Business and Operations Manager

WHO WE ARE

Innovation Unit is a not-for-profit, social enterprise.

As a social enterprise, we are above all else an organisation that is deeply committed to making a positive, social impact in the world.

Our mission is to grow and scale the boldest and best innovations that deliver long term impact for people, address persistent inequalities and transform the systems around them. 

We hold a bold vision: we want to see a world in which all people belong and contribute to thriving societies. People who work at Innovation Unit share a core set of beliefs about enabling change that is owned and driven by the people it affects. We believe that people are the means and the end and our culture of collaboration focus on relationships is at the core of all we do.

We partner with ambitious organisations in national and local government, in health and care systems, education and justice. We create better outcomes and experiences for vulnerable people and better outcomes for the wider system.

We currently have around 33 employees and 15 associates with whom we work, regularly. Our people come from lots of different backgrounds - research and policy, service design, occupational therapy, nursing, social care, public service leadership and much more.

Our annual turnover is £2.75m. This year we expect to grow our team and our revenue by 25%. We have a sister organisation, IU ANZ based in Australia and New Zealand. We are a not for profit organisation and were established in 2006 when we spun out of the Department of Education where we began in 2001 as their in-house innovation unit. 

We value all forms of diversity as a matter of principle. We are committed to becoming an anti-racist organisation, and strongly encourage people of colour to apply as well as those who identify with any other underrepresented group. 

 We would very much like to hear from you if you have a passion for our mission, vision and culture and feel inspired by the idea of joining a collaborative and passionate team. This position is for an immediate start.

THE ROLE

Our growth has created an exciting opportunity for a Business & Operations Manager to join our team. We work virtually and are based across the UK but we also work from our fantastic serviced office at London Bridge. This role is broad and multi-dimensional. You will become our “go to” person for the day to day functioning of all aspects of our organisation. The role will cover the following areas:

People & HR Support:

• Managing the life cycle of an IU member of staff from onboarding through to offboarding including the induction process of new joiners to ensure a smooth transition into the organisation 
• Managing the set up and processing of staff information in the Project Management System (Kimble) including holiday and absence records
• Assisting with training to ensure staff are all up to date on operational systems, policies and procedures
• Supporting with monthly period closure in our Project Management System
• Managing the off-boarding process for staff 
• Assisting in planning company events, meetings, lunches, employee team building activities and special projects

IT & Systems:

• Acting as key point of contact with IT provider, supporting with staff queries including request for new user emails accounts and provision of new equipment for staff
• Supporting reorganisation of the Google Drive storage system
• Managing all office services suppliers, reviewing and recommending new suppliers where appropriate to ensure value for money
• Setting up and supporting staff in using online collaboration tools such as Slack, Zoom
• Overseeing the management of all online organisational accounts including domains, noting renewal dates and payment details
• Managing the organisation's general ‘contact@’ inbox and dealing with queries and accounts linked to that email address 

Onsite and Virtual Office Management:

• Acting as main contact between serviced office provider and the organisation; requesting staff passes, overseeing our meeting room bookings usage and communicating key changes of protocols to staff
• Liaising with staff to maintain the office to make it a welcoming space
• Managing all office facilities including mail, couriers, photocopier and phones
• Overseeing the budget for new office equipment and consumables
• Acting as the go-to person for all office related queries from staff
• Supporting staff not based in London to ensure they have access to the working space they need

Finance

• Managing the use of the company credit card, ensuring new card details are allocated to all of our supplier accounts
• Liaising with staff to ensure timely reconciliation of the company credit purchases for the finance department
• Reconciling any purchases made on the company credit card and ensure invoices and details are uploaded into the relevant folders in the Drive for the finance department 
• Liaising with finance department on any anomalies with credit card payments i.e. missing invoices

Compliance:  

• Overseeing the implementation of our health & safety policy both on site and virtually, supporting with safeguarding training and carrying out DBS checks
• Supporting the implementation of changes in our policies and procedures

SKILLS & PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

• Adept in using all aspects of Google for Business (G-Suite)
• Knowledge of Salesforce and Kimble or another project management system
• Some experience in using online collaboration tools such as Zoom, Slack, Miro, Survey Monkey, MS Teams etc
• An understanding of HR management software 
• Confident and experienced business manager who is energised by streamlining systems and processes
• Enthusiastic, self-starter, detail oriented, and diligent
• People-centric, able to empathise with individuals and enjoy working with diverse groups
• Not phased by working in a busy, pressurised environment, managing conflicting demands to ensure that the most important tasks are delivered
• Ability to take on responsibility for making positive change happen and supporting people through that change
• A confident and excellent communicator across all levels of the organisation
• A problem solver with a curiosity and desire to improve existing systems and processes 
• Excited to work with innovators who aren't very keen on rules, to make sure our organisation works smoothly and efficiently

CONTRACT DETAILS

Salary:- £33K - £37K depending on experience

Contract Type:- Permanent full time

Location:- This role will be a hybrid role based remotely and onsite in our office as required.

​​Other: You need to be a UK resident. We currently do not sponsor international work visas.

Benefits

• Lovely serviced office at London Bridge 
• Flexible working 
• 27 days holiday plus 3 extra days at Christmas plus bank holidays
• 4% Pension contribution
• Group Life Insurance 
• Childcare vouchers 

HOW TO APPLY

Please email your CV and a cover letter (no more than one A4 page) to [email removed - click apply for more details]and complete our Diversity and Inclusion survey. In your cover letter, tell us:

•  How working at Innovation Unit is a great fit with your values
•  How you would support a virtual team based in multiple locations 

Closing date for applications: Monday 21st March at 10.00