Director of Culture and Operations

Leading culture & operations, shaping strategy & impact to improve children’s lives. Experienced, driven leader? Apply now to be our next Director!

Salary: £84,668.69 per annum (inclusive of London Weighting) plus competitive pension

Location: Hybrid, 2 days a week minimum in our London office

Deadline: 28 March 2025

Download job pack

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Our culture of freedom and responsibility

A little bit about the role 

Please note this role will be closing at 9am on Friday 28 March. 

Frontline has achieved significant growth and impact in our first 11 years, and we are now recruiting a director to lead on ensuring our culture and operational infrastructure enable us to continue to grow and drive change for children and families.

With a ~£25m budget and ~146 employees we need to have robust systems, a clear strategy and enabling culture in place to support people to do their best work so we can achieve our mission. Reporting to the CEO, the director of culture and operations will lead on strengthening and further embedding our culture of Freedom and Responsibility and providing excellent operational leadership across Frontline.

As an ambitious organisation, we work hard to attract and develop our fantastic team, using data, feedback and technology to do so. We focus on creating an inclusive culture and supporting hard working teams, to achieve our mission. The director of culture and operations will lead this work to ensure we have the right mechanisms and communication channels to effectively bring teams across the country together. Frontline is in a strong position. We have a clear strategy, stable finances and strong internal processes so we look forward to welcoming our new director of culture and operations to help build on this, so we can have even greater impact.

Please see this structure chart for full details of the Operations and Culture directorate.

Some key responsibilities include:

• People – Manage the head of people to ensure the team provide excellent HR administration, support and up to the minute data
• Finance – Manage the head of finance, supporting them and the finance team to deliver sound financial controls/clear reporting and manage an annual budget of £25m – ensuring financial capability and clear cross-team communication.
• Governance – Lead on the management of board/subcommittee meetings, maintaining efficient and effective processes to ensure targets and deadlines are met
• Management of external contracts and relationships – Manage the delivery manager with responsibility for the Department for Education (DfE) contract oversight, university approval and regulatory relationship management, ensuring effective internal governance, compliance and reporting.

Full list of role responsibilities can be found in the job pack.

A little bit about you 

You should have strong leadership experience, the ability to balance multiple priorities under pressure, and a track record of shaping organisational culture. Experience in financial management, HR strategy, and operational leadership is essential, while familiarity with charity governance and regulatory compliance would be beneficial.

We’re looking for someone with exceptional communication skills, a collaborative mindset, and a practical approach to problem-solving. If you’re a values-driven leader eager to shape culture, strengthen operations, and support our mission, you’d be a great fit.

We have a fast-moving culture within the team and organisation, so we’re looking for someone who is who is well organised, details-focused and can use their initiative to do what works. You will have excellent communication skills, be able to build relationships with people and be willing to learn. There are lots of opportunities for growth and development in this role – and for the right candidate to make the role their own. 

If you feel you have the skills to make a real impact and contribute to creating lasting social change for children and families, we would love to hear from you. 

If you’re interested in finding out more, please email Elise Cronin, Executive Assistant (elise.cronin@thefrontline.org.uk) to arrange an informal conversation with the CEO.

Important information

We have increased the diversity of Frontline’s workforce in the last 12 months, but we need to do more to have greater racialised minority representation in our senior roles. We know the value racialised minority voices bring and therefore, we are strongly encouraging applicants from these backgrounds to apply. We are also a disability confident employer and welcome applicants with disabilities.

Please let us know how we can make the recruitment process more accessible for you by emailing people@thefrontline.org.uk.

We recognise that artificial intelligence (AI) such as ‘ChatGPT’ etc can be useful for applicants e.g. to shorten an initial draft, so we do not attempt to have an absolute ban on AI in applications. However we would caution applicants not to rely too much on AI in drafting answers to application questions. We want to hear your authentic voice arising out of your experience, and we will be looking for answers that use examples and experiences that are specific to you. You are more likely to be able to produce that kind of content yourself than an AI will.

We reserve the right to close this role ahead of the deadline once we reach a suitable number of applications, so please apply as soon as you can!

You will need to have current right-to-work in the UK prior to application and for at least the first six months (for permanent positions) or for the full duration of the contract (for fixed-term positions). Visa sponsorship is not guaranteed.