Driving for Change Operations Manager

We are seeking an experienced and highly organised operational leader to oversee the day-to-day logistics, systems and infrastructure of Change Please Foundation's Driving for Change and Smile for Change bus initiatives.

This role is responsible for ensuring the buses in the initiative are operationally sound, compliant, properly staffed, maintained and logistically coordinated so that outreach services can be delivered effectively by the Support Team.

Driving for Change Operations Manager will focus on operational excellence, fleet management, compliance, rota coordination, contractor oversight and logistical planning. This is a hands-on operational role suited to someone who thrives on structure, problem solving and ensuring complex moving parts run smoothly.

This role supports outreach delivery but does not lead outreach programming.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

Operational & Logistical Management

• Take full ownership of the day-to-day operational running of the Driving for Change and Smile for Change buses.
• Ensure all operations are delivered in a safe, compliant, organised and cost-effective way.
• Proactively manage operational risks and resolve issues before they impact service delivery.
• Act as escalation lead for breakdowns, service disruption or operational incidents, including coordinating bus recovery where required.
• Maintain clear operational oversight of weekly delivery schedules and logistics.

Vehicle & Infrastructure Management

• Manage council and site logistics including bus parking, permissions and electricity supply.
• Oversee contracted bus drivers and ensure adherence to routes, SOPs and operational protocols.
• Work directly with mechanics to ensure servicing schedules, maintenance and MOT compliance are consistently met.
• Maintain fleet readiness, servicing calendars and vehicle documentation.
• Ensure all buses are fully stocked, equipped and operationally prepared for delivery.

Health, Safety & Compliance

• Review and maintain all RAMS, H&S documentation and Risk Location Assessments.
• Own and update the Driving for Change Operations Manual.
• Ensure compliance with safeguarding, health and safety and relevant operational legislation.
• Maintain clear audit trails and documentation standards.

Workforce & Contractor Coordination

• Work closely with the Impact Administrator to manage rotas for drivers, contractors and service staff.
• Support the Service Manager in identifying contractor gaps and coordinating cover.
• Oversee contractor onboarding requirements from an operational compliance perspective.
• Be the primary operational contact for the Service Manager.

Finance & Administration

• Oversee contractor invoicing and payments, working closely with Finance to ensure accuracy and timeliness.
• Monitor operational expenditure and flag risks or overspend early.
• Ensure accurate record-keeping and reporting across operational activity.

Operational Support to Growth

• Support the Head of Impact with the operational planning of additional buses or new delivery locations.
• Ensure systems, documentation and logistics are scalable and consistent.
• Provide operational insight to inform future roll-out decisions., * Please describe your experience managing operational delivery across multiple sites or mobile services. What were you responsible for, and what measurable outcomes did you achieve?
• This role requires oversight of health & safety, vehicle compliance and operational risk. Can you provide an example of how you have ensured compliance in a previous role and how you handled any incidents or audits?
• Tell us about a time you managed and developed a team in a fast-paced or resource-constrained environment. How did you drive performance while maintaining morale and accountability?

Do you have experience in SharePoint?, * Proven experience in an operations Manager or similar logistics or delivery-focused role.

• Strong organisational and administrative capability with excellent attention to detail.
• Experience managing multi-site or mobile operations.
• Demonstrable experience overseeing compliance, health and safety or operational documentation.
• Excellent planning, organisational and problem-solving skills.
• Confident communicator able to work effectively across teams and with contractors.
• Comfortable working autonomously and taking ownership without close supervision.
• High resilience and ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-moving environment.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and Outlook (Word, Excel, OneNote, SharePoint).
• Excel skills at intermediate level or above.
• Positive, solutions-focused mindset.

Desirable

• Experience working with fleet, facilities, maintenance or vehicle management.
• Experience working within a charity, social enterprise or public sector environment.
• Knowledge of homelessness services or community outreach settings.

Only applicants who provide responses to the screening questions will be considered for shortlisting.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: £38,000.00-£40,000.00 per year, * Additional leave

• Employee discount
• Health & wellbeing programme

Change Please is a social enterprise, we have grown from a small cart selling coffee in Covent Garden in 2015 to an international business. We aim end homelessness in 4 countries, using all the profits from our award-winning coffee sales, sold by our wholesale team to large, often global organisations and by our retail teams at multiple sites. This and the money raised by our fundraising team, allows us to support people experiencing homelessness by providing barista training, living wage employment, access to counselling, therapy, financial wellbeing and guidance, housing support, and onward employment opportunities with our incredible partners. We are about doing business better. At Change Please we exist to challenge stereotypes, to breakdown walls and kick open doors for those who may struggle to open them. It's not about handouts; we want to harness the potential within everyone and enable them to be the best version of themselves. We partner with organisations to help them bring their social value pledges to life and enable them to make a difference to people from diverse and marginalised groups and local communities. We need Changemakers in our team who are passionate about coffee, people, teamwork and making the world a little better.