Senior Operations Manager

We are seeking a Senior Operations Manager to become the functional lead in our relationship with Standards and Testing Agency (STA), and take on overall management of the STA progress on milestones, operational preparedness, operational readiness and contract management.

The successful candidate will be the primary point of contact for the STA Programme lead into Capita, owning the relationship and bringing together the breadth and depth of Capita knowledge and experience to deliver services that delight our customers. You will actively manage senior level relationships with the client, overseeing Capita milestone delivery, managing relationships, and reporting on the delivery of our contractual commitments. You will specify and engage services from other parts of Capita and from within Capita Public Services, building positive relationships, setting out a shared purpose and collaborating effectively with the operational and functional leads accountable for the services delivered.

What you'll be doing:

• Act as a key representative of the STA service, representing Capita outwards to the client and external stakeholders and representing the client's perspective to internal Capita teams/stakeholders and to subcontractors   
• Facilitate governance routines through the management of the STA PMO and reporting to ensure that compliance and progress is maintained and there is early sight of all risks and issues, putting appropriate actions in place to mitigate these  
• Lead governance sessions as required with the client, providing and presenting sufficiently detailed reports clearly and accurately regarding contract performance  
• M onitor budgets and expenditure to ensur ing they align with contractual agreements and work closely with finance to align with business plans  
• Oversee and collaborate with your opposite functional lead within STA and subcontractors aligned to the contract, to achieve and maintain progress through the test cycle  
• Facilitate communication and coordination between operational teams, subcontractors, and clients  
• Maintain positive relationships with stakeholders while addressing concerns and resolving disputes  
• Proactively review progress against contractual deliverables, managing risks, ide n tifying potential issues early and intervening to prevent, reduce or remediate their impact  

What we're looking for :

• Programme Management Experience in a complex environment
• Experience of transforming public services to achieve better outcomes, improve efficiency and performance
• Varied operational business experience, capable of sustained engagement at senior levels and being an advisor to the Client Director.
• A combination of experience in leading transformation, change and milestone execution in major contracts/programmes is ideal
• Experience of planning and delivering effective performance management of people and services
• You will be a strong contributor, committed to setting clear direction, embracing excellent communication, swift and data-driven decision making underpinned by values-based leadership

About Capita and STA

Capita manage the administration, processing, marking and additional support for primary school national curriculum assessments in England. As part of the contract, Capita manages the recruitment of markers and the printing, distribution and collation of over nine million test papers annually for key stage 1 and key stage 2 tests as well as the phonics screening check.

Capita has used its expertise in digital transformation by rolling out a new secure access portal, the Primary Assessment Gateway, which will be used by 16,000 primary schools and 4,000 test markers annually. The portal facilitates users to register pupils, order test materials, obtain results and update and download records in one place.

What's in it for you?

• A competitive basic salary of up to £60,000.
• 23 days' holiday (rising to 27) with the opportunity to buy extra leave
• The opportunity to take a paid day out of the office, volunteering for our charity partners or a cause of your choice
• Company matched pension, life assurance, a cycle2work scheme, 15 weeks' fully paid maternity, adoption and shared parental leave, paternity pay of two weeks...and plenty more
• Voluntary benefits designed to suit your lifestyle - from discounts on retail and socialising, to health & wellbeing, travel and technology
• Access to our Employee Network Groups, which represent every strand of diversity and allow colleagues to connect and learn from each other on an open, inclusive platform

You'll get the chance to follow your chosen career path anywhere in Capita. You'll be joining a network of 55,000 experienced, innovative and dedicated individuals across multiple disciplines and sectors. There are countless opportunities to learn new skills and develop in your career, and we'll provide the support you need to do just that. Our purpose is to create a better outcome for you.

What we hope you'll do next:

Choose 'Apply now' to fill out our short application, so that we can find out more about you.

Equal Opportunities

We're an equal opportunity and Disability Confident employer, which means we recruit and develop people based on their merit and passion. We're committed to providing an inclusive, barrier-free recruitment process and working environment for everyone. If you need the job description or application form in an alternative format (such as large print or audio), or if you'd like to discuss other changes or support you might need going forward, please email Iqbal at [email protected] or call 07784 237318 and we'll get back to you. For more information about equal opportunities and process adjustments, please visit the Capita Careers website.

We will be in touch with you regarding your application shortly, however if you need to contact our recruitment team please email [email protected]