Growing Communities Operations Leader

Job Description

Job Title
Operations Leader – Level 4
The Role
This role supports TCV in enabling people and communities to improve their health, prospects and outdoor places. The role leads a team and manages the portfolio of programmes, operations and resources of a TCV area to achieve optimum results in terms of quality, operational performance, financial performance and adherence with contract and funder requirements.
Key Responsibilities / Core Skills and Knowledge
Operations
  • Lead, engage and develop a team, driving performance and developing talent
  • Oversee local budgets to ensure the financial stability of the area
  • Plan, set and monitor operational plans and outputs to ensure the area contributes to TCV’s strategic plan and outputs
  • Deliver the Reaching Communities project, and from that, develop a robust model of local community participation that can be replicated in other locations.
  • Secure and manage resources including vehicles and premises
  • Deliver a compelling volunteer proposition that makes it easy to volunteer TCV in the local area
  • To act at all times in accordance with your responsibility to safeguard the health and wellbeing of children and vulnerable adults.
  • Read and adhere to all organisational policies and procedures, particularly Safeguarding, and participate in related mandatory training.
Income Generation
  • Manage and contribute to the regional Business Development Pipeline.
  • Identify, develop and progress bids for new business
  • Represent TCV and raise the profile of TCV at a local level to maximise business opportunities
/ The skill level for this role is Advanced
  • Understanding TCV’s Products and Markets
  • Understanding TCV and the Strategy
  • Communicating Effectively
  • Building Effective Relationships
  • Managing Change & Innovation
  • Effective Decision Making
  • Leading People and Building Talent & Capability
  • Communicating Effectively
  • Valuing Diversity & Integrity

Person Specification / Size and Scope
  • Leading a team including recruitment, performance and talent management
  • Managing budgets and resources
  • Managing and promoting volunteering
  • Recognising and developing new business opportunities
  • Delivering successful initiatives within a grant funded structure
  • Management/business qualification at NVQ Level 4 or above or equivalent
/
  • Manage Delivery Staff (TCV average 4) in Adur & Worthing area and a budget of approx £250k per annum.
  • Based in Worthing.
  • Maintain strong partnerships with funders and partners
  • Develop, evaluate and advocate a model of community engagement that can be replicated across TCV
  • 35 hours a week

Regulatory Requirements / Behaviours
  • Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and all employees are required to act in such a way that at all times safeguards the health and well being of children and vulnerable adults.Familiarisation with, and adherence to, the organisational Safeguarding Policies and procedures is an essential requirement of all employees as is participation in related mandatory training
  • Adherence to TCV policies and procedures, including Health and Safety
  • Enhanced Criminal Record Check and Self Disclosure
  • Full UK Driving Licence
  • First Aid at Work certificate
/
  • Relentless focus on delivering TCV Goals for our beneficiaries, volunteers, customers and ourselves
  • Proudly working as One Team, treating each other as we would like to be treated

Additional information for candidates.

Growing Communities will radically transform the health and happiness of individuals in disadvantaged coastal community areas of Adur and Worthing. We want people to be more in control of their lives and actively engaged in the decisions and actions that affect them. This will lead to a better quality of life, where early action prevents more costly consequences, both in social and financial terms.

We have experienced how this approach reconnects often “hard to reach” people with their outdoor environment but also, and importantly, with each other. This reflects the fact that green spaces hold a universal appeal which cuts across traditional age, educational, ethnic or wealth divides. This connection will create green spaces which are truly at the heart of the community, something that can only be achieved when the needs of the local population have directly influenced their use. A community who take an active role in managing, maintaining and continue to “co-design” the spaces as their skills, knowledge and confidence grows.

The Growing Communities Project has resulted from partnership working between TCV and Adur & Worthing Councils which began in 2013. We came together with a common vision:

“To use the opportunity of under-utilised open spaces to improve the health and wellbeing of people living in the most disadvantaged areas”.

TCV have now secured funding from the Big Lottery Fund to deliver a 3 year programme of activities that respond to, and are driven by, local community concerns and aspirations.

Building on the work already undertaken by our 2 project officers we will employ a new Operations Leader, at least one new Project Officer and an administration assistant. This team will be based within Council offices in Worthing but also work from outreach offices within the target areas.

We want to work in two of the most disadvantaged areas of Adur and Worthing. Eastbrook and Northbrook have enduring problems: low wages; high unemployment; drug and alcohol abuse. Benefits reductions and DWP sanctions are all increasing poverty. Many have long term chronic health conditions. People feel isolated and forgotten – and some are beginning to lose hope.

We understand that delivering solutions to these problems requires a concerted and coordinated approach that goes beyond the capabilities of any one partner. The partners will work with the Clinical Commissioning Group, West Sussex County Council, local housing providers and existing community and voluntary organisations to deliver our vision and achieve sustainable change in Eastbrook and Northbrook.

We have a good idea of what will work, but we are not approaching these problems with ready-made solutions. We have developed a Theory of Change(see below) with input from communities and individuals which provides flexibility and will enable us to respond to specific local needs. Our Theory of Change shows examples of some of the underpinning issues affecting the communities of Eastbrook and Northbrook. It describes indicative activities which will be delivered to achieve intermediate outcomes, final outcomes and the following ultimate goals:

  • People are healthier and happier
  • Communities are stronger and more confident, creating opportunities and meetings challenges to improve the area
  • Individuals, communities and organisations are working together to build a stronger Adur and Worthing

The Conservation Volunteers (TCV)

TCV works together with people, communities and partners to deliver practical actions that have a lasting impact on people’s health, prospects and outdoor places. We are successful in reaching people and communities where health inequalities are greatest and where open space is not realised to its full potential. Our approach is informed by the Marmot Review into health inequalities in England - “to reduce the steepness of the social gradient in health, actions must be universal, but with a scale and intensity that is proportionate to the level of disadvantage.”

Adur & Worthing Councils

Adur District Council and Worthing Borough Council were the first Councils in the UK to adopt the innovative approach of sharing all services, whilst retaining two democratic sets of elected Councillors, in 2008. As Adur & Worthing Councils we have continued to push at public service innovation, with a particular focus on community spaces. In “Surf’s Up” we talk of “Cultivating Enterprising Communities”. This is about supporting and unleashing the power of people in communities to run and improve their own lives and the places in which they live