Operations Manager

The Vacancy
Operations Manager
Reports to:
Divisional Director (Operations)

Location:
Various, travel required across York and surrounding.

Lead with purpose. Deliver excellence. Make a difference every day.
At McCarthy Stone, we're passionate about enriching lives — creating vibrant, safe, and supportive communities where our homeowners can live independently, confidently, and happily. Our Operations Managers are at the heart of that mission, leading our developments and teams to deliver outstanding service, compliance, and care.

We're now looking for an experienced and inspirational
Operations Manager
to join our team. This is a pivotal leadership role, responsible for driving operational performance, customer satisfaction, and service quality across our
Retirement Living (RL)
and
Retirement Living Plus (RLP)
developments.

The Opportunity
As an Operations Manager, you'll be accountable to the Divisional Director for ensuring efficient, compliant, and high-quality service delivery across your region. You'll lead and inspire teams to provide exceptional experiences for our homeowners — ensuring every development is a thriving, well-managed, and supportive community.

You'll combine operational oversight with strategic delivery, using data, insight, and collaboration to achieve Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and business objectives. From supporting frontline managers to championing continuous improvement, you'll play a critical role in maintaining McCarthy Stone's reputation as the UK's leading developer and manager of retirement communities.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the frontline team across multiple developments, driving performance and aligning delivery with McCarthy Stone's purpose and strategic objectives.
• Foster a customer-centric culture that consistently achieves and exceeds KPIs across service delivery, compliance, and satisfaction.
• Ensure high standards of property management, safety, and homeowner experience through strong operational oversight and partnership working.
• Collaborate closely with Care Quality and Operational Excellence teams to ensure consistent quality, compliance, and continuous improvement.
• Support Registered Estate Managers to maintain at least a "Good" CQC rating (or equivalent regulatory standards in Scotland and Wales) across all developments.
• Recruit, develop, and motivate Estate and House Managers, building engaged, high-performing teams through coaching, recognition, and accountability.
• Deliver "brilliant basics" — ensuring compliant service delivery on which to build improvement and growth.
• Oversee KPI performance in areas including NPS, budget, occupancy, compliance, staff turnover, and CQC outcomes, ensuring regular reporting and proactive follow-up.
• Take lead responsibility for quality assurance and audits across your developments, ensuring timely completion and action planning.
• Work in partnership with internal teams to resolve homeowner issues, reduce complaints, and deliver a consistent and positive customer experience.
• Participate in a shared on-call rota with other Operations Managers, providing out-of-hours support (with additional pay).

About You
You're an experienced and forward-thinking operational leader with a passion for people, quality, and customer service. You'll bring:

• Proven management experience in a customer and people-centric organisation, ideally across multiple sites or services.
• Strong operational expertise within retirement living, housing, hospitality, property management, or care sectors.
• Ability to lead, inspire, and develop teams working both on-site and remotely.
• A proven track record of achieving business goals and improving service standards.
• Excellent understanding of Health & Safety, compliance, and regulatory frameworks, with the ability to drive a proactive safety culture.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, with experience managing significant budgets.
• Exceptional communication, influencing, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to navigate complex situations confidently.
• Computer literacy and proficiency in Microsoft Office and digital management systems.
• Commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of older adults and vulnerable people.

Qualifications

• RQF Level 5 or equivalent in Management, or a related discipline such as hospitality, property management, housing, leisure, or health and social care (desirable).
• Demonstrated commitment to ongoing professional development.

About Us
As the UK's leading developer and manager of retirement communities, we provide high quality homes to exacting specifications. As of January 2025, McCarthy Stone operates over 545 developments across the UK for more than 24,200 people.

We believe in championing the role, wellbeing, and happiness of older people in society. We help our customers have a better later life, so they feel more connected, recognised, and valued than ever. In late 2020 we launched the McCarthy Stone Charitable Foundation to support local causes that help older people in need across Britain.

We are proud to have been certified as a Great Place to Work 2025 as well as making the Great Place to Work Wellbeing list