Operations manager (Emergency services) – The Brick, Wigan

Operations Manager (Emergency services)

Salary: 39,500 per annum

Hours:37.5 Hours

Contract Length: Full Time / Permanent

Holidays: 30 days per annum inclusive of Bank Holidays

Based At: Wigan WN3s

Responsible To: Head of Housing

Accountable To: Queens Hall Action on Poverty

To Apply: https://hr.breathehr.com/recruitment/vacancies/49141

Closing Date: Tuesday 20th October 2026

Interview Date: Monday 26th October 2026

Job Summary: Management Responsibility
The Operations Manager will have direct line-management responsibility for the team leads, providing consistent operational leadership, support, challenge and accountability across their respective areas.
Services within the Operations Manager’s remit will include:
The Operations Manager will support the Team lead/Service manager to ensure each service is well led, safe, effective and delivering high-quality outcomes, while also creating greater consistency, collaboration and shared learning across the organisation.
They will support Team lead/Service manager to take ownership of their services, develop as leaders and make confident operational decisions within clear areas of responsibility.

Job Purpose: Job Purpose
Reporting to the Head of Housing and Homelessness, the Operations Manager will provide effective day-to-day operational leadership and oversight across The Brick’s services.
The postholder will directly manage Team lead/Service manager across the organisation, including those responsible for:
They will provide a strong operational link between the Head of Housing and Homelessness and Service Managers, translating strategic direction and organisational priorities into consistent, high-quality operational delivery.
The Operations Manager will lead, support, coach and develop Service Managers, creating the conditions in which managers can lead their services confidently and their teams can do their best work. The Operations Manager will maintain oversight of service quality, safeguarding, operational risk, performance, staffing, resources and continuous improvement across their areas of responsibility.
They will ensure services meet contractual, regulatory and organisational requirements while remaining grounded in The Brick’s mission, values and commitment to person-centred and trauma-informed practice.
We need someone who will be visible across the organisation, understand what is happening on the ground and develop strong, trusting relationships with managers, frontline colleagues, partners and the people we work alongside.
A key part of the role will be developing strong Team lead/Service manager – giving them the clarity, support and confidence to lead effectively, while providing appropriate challenge and holding them accountable for the quality, performance and culture of their services.
Key Responsibilities
1. Operational Leadership and Service Delivery
• Work closely with the Head of Housing and Homelessness to translate strategic and organisational priorities into effective operational delivery.
• Provide visible, consistent and values-led operational leadership across the services within the role’s remit.
• Directly line manage Team lead/Managers across the organisation.
• Ensure Service Team leads/Managers have clear objectives, responsibilities and expectations.
• Create consistency in operational leadership while recognising that different services may have different needs, contracts and ways of working.
• Maintain oversight of service performance, staffing, safeguarding, quality, operational pressures and emerging risks through regular engagement with Service Managers.
• Support Team lead/Service manager to resolve operational challenges and make sound decisions within their areas of responsibility.
• Ensure appropriate issues are escalated to the Head of Housing and Homelessness in a timely manner.
• Encourage collaboration, shared learning and problem-solving between Team lead/Service manager and across services.
• Identify where services could work more effectively together and reduce unnecessary duplication or barriers.
• Ensure people accessing The Brick’s services experience consistent standards of dignity, respect, safety and support.
• Bring calm, clarity and practical leadership during periods of pressure, change or service development.
2. Team lead/Service manager Leadership and Development
A central responsibility of the Operations Manager will be to build a strong, confident and accountable group of Team lead/Service manager across The Brick.
The Operations Manager will:
• Provide effective line management, supervision and coaching to Team leads/Service Managers.
• Develop managers’ confidence and capability to lead their own services.
• Set clear expectations while providing appropriate support and challenge.
• Hold regular one-to-ones, operational reviews and performance conversations.
• Ensure Team lead/Service manager understand and take ownership of their budgets, staffing, safeguarding, quality, performance and service outcomes.
• Support managers with complex operational, people and safeguarding situations.
• Coach managers to resolve issues themselves wherever appropriate rather than unnecessarily taking over responsibility.
• Create opportunities to share learning, challenges, good practice and solutions.
• Build a collaborative management culture where managers look beyond their individual services and contribute to the success of The Brick as a whole.
• Recognise good leadership and performance while addressing concerns promptly, fairly and compassionately.
• Support succession planning and the development of future leaders within the organisation.
• Work with the Head of Housing and Homelessness and Head of Resources where additional management support, training or development is required.
Working Relationships
The Operations Manager will work closely with:
• Head of Housing and Homelessness – direct line manager.
• Team lead/Service manager – direct reports
• Chief Executive Officer
• Head of Resources
• Head of finance
• Compliance and Quality colleagues
• Maintenance and Facilities colleagues
• Frontline staff and volunteers across The Brick
• People accessing and contributing to The Brick’s services.
• Local authorities and commissioners
• Housing providers and landlords
• Health, social care and safeguarding partners
• Voluntary, community and faith organisations
• Funders and other partner organisations
What Success Will Look Like
In the first 6 to 12 months, the successful candidate will have:
• Built a strong and effective working relationship with the Head of Housing and Homelessness.
• Built a strong, cohesive and confident group of Team lead/Service manager across the organisation.
• Established clear expectations and accountability for each Team lead/Service manager and their respective service.
• Developed a detailed understanding of the services.
• Including their strengths, pressures, risks and opportunities.
• Helped Team lead/Service manager feel more confident, supported and empowered to lead.
• Created greater consistency in operational standards and management practice across services.
• Strengthened collaboration and shared learning between Service Managers.
• Established a clear operational link between organisational strategy and day-to-day service delivery.
• Strengthened oversight of safeguarding, incidents, risk, quality and operational performance.
• Ensured Team lead/Service manager have greater ownership of performance information and use it to drive improvement.
• Identified opportunities for services to work together more effectively and reduced unnecessary duplication.
• Increased opportunities for the voices and experiences of people using our services to influence improvement.
• Provided the Head of Housing and Homelessness with reliable operational information, assurance and appropriate escalation of significant issues.
• Brought calm, clarity, compassion and strong operational leadership across The Brick’s services.