Operations Manager (Part-time)

Swindon Food Collective

Swindon, with flexible working

£Competitive local salary

Addressing Food Poverty

Swindon Food Collective is an independent charity that aims to help people in Swindon, or the surrounding area, who are suffering from financial hardship and finding it difficult to provide food for themselves, their family or dependants.

They receive donations of non-perishable, tinned or dried food and toiletries from churches, schools, local companies, community groups, supermarkets and individuals and currently feed nearly 10,000 people per year. One third of these are children.

They work with many approved organisations, schools, doctors and social workers who can refer people in crisis to us. As well as providing food to address food poverty, they also provide a friendly chat and try to signpost people for further help. Indeed, it is this ‘signposting’ or working with people to enable them to enhance their lives where they see their services evolving. Swindon Food Collective are also reviewing how they can best utilise short-life foods. They operate from a central warehouse and have 11 distribution centres around Swindon and surrounding areas where food can be collected.

The charity is financially sound and has the resources to develop their service offering. They have recently hired a Finance Manager, created a new post as Business Strategy Manager and are also out to market to appoint a Chief Executive Officer. Perhaps you know of a friend or colleague who may be interested in a Chief Executive Officer opportunity.

The role

Due to an internal move, Swindon Food Collective are seeking to appoint a new Operations Manager who will ensure they are meeting the demand for their services, providing help and support to people in crisis in the local community and positively supporting all staff and volunteers in their different roles.

This role oversees logistics, streamlining of processes, and optimises resource allocation to meet the needs of the community while minimising waste and is the linchpin that keeps the food bank service running smoothly and effectively.

Key responsibilities will include:

- Oversee and coordinate all aspects of the charity’s logistics, including stock management and movement, handling incoming donations, purchasing, storage and distribution of food and other resources.

- Day-to-day management of all operational employees and volunteers, ensuring efficient operations and high-quality service delivery.

- Lead and inspire staff and volunteers and evaluate operations and ways of working to identify areas of improvement and efficiency.

- Provide line management to the operational teams, including monitoring standards, performance, the prioritisation of workloads, and conducting meetings with staff and volunteers, as necessary.

- Manage health and safety within all premises and for all company equipment, including company vehicles, as well as adherence to all policies and procedures, ensuring these policies are up-to-date and reviewed regularly, working in partnership with leased premises landlords and Distribution Centre Managers

- Develop standards and maintain the quality of the services the charity provides.

- Regularly monitor and evaluate the service to ensure quality and technical standards are met.

- Establish new services within the business plan.

You
Your background is not important. What is important is your ambition to address food poverty in the Swindon region and support the population.

You will be an experienced Assistant or General Manager / Deputy COO or COO with experience in day-to-day operational management, staff management and, ideally, supply chain logistics, as well as working in an environment where H&S is important.

As well as having a passion for the mission of Swindon Food Collective and making a positive impact through community-based projects, you will be/have:

- proven experience in day-to-day management and supply chain logistics of a diverse operational workforce, ideally, both paid employees and volunteers, with strong leadership and team-building skills.

- exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, capable of motivating and inspiring both internal teams and external stakeholders.

- experience of staff management and supervision

- a problem solver; managing crises, complaints or issues affecting the service.

To apply

The application is by CV and covering letter. Your letter, which should be no more than 2 pages in length, should explain both why you are interested in the post of Operations Manager and why you think you would be an excellent candidate for Swindon Food Collective. Please apply by uploading your application via the apply button.

Further information
For an informal conversation about the please contact Laurence Wolahan on M 07985 443 826 or Laurence.wolahan@hays.com or Katie Attrill on M 07515 482 954 or E katie.attrill@hays.com

All direct applications will be forwarded to Hays Executive.

Campaign dates:

Closing date: 8th June 2025
Preliminary interviews: Mid-June 2025
Formal interviews: Mid-July 2025

The above dates are subject to change.