Operations and business support officer

Description

Company Overview

Parkwood Care Limited is a specialist residential service dedicated to supporting children and young people in a safe and nurturing environment. Our mission is to foster resilience, empathy, confidence, and essential life skills, enabling our residents to lead happy and fulfilling lives. We are committed to investing in our staff's development, recognizing their hard work and dedication.

Summary

We are seeking a highly organized, IT-proficient and proactive individual to provide dual support across our residential care homes and central office. This unique role ensures the smooth operational running of our homes for three days per week, alongside two days of business support based at our head office. The postholder will play a critical role in maintaining compliance, supporting staff processes, and driving administrative and digital efficiency across our services.

Responsibilities

Operational Support (3 Days in Homes)

Annual Leave Monitoring: Proactively monitor staff leave usage using digital tools and send reminders to encourage timely planning. Support agreement and implementation of a carry-over policy to maintain adequate staffing levels.

Sickness Monitoring: Track staff absence in line with policy, notify managers of trigger points, ensure timely meetings are held, and update digital staff support chronologies.

Safer Recruitment: Oversee all recruitment documentation and processes digitally. Ensure safer recruitment forms are completed and signed off by the Responsible Individual and Registered Manager. Liaise with new starters and chase digital certification and references.

Training Oversight: Maintain and update the digital training matrix, book refresher courses, liaise with trainers, organise training rooms, and reset e-learning modules as required. Allocate training for new starters on the training hub.

Health & Safety Compliance: Use digital calendars and trackers to monitor compliance deadlines for gas safety, electrical safety, PAT testing, and Legionella testing. Escalate any overdue items.

Budget Oversight in Homes: Track young people's budget expenditure via Dext, chase outstanding digital receipts, and monitor holiday budget usage.

Office-Based Support (2 Days)

Meeting Minutes: Attend and minute all management, staff, and professional meetings (e.g., Cared for children reviews, strategy meetings, EHCP reviews) using standardized digital templates. Distribute minutes and follow-up actions efficiently.

Payroll Support: Check staff timesheets and contracted hours, complete P120s, and share with managers for review. Submit documentation to payroll digitally and support the Business Services team with final verification.

Annex A Reports: Collate data digitally for the monthly Annex A report before submission for Registered Manager review.

Staff Onboarding & Compliance: Process new starter forms, enroll staff in Vitality, update the DBS matrix, and set automated alerts for HR milestones (appraisals, renewals, etc.). Conduct periodic digital audits of staff files.

Diploma Coordination: Register new Diploma learners on the DASS platform and manage funding allocations digitally.

Calendar & Event Coordination: Maintain full access to leadership calendars to schedule training, inspections, and compliance events. Set digital alerts for key deadlines (e.g. Reg 45, safety checks, team planning).

Skills and Experience

Proven experience in administration and/or operational support within a care, education, or regulated setting.

High level of IT proficiency across Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook), digital HR systems, training platforms, and cloud-based tools (e.g., Dext, SharePoint, Teams).

Confidence working across multiple systems and the ability to learn and implement new digital tools quickly.

Excellent organisational and time management skills.

Strong communication skills, with the ability to take accurate minutes and manage follow-ups across multiple teams.

Experience with safer recruitment and compliance monitoring processes.

Ability to work independently across multiple settings and adapt to the needs of different services.

Other Information

Travel between homes is required. Essential car allowance provided.

Flexibility may be required to meet deadlines, including occasional evening meetings.

An enhanced DBS check is required.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: GBP29,000.00-GBP30,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Company pension

Private medical insurance

Language:

English (preferred)

Work authorisation:

United Kingdom (required)

Willingness to travel:

75% (required)

Work Location: In person

Expected start date: 01/09/2025

Ad ID: 5416933853