Director of Operations

**Director of Operations | RSN at Hampton Court Palace, Surrey | Full Time | £50,000-£55,000 and a contributory pension**

The Royal School of Needlework is the international centre of excellence for the art of hand embroidery and offers a range of courses for beginners through to advanced.Founded in 1872, the RSN is steeped in history with unrivalled expertise in the techniquesof hand embroidery. It is also forward looking with values of quality, tradition and innovation

In your own work area, the DoO is the first point of call when a colleague comes across something unusual or that falls outside of their usual sphere of responsibility. As such it is a practical, hands on role. While some work may be undertaken from home,you should anticipate being in the office several days each week.

Over the next couple of years there are a number of projects to deliver from moving to the Cloud to offering an MA course so there will be many initiatives to oversee. Part of your role will be Project Management particularly to support the IT Manager andensure the continuation of our IT transformation with internal and external projects.

**What can you expect in return?**
- A wide-ranging role.
- An excellent opportunity to work for a Hampton Court Palace based charity.
- This is an important but hybrid role, as such while there are some mandatory elements we are willing to discuss others.

**Are you the right person for the job?**

**If you have the (majority of the) following, then the answer is yes**
- Managing health and safety (inc Covid procedures) in a complex organisation.
- IT project oversight (migration to the Cloud) experience.
- Payroll experience.
- Line management experience at a senior level.
- Experience of working with many stakeholders internally and externally.
- HR experience including recruiting and policies and procedures.
- Experience of developing, implementing and overseeing policies and ensuring they are kept up to date.
- Experience of organising insurance for corporate entities.
- Knowledge of HE/FE environments.
- Project planning and management experience.
- Experience of managing HE compliance compiling documents for HESA and other agencies.
- Space planning and management.
- Be up to date with good business practice.
- Experience of managing or overseeing small retail outlet online or physical.
- Able to build relationships with wide range of people.
- Senior Management experience.

**What will my role as a Director of Operations look like?**
- To ensure the effective running of the whole RSN operation with particular emphasis on health and safety.
- In particular to work with both the internal stakeholders and the principal external stakeholders to move forward key projects.
- To be an active member of the Senior Management Team and to work across all departments and with all colleagues.
- Undertake all aspects of HR and H&S management using external advisors where necessary. Manage relationships with external advisors and ensure the charity receives best quality/value available.
- Have responsibility for Covid safety on RSN premises, following government guidelines and disseminating to staff and students.
- To oversee project/programme management and implementation of new digital transformation initiatives and to provide support to the IT Manager as appropriate to see this through.
- To act as an initial point of advice/guidance for colleagues dealing with any matter outside of their normal areas of responsibility.
- Responsible for premises lease renewal/negotiations and manage the organisation’s day-to-day relationship with Historic Royal Palaces.
- Manage HE compliance and compile returns to the RSN’s overseeing bodies.
- Working with Trustees, draft, develop and update policies, manage and oversee their implementation across the whole organisation.
- Manage effective use of the charity’s office space and consider other space options as part of future development.
- Responsibility for retail shop and ecommerce offer.
- Undertake the annual insurance review working with our brokers to ensure cost-effective coverage.
- To Chair the weekly Ops meeting to have an overview of all RSN activities.
- Deputise for the organisation’s CE when required and take on additional tasks as needed.