Business Operations Manager

Location: Leeds (Office Based)

Salary: £40,000 – £45,000

Reporting to: CEO

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Business Operations Manager to take practical ownership of the operational function that underpins Chatterbug’s service delivery. The role provides structure, oversight and direction across office operations, administration, school delivery, workforce capacity, financial visibility and business performance.

This is a hands-on operational management role in a function where systems and information are still developing. You will be expected to investigate how work is currently operating, obtain the information required, identify gaps and establish effective controls. Missing information or an incomplete handover must be actively resolved rather than accepted as a blocker.

You will line manage the admin team and work closely with the Clinical Service Manager and other leaders. You will oversee complex school schedules, staffing capacity, income reporting, complaints, office requirements, processes and automations. The role does not make clinical decisions, but ensures that operational systems enable safe, effective and financially sustainable service delivery.

This role is ideal for someone who brings order to complexity, is financially confident, makes sound decisions and follows work through to completion without needing close supervision or repeated chasing.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Delivery & School Scheduling

Take day-to-day operational ownership across Private Clients, Schools, Local Authorities, Youth Justice Services and other commissioned services.
Ensure bookings, follow-ups, communications and service administration are completed accurately and within agreed timescales.
Own operational oversight of complex school schedules, maintaining accurate visibility of days purchased, scheduled, delivered, remaining and owed.
Monitor caseloads, therapist capacity, service demand and delivery commitments and implement recovery plans where delivery falls behind.
Identify operational, contractual, financial and relationship risks early and follow corrective action through to completion.

Financial & Business Performance

Produce timely and accurate reports on invoices raised, income received, aged debt, expected income and outstanding financial actions.
Work with finance, systems and relevant leaders to retrieve information, investigate discrepancies and resolve data gaps.
Monitor the relationship between contracted activity, delivered sessions or days, staffing capacity, invoicing and income.
Coordinate KPI and status reporting, challenge missing or unreliable updates and ensure corrective actions have clear owners and deadlines.
Provide concise operational and business-performance reporting, including trends, risks, completed actions and recommendations.

Team, Staffing & Recruitment

Line manage the admin team, setting clear priorities, KPIs, standards and deadlines.
Oversee admin capacity and performance, reallocating work, changing processes or implementing improvement plans where required.
Work closely with the Clinical Service Manager, providing accurate capacity, scheduling and delivery information to support staffing decisions.
Coordinate recruitment progress and ensure new starters have the equipment, access, schedules, information and induction arrangements required.
Use capacity and service-demand information to identify future staffing requirements and present evidence-based recommendations.

Complaints, Office & Compliance

Coordinate complaints from acknowledgement through investigation, response, resolution and organisational learning.
Act as the first point of operational guidance for complex or unusual enquiries received by the office.
Oversee the day-to-day running of the Leeds office, including cleaning, confidential-waste collection, maintenance, equipment and supplies.
Maintain facilities and compliance oversight, including fire-safety checks, health and safety actions, servicing and renewals.
Ensure complaints, facilities issues and compliance actions are completed, evidenced and escalated appropriately.

Systems, Automations & Improvement

Write, update and implement clear operational processes and standard operating procedures.
Ensure processes are embedded into daily practice and address process drift, duplication and recurring failures.
Oversee operational automations, including ownership, monitoring, testing, documentation and failure escalation.

Coordinate cross-functional implementation across admin, clinical, finance, recruitment and other teams.

Obtain the information required to progress work, make confident decisions within agreed boundaries and reduce unnecessary operational dependency on the CEO.

About You

Essential Experience

Demonstrable experience managing an operational or service-delivery function within education, healthcare or another complex service-led organisation.
Experience establishing operational control in an environment with incomplete, inconsistent or underdeveloped processes.
Experience managing complex scheduling, workforce capacity or resource allocation across multiple services or customer groups.
Experience producing and interpreting management information, including income, invoicing, aged debt or comparable financial reports.
Experience line managing an admin or support team, setting KPIs and addressing underperformance.
Experience developing and implementing processes from discovery through to embedded practice.
Evidence of obtaining information and coordinating action across stakeholders who may not work proactively or consistently.
Evidence of taking operational problems from identification through to implemented and measurable resolution.

Desirable

Qualification in business, operations, management or a related field.
Experience of school contracts, commissioned services or healthcare and education delivery.
Knowledge of HR processes and employment-law principles.
Experience overseeing workflow automations, complaints, compliance or facilities management.

Key Skills & Behaviours

Strong operational execution, ownership and follow-through.
Financial confidence and the ability to turn data into clear management information.
Analytical judgement and the confidence to test incomplete or unreliable information.
Ability to manage complex schedules, capacity and competing priorities.
Clear, constructive accountability leadership and people-management skills.
Confidence in obtaining information, coordinating action and challenging appropriately across teams.
Concise written and verbal communication, including reports, processes and recommendations.
A calm, practical and solution-focused approach in fast-moving situations.

Our Recruitment Process

CV and covering statement
Initial phone interview
Scenario-based operational task
Panel interview
Final interview (if required) and references

How to Apply

Please submit your CV and a covering statement outlining your suitability for the role to recruitment@chatter-bug.com

Chatterbug Ltd Speech and Language Therapy

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