Operations Supervisor

We are growing quickly, and as a natural stage in our growth, the operations functions have also grown.

We now need an organised, pragmatic, and motivated problem solver to manage, own, and complete a range of core activities, supporting both the Operations Director of the charity and the General Manager of each of our ventures.

This role is a new post so there will be some inevitable change and shift to responsibilities over time, as well as flexibility across the team to ensure skills and expertise are deployed most beneficially for the charity.

The primary responsibilities will include supporting the Operations Manager and XO General Managers with the following:

1. Office and workshop management – managing premises and keeping them in good order whilst improving facilities for all
2. Admin - Calendar management and ad-hoc office tasks for the Senior Leadership Team
3. IT – manage IT provision including broadband, telephone, hardware where needed and providing basic staff training as required
4. Enquiries – managing the functional inbox for each venture, sorting and signposting as appropriate.
5. Communications – Collecting and collating mail, organising payment of bills with finance team
6. Staff rotas – for team and volunteers
7. Volunteer management – overseeing the recruitment, tasks, expenses and wellbeing of FOXO volunteers. Working with the program team to support XO volunteers.
8. Business need – ensuring shops are adequately staffed to cover shifts and break cover. Occasional overseeing of site in short staffing periods.
9. Procurement – monitoring sundries stock for each site and replenishing as needed.
10. Executive support – completing tasks as required

As we scale up in a challenging sector, every team member is expected to contribute to other areas when needed, and to be responsive to opportunities and issues as they arise (ideally the former more than the latter).

This means that the role will also require pitching in, taking on responsibilities and opportunities for organisation wide projects, and taking initiative to complete what needs doing.

The role will, at times, involved weekend events and evening engagements. Time off will be given in lieu for any out of hours’ time.

There will be significant development opportunity within this role to take on responsibility for a range of Group Services offered across our ventures, as well as ad hoc tasks as they arise. As the organisation grows and ventures increase the role will broaden, once the foundations are firmly in place.

Introducing Onwards & Upwards

We are a charity created to directly tackle the cycle of reoffending driven by the barriers to unemployment faced; our purpose is clear, and our plan is simple.

We will break the cycle of reoffending by starting sustainable social enterprises which train and employ ex-offenders.

These must be organisations that people are proud to work for, provide personal and professional development, that operate in high demand sectors, and that showcase the talents and potential of ex-offenders as employees to businesses and society at large.

Our plan in the long-term is to launch, test, and grow a range of social enterprises that all follow this model – of training, supporting and employing ex-offenders in positive environments that are part of a community, with aspirational brands, and with full support for people to grow and move on with their lives.

Our first venture is XO Bikes – where we train people to become qualified bike mechanics and then aim to find them meaningful jobs in the cycling sector. We have now trained over 100 people, both in and outside of prison. Many of those have found jobs, we have provided a wide range of pastoral support and have a strong and community founded staff and alumni.

XO Bikes has grown as a venture too, with a great looking website, two retail sites, a strong profile in the sector, and our own range of swagged bikes. Our second venture, XO Barbers, is now on the starting blocks and is looking to have an incredibly busy year. With a workshop in HMP Brixton about to start, and plans for a finishing school, a community barbershop, and more, will underway, XO Barbers will require lots of support from the central operations team.

Further ventures sit in the planning stages, likely to come to fruition within the next eighteen months. Our strategy is to be small, beautiful, and loud, and this role is pivotal in achieving that.

The Person

Our hope is to find an energetic, organised, and positive team player, similarly comfortable working independently.

It is a very varied role and one that needs calm focus as well as spontaneity and initiative – things change fast here, and this allows us to progress towards our mission rapidly.

As a rough guide the sorts of skills/qualities we are looking for are:

• Excellent organisational skills – many moving parts, many iterations. Our team is mobile, and will look to you to know where to be, and when.
• Fluent on IT systems – full Office suite, on both windows and Mac. Computer set up skills and knowledge of Microsoft 365 ideal.
• Strong communication and teamwork – balance of strong email, telephone and face to face skills, recognising different needs from client to high level stakeholder.
• Ability to manage workload – prioritising and balancing focus, whilst remaining adaptable to last minute changes and challenges.
• Reliable – doing what we say we will, always
• Taking initiative – we are a small team, and things move quickly. You will be trusted to work independently, but always supporting the team.

Please do speak to us if you are interested in applying but unsure if you meet the full criteria, and we will happily answer any questions you may have.