Job summary
The Business Operations Manager role sits within the Regions Central team in the Health Protection in Regions Directorate. The Regions Central team supports the directorate to operate smoothly and effectively. Monitoring performance, analyse data, and maintain oversight of financial spend.
The team supports business planning, contribute to the implementation of new systems, and manage risk or issues that may impact delivery. The team also provide direct support to the Director and Deputy Director of Health Protection in Regions for business as usual and incident response activities.
The Business Operations Manager will oversee the administrative function of the office/site and line manage the business support manager within the Directorate. The post holder may work with colleagues who are based across the country at different sites and/or who work remotely.
Job description
- This role provides operational, financial, and organisational support to ensure the effective running of the Directorate. Working closely with Finance Business Partners and senior leaders, you will play a key role in budget setting, monitoring expenditure, and managing financial performance, including identifying and addressing risks. You will also coordinate procurement activity and contribute to effective resource planning.
- You will lead on governance processes, including coordinating business returns, maintaining risk registers, and identifying opportunities to improve compliance and ways of working. You will also support business continuity planning and represent the Directorate in policy and governance discussions.
- In addition, you will support workforce planning, including recruitment, onboarding, and the coordination of training and development activities. The role involves contributing to strategic planning, supporting boards and committees, and ensuring effective oversight of projects and performance.
You will work closely with senior leadership to coordinate priorities, manage key deliverables, and maintain efficient systems and processes. This is a varied role requiring strong organisational, communication, and problem-solving skills, with a focus on continuous improvement, collaboration, and delivery of high-quality outcomes aligned to organisational objectives.
Specific duties of the role may vary depending on the site and teams/functions.
Operational management/Governance
- Actively seek to identify, recommend, and implement improvements.
- Manage the co-ordination and completion of various directorate submissions for monthly and quarterly business returns
- Manage the co-ordination and maintaining of up-to-date tactical team risk registers for the Directorate and ensure there is effective two-way flow of risk related information up to the Senior Team including a tracking mechanism and escalation process.
- Identify any potential gaps within local/team processes in terms of compliance and governance; including representing the Directorate on policy groups and leading any associated work.
- Ensure that business continuity plans are in place and are regularly updated.
Financial and Resource Management
- In conjunction with the Directorates allocated Finance Business Partner and Director/Deputies, undertake the annual budget setting review, coordinating the various budget setting activities.
- Undertake regular budget monitoring in liaison with the Finance Business Partner. Initiate and be responsible for any consequent remedial action on behalf of the Director, in conjunction with the allocated Finance Business Partner.
- Having operational oversight of the Directorates budget, capital spending and staffing costs throughout the year, working with the Finance Business Partner to identify potential overspend/underspend and any remedial action.
- Undertakes procurement activity in liaison with Procurement Professionals.
Human Resources Management
- Support the senior management team to plan, implement and coordinate delivery of an effective training and development programme for the Regional Directors Office working in liaison with L&D and Workforce colleagues were appropriate.
- Oversee any recruitment activity for the Regional Directors Office working with recruitment, HR and Finance teams where appropriate.
- Support the successful induction of new staff into the Regional Directors Office including organisation of new IT equipment, passes etc.
Planning and Organisation
- Contribute to the planning of Boards and Committees for the Directorate, identifying interdependencies across Programmes/functions
- Contribute to the development of performance and governance strategies and the development and implementation of improvement programmes, in accordance with business priorities.
- Contribute to short-, medium- and long-term business plans, achieving quality outcomes.
- Work with and support the Senior Leadership team to ensure adequate planning for key cross Directorate meetings, to include preparing schedules for agendas, to reflect business and programmatic priorities.
- Oversight of key directorate projects, including working with project and programme professionals to create and maintain effective project management plans and processes.
- Develop and implement effective records management processes relevant to business needs and ensure they are maintained.
- Establish, develop, and maintain office and operational systems for effective working.
- Contribute to the development of key performance indicators for the successful assessment of individual and work areas success.
Personal and Professional Development
- Undergo a programme of on-going development and education, including the annual appraisal process, to build on existing knowledge and develop skills to meet the behaviours and competencies required to undertake the role.
Other
- In addition to the job specific requirements above, this role will require adherence to all UKHSA Policies and Procedures.
- All staff will adhere to the UKHSA values actively demonstrating the positive behaviours.
- All staff are expected to contribute to the delivery of corporate goals and objectives.
- The role holder may be expected to support corporate service activity as set out
This list is not exhaustive
Person specification
Essential criteria
- Educated to graduate degree level/NVQ6 level or equivalent experience in Business Administration, Business Management
- Significant experience of working in a business support role, including experience of monitoring budgets and procurement processes
- Analyse and use a range of relevant, credible information from internal and external sources to support decisions, communicating in the most appropriate style
- Ability to deal with complex matters and difficult situations, requiring persuasion and influence
- Highly competent in a variety of software applications
Desirable role criteria
- Experience of managing and motivating a team and reviewing performance of individuals
- Ability to plan for the long and short term, able to adjust plans and resource to meet requirements
- Ability to use digital tools and understand where they can be best deployed
- Knowledge of project principles, techniques and tools
- Ability to successfully operate in a politically sensitive environment
Qualifications and Registrations
For roles where specific qualifications or registrations are required, successful applicants will be asked to provide appropriate evidence. Employment cannot commence until satisfactory documentation has been received and verified.
