Senior Operations Manager - Dependency & Recovery, 12 month Fixed-term Contract

Job Description

As Senior Operations Manager, you will lead the delivery of Catch22’s Commissioned Rehabilitative Services (CRS) across London with a primary focus on our Dependence & Recovery (D&R) service, ensuring high-quality, contractually compliant services that support people on probation to successfully reintegrate into their communities and reduce reoffending.

Reporting to the Assistant Director, you will provide leadership and line management to a team of Team Leaders and practitioners, driving performance, quality, and continuous improvement across multiple sites. You will work closely with HMPPS, Probation, commissioners, and partner agencies to ensure services achieve agreed outcomes, manage risk effectively, and deliver positive results for service users.

This role combines operational oversight, performance management, partnership development, and strategic leadership, ensuring services remain innovative, responsive, and aligned with Catch22’s values. The position is home-based with regular travel across London, including to HMP Wandsworth.

Qualifications

Essential:

• Evidence of continual professional development.
• Experience working with Microsoft Office - Word and Excel
• Extensive experience of leading a team particularly those working with vulnerable people
• Experience of working within an organisations policies and procedures, including those relating to health and safety, confidentiality and handling sensitive information

Desirable:

• A qualification in leadership and management (or working towards).
• Any qualification relevant to working with those in prison, for example Criminology/ Criminal Justice/ Social Care/ Mental Health/ IAG.
• Experience of setting up a new service and of establishing procedures, processes and protocols.
• A track record of establishing project monitoring and evaluation frameworks, ideally with some knowledge of output based funding.

Additional Information

Those interested in applying for this opportunity should review the Job Description to find out more. If you have any questions about the role or recruitment process, please see our contact information on the Candidate Help Page. Please use reference REF3945E in your message so that we can identify the opportunity. 

When applying please be cautious over the answers you provide. If you select “NO” to the screening question regarding Right to Work in the UK, your application will automatically be closed. 

Contract: Fixed term 12 months from start date. 

Hours & work pattern: Full time, 38 hours per week. 

Salary: £47,950

Career Family & Scale: Operations – Practitioner,  London

Location: Various London sites.

Closing Date: 18th June 2026. Catch22 reserves the right to withdraw the vacancy at any time, for any reason before the stated closing date.

We aim to review applications as quickly as possible. However, due to the volume of interest we receive, we may not be able to contact all applicants individually. If you have not heard from us within two weeks of the closing date, please assume that your application has not been successful this time.

Screening: Successful admission to post subject to enhanced DBS check, HMPPS Enhanced Level 1 vetting check, and employer Right To Work in the UK check. The post-holder must have right to work in the UK. Catch22 does not currently provide a licence to sponsor visas but please see this register to see those that do.

To Apply: Please provide your CV and cover letter, along with the completion of the screening questions to express your interest in this opportunity. Please note, in the interest of safer recruitment and ensuring that applicants are a right fit for the role, submitted applications must contain a CV, satisfactory responses to the screening questions, and information detailing interest in the role, to be considered for this position.

Use of AI (Artificial Intelligence) should not be used to exaggerate skills & experiences, create generic responses that are not unique to the individual, and for any assessments used by the Hiring Team to measure an individual's natural abilities. 

Catch22’s Commitment to Opportunity & Progression

At Catch22 we are proud of our commitment in supporting people develop in their careers and progress in our organisation. In 2024, within our Justice Hub, we have 68% of those in management roles that originally joined Catch22 in the frontline workforce and some worked across a number of roles and Leadership positions before joining management. This allows us to have a highly experienced management group and provides development opportunities for those in our much valued front-line.

Catch22’s Commitment to Ban the Box

Catch22 is proud to have “Banned the Box”. This means that we do not ask for candidates to disclose criminal convictions at the application stage. Instead, we invite disclosures at interview stage, and encourage them at the offer stage. Please see our statement of commitment on hiring people with convictions for more information.

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Social Media Search

Please note, we may conduct an online search as part of our due diligence checks for successful candidate(s). This will involve a search of all publicly available information online and in social media.

Vetting Requirements
This role is subject to the satisfactory completion of relevant pre-employment checks, which may include HMPPS vetting, NPPV, or other role-specific security clearances.

Any offer of employment will be conditional upon the successful outcome of these checks. Where clearance is not granted, or is subsequently withdrawn, Catch22 reserves the right to withdraw the offer of employment.

Catch22 Justice requests no contact from agencies or media sales

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