Are you an experienced residential childcare leader committed to delivering exceptional care, stability, and positive outcomes for children and young people?
We are delighted to be supporting a respected, forward-thinking children’s services provider seeking an Assistant Director of Operations to oversee multiple residential children’s homes and lead an integrated care and fostering initiative across the South West. This role offers the opportunity to shape high-quality services, champion outstanding safeguarding practice, and inspire large, multi-agency teams.

Role Overview
As Assistant Director of Operations, you will provide strategic leadership and operational oversight across several clusters of residential children’s homes. You will ensure young people experience the highest standards of care, support, and opportunity while driving a culture that is child-centred, safe, and ambitious.

Key Responsibilities

• Leading and managing a multi-agency partnership model across care, fostering, and therapeutic services

• Holding Responsible Individuals accountable for quality, compliance, and outcomes

• Overseeing governance, performance monitoring, and inspection readiness

• Driving service growth and shaping future development across the South West

• Championing child-centred and trauma-informed practice

• Providing strategic oversight of safeguarding across all services

• Managing cluster-level budgets and ensuring financial sustainability

• Building strong relationships with commissioners, regulators, and local authority partners

• Leading on risk management, crisis response, and continuous improvement

Person Specification
You will be a confident, resilient, and values-driven senior leader with significant operational experience in residential childcare. You will bring a collaborative and inspiring leadership style, a strong understanding of regulatory frameworks, and a commitment to delivering positive outcomes for children and young people.

Essential

• Proven operational leadership experience in children’s residential services

• Experience as an Ofsted Registered Responsible Individual with multi-site oversight

• Strong knowledge of Children’s Homes Regulations and Ofsted frameworks

• Experience influencing culture, improving performance, and driving operational excellence

• Strategic partnership experience with Local Authorities or commissioning bodies

• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement skills

• Ability to manage budgets and deliver sustainable growth

• Flexibility to travel regularly across the region

Desirable

• Experience in large-scale service development or integrated care models

• Knowledge of workforce planning, performance analysis, and financial reporting

• Advanced understanding of trauma-informed and child-centred approaches

What’s on Offer

• Competitive salary of £85,000 – £95,120 plus car allowance

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

• Supportive senior leadership and strong organisational values

• Ongoing professional development and career progression opportunities

• The opportunity to lead one of the most innovative service models in the sector

How to Apply
To apply, please send your CV, or for a confidential conversation, contact Courtney on 01926 356 547 or email courtney@hamptonsresourcing.com