IPS Operations Manager

About Working Well Trust

Working Well Trust is a mental health and employment charity in London. All of our projects share the aim of improving the lives of people with mental health support needs, learning disabilities and/or complex issues through training and employment.

We are recruiting an IPS Operations Manager to support the delivery and development of our IPS services across London. The postholder will manage two IPS service sites from the following areas: Tower Hamlets, Newham, Barking and Dagenham, and Enfield. The final allocation of sites will be discussed with the successful candidate and agreed based on service needs, experience and working arrangements.

What you'll be doing

If you were working with us, you would provide operational leadership across two of our IPS services. These sites will be agreed with you based on service needs, your experience and working arrangements.

You would support Team Leads and frontline teams to deliver high-quality IPS services that are client-led, evidence-based and aligned with contractual outcomes. You would help ensure services run smoothly day to day, while also supporting service development, quality improvement and strong performance.

You would:

• Provide leadership oversight across two IPS service sites, supporting Team Leads with operational delivery, planning and problem solving.
• Ensure services meet contractual outcomes, delivery timeframes and quality standards.
• Support Team Leads to manage performance, caseloads, attendance, safeguarding, risk and service delivery.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with NHS partners, funders, community organisations and other key stakeholders.
• Lead on IPS fidelity across the services, supporting teams to deliver high-fidelity IPS and develop quality improvement plans.
• Use data, audits, client feedback and service reviews to identify what is working well and where improvements are needed.
• Complete contract monitoring requirements, represent WWT at contract performance meetings and attend quarterly service review meetings with IPS Grow.
• Work with NHS colleagues to support integration, clinical co-location, steering groups, data flow and appropriate escalation of clinical risks or safeguarding concerns.
• Support staff wellbeing by ensuring regular wellbeing check-ins and welfare conversations are embedded in supervision and one-to-one meetings.
• Work with HR and Team Leads to recruit, onboard, train and retain Team Leads, Employment Specialists and support staff.
• Support budget holders and work with the Finance Manager to ensure budgets are managed effectively.
• Work with other Operations Managers, the Operations Director and Head Office colleagues to develop consistent systems, improve services and support wider organisational priorities.

You would also provide direct supervision to project leads and help build a positive learning culture where staff feel supported, clear about expectations and able to develop their skills.

What you'll need

We are looking for someone with strong operational leadership experience and a good understanding of IPS, employment support or mental health services.

You will need to bring:

• Experience of IPS or equivalent team leadership.
• Experience of managing teams, performance and service delivery.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage a complex and demanding workload.
• Experience of monitoring, contract reporting and using data to support service planning.
• The ability to build positive relationships with funders, NHS partners, community organisations, clients and staff.
• Confidence supporting Team Leads with performance, quality, safeguarding, risk, wellbeing and day-to-day operational issues.
• Good writing skills and the ability to communicate clearly with a range of audiences.
• Good IT skills, including Microsoft Word, Excel and online systems.
• A strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Knowledge of legislation relevant to employment, including the Equality Act.
• The ability to work across boroughs and provide leadership in more than one service location.
• Tact, diplomacy, discretion and the ability to build rapport with different people.
• A proactive, collaborative and flexible approach, including willingness to work occasional evenings when needed.

It would also be helpful if you have experience of:

• Managing multiple teams across boroughs.
• IPS Grow systems and fidelity reviews.
• Mental health services.
• Quality standards or accreditation.
• Project and service development.
• Budget management.
• Working with GP practices, NHS teams or other health and community partners.
• A postgraduate degree.

What we offer

• 30 days annual leave plus public holidays (FTE)

• Paid company closed days at the end of the year (FTE)

• Flexible, paid Wellbeing Hour every fortnight (FTE)

• 6% employer pension contribution

Working Well Trust is an equal opportunities employer and Confident about Disabilities.

What's next

Before you apply, please note the following:

• We actively recruit and carefully review all applications. Due to rapid service expansion, we have onboarded 20 external hires in the last six months.

• To ensure we can best support the people and communities we serve, we progress applications only where candidates provide meaningful answers to the screening questions.

• Career development is real here: in the past year, 10 colleagues have progressed internally into Senior roles, Project Lead, Team Lead, and Operations Manager positions. We value ambition and celebrate progression.

• If you require any reasonable adjustments at the interview stage, for example due to a disability, learning difficulty or health condition, please let us know in advance so that we can make appropriate arrangements.

If you are ready to help us build a service that supports people into meaningful work, click Apply to submit your CV and answer the screening questions. Telephone and final interviews will be confirmed.

Start your application today and take the next step in a rewarding career.

Please note, we may close this advert early if we receive a high number of applications, so we encourage early applications.