensure improvements are embedded into routine practice rather than treated as short-term corrective actions.
Operational Leadership
* Provide visible leadership across all supported living services and regularly visit each location.
* Ensure house leads, care coordinators and senior staff understand their responsibilities and are held accountable for service standards.
* Coordinate operational meetings, service reviews and improvement meetings.
* Identify operational risks early and escalate serious concerns to the Registered Manager and Nominated Individual.
* Ensure safe staffing levels, effective deployment and appropriate management cover across all services.
* Support the development of a professional, accountable and person-centred culture.
Quality Assurance and Governance
* Develop and maintain a robust programme of audits, checks and management oversight.
* Ensure audits cover medication, finances, care records, safeguarding, recruitment, training, incidents, complaints, fire safety, health and safety, infection prevention and environmental standards.
* Verify that audits are meaningful, identify patterns and lead to documented corrective action.
* Monitor the completion and effectiveness of action plans.
* Produce regular operational and quality reports for the senior leadership team and Board.
* Ensure evidence is accurate, current, organised and available for inspection.
Medication Management
* Strengthen medication governance across all services.
* Ensure medication administration records, stock counts, count sheets and physical medication quantities are regularly reconciled.
* Ensure staff complete medication checks correctly and do not sign records without undertaking the required verification.
* Coordinate competency assessments, medication observations, investigations and refresher training.
* Ensure medication keys, cabinets and controlled access arrangements are secure and compliant.
* Monitor PRN protocols, medication errors, missed medication and lessons learned.
Fire Safety, Health and Safety and Property Compliance
* Ensure fire risk assessments, personal emergency evacuation plans, fire drills and weekly fire checks are completed and reviewed.
* Monitor outstanding fire doors, emergency lighting, alarms, escape routes and environmental works.
* Ensure actions identified by fire risk assessments and property inspections are completed within required timescales.
* Work with landlords, contractors and internal staff to maintain safe and suitable environments.
* Ensure services respect people’s tenancy rights, choices and independence while managing risks appropriately.
* Maintain oversight of key safes, medication keys, property keys and emergency access arrangements.
Safeguarding and Risk Management
* Promote a strong safeguarding culture in which concerns are reported, investigated and escalated promptly.
* Review incidents, accidents, medication errors, behavioural incidents and safeguarding concerns.
* Ensure risk assessments are person-centred, current and reflective of actual risks.
* Monitor positive risk-taking and ensure restrictive practices are lawful, proportionate and regularly reviewed.
* Ensure lessons from incidents are shared and translated into practice improvements.
Workforce Management
* Support the recruitment, induction, supervision and performance management of staff.
* Ensure recruitment files contain all required pre-employment checks, including DBS, references, right-to-work evidence and employment history.
* Ensure staff do not commence work before mandatory checks and approvals are completed.
* Monitor training compliance, competency assessments, supervision, appraisals and probation reviews.
* Address poor practice, non-compliance and performance concerns promptly and fairly.
* Promote professional conduct, accountability and respectful communication.
Person-Centred Care and Documentation
* Ensure support plans, risk assessments, health action plans, behaviour support plans and daily records are accurate and current.
* Ensure people receiving support are involved in decisions about their care, homes and daily lives.
* Monitor compliance with the Mental Capacity Act, best-interest decision-making and least restrictive practice.
* Ensure communication needs and the Accessible Information Standard are properly addressed.
* Promote meaningful activities, independence, dignity, choice and positive outcomes.
Financial and Administrative Controls
* Strengthen the management of people’s money across all services.
* Ensure financial records, receipts, cash balances and transaction sheets are complete and reconciled.
* Monitor staff access to bank cards, PIN information and appointee arrangements.
* Ensure financial support promotes independence while protecting people from abuse, loss or misuse.
* Ensure operational records are securely stored, accurate and available for audit.
Essential Experience and Qualifications
The successful candidate must have:
* Significant management experience within supported living, domiciliary care, learning disability, autism, mental health or complex care services.
* Strong working knowledge of CQC regulations and inspection requirements.
* Experience of leading services through regulatory improvement, enforcement, contract monitoring or quality recovery.
* Experience of managing multiple care services or locations.
* Evidence of successfully implementing and monitoring improvement plans.
* Strong knowledge of safeguarding, medication management, the Mental Capacity Act, health and safety and workforce compliance.
* Experience of conducting audits, investigations and service reviews.
* Experience of supervising managers, senior staff and frontline teams.
* Strong report-writing, evidence-management and organisational skills.
* The ability to challenge poor practice and hold staff accountable.
* A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle.
Desirable Criteria
* Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Adult Care, or an equivalent qualification.
* Previous experience as an Operations Manager, Registered Manager, Regional Manager or Quality and Compliance Manager.
* Experience of working directly with CQC inspectors and local authority commissioners.
* Experience of turnaround, service stabilisation or organisational restructuring.
* Knowledge of Positive Behaviour Support and restraint reduction.
* Experience supporting people with complex behaviours, forensic histories or high-risk needs.
Personal Attributes
We are looking for someone who is:
* Calm, organised and decisive under pressure.
* Honest, professionally curious and willing to challenge unsafe practice.
* Able to balance regulatory compliance with person-centred care.
* Visible and approachable across all services.
* Capable of managing several competing priorities without losing attention to detail.
* Focused on evidence, outcomes and sustained improvement.
* Resilient and comfortable working within a changing organisation.
* Committed to building a culture of openness, accountability and continuous learning.
What We Offer
* A senior role with the opportunity to influence organisational change.
* Direct access to the Director/Nominated Individual and Registered Manager.
* Support from external quality, governance and workforce consultants.
* The opportunity to help rebuild operational systems and strengthen services.
* Ongoing professional development and leadership support.
* Competitive salary based on qualifications and experience.
Application Process
Applicants should submit an up-to-date CV and a supporting statement explaining:
* Their experience of managing regulated adult social care services.
* Their involvement in CQC or local authority improvement work.
* An example of how they have improved a service that was underperforming.
* How they would approach their first 90 days in the role.
Successful applicants will be required to complete an enhanced DBS check, provide satisfactory references and demonstrate their right to work in the United Kingdom.
Baobab Care UK Limited is committed to safeguarding adults and promoting equality, dignity, diversity and inclusion.
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