Director of Early Years Operations

Role Requirements

Role Requirement 1

Operational Leadership and Service Development 

• Lead Early Years Operations as an integrated delivery system, ensuring alignment across programmes, services, systems, people and resources.
• Provide strategic and operational leadership, setting direction and priorities in line with the Pobal Strategic Plan and funder objectives.
• Ensure effective planning, delivery and continuous improvement of services, programmes and projects.
• Manage operational performance through clear standards, metrics, accountability and customer-focused service models.
• Lead risk management, incident management, business continuity and operational resilience arrangements.
• Drive service development, innovation and change, ensuring lessons learned and stakeholder feedback inform continuous improvement.
• Build effective relationships with funders, customers and strategic partners to support programme delivery and service enhancement.
• Provide operational insight into programme design, policy development and organisational planning.

 Role Requirement 2

Governance, Assurance & Accountability

• Ensure that programme, system, service and budget ownership arrangements are clearly defined and aligned with corporate-level arrangement.
• Effectively present and represent the performance, achievements and learning of Early Years Operations.
• Ensure effective arrangements are in place to address management, corporate and funder related business planning, accountability and reporting requirements. 
• Represent Pobal at agreed platforms / structures.
• Ensure a structured programme management and assurance framework is embedded across all programmes and services. 
• Ensure key programme risks, controls, dependencies, assumptions and decisions are visible, monitored and escalated appropriately. 
• Promote evidence-based assurance reporting focused on impact, compliance, effectiveness and value for money. 
• Ensure lessons learned and assurance findings are translated into continuous improvement activity.
• Ensure that governance, ownership, accountability and decision-making arrangements are clearly defined, understood and consistently applied. 
• Promote transparency and traceability of significant decisions. 
• Ensure escalation routes are effective and proportionate.

Role Requirement 3

People, Culture & Capability

• Lead strategic workforce planning and capability development. 
• Develop succession planning arrangements for critical roles. 
• Identify future skills requirements and capability gaps. 
• Build organisational resilience by reducing dependency on key individuals. 
• Promote flexible deployment and organisational agility across teams.
• Provide credible, agile and open leadership, support and challenge to direct reports.
• Foster a corporate culture that promotes ethical practice and commitment to a customer experience of service excellence and efficiency. 
• Ensure the Directorate leadership are equipped with a clear understanding of requirements and expectations; are developed, supported, performance managed and valued as Pobal employees, leaders and representatives. 
• Encourage innovation and change when and where it is needed.
• Ensure credible and effective relationships are established and maintained with funding departments, sponsors, business partners, customers and stakeholders.
• Ensure that staff adhere to company policies, standards and procedures.
• Ensure that corporate requirements and processes are met. 
• Ensure adherence to the highest standards of health and safety and to all internal policies and procedures whilst supporting a positive environment for occupational safety, health and welfare and employee well-being. 

Role Requirement 4

Digital, Data and Innovation Leadership

• Champion the use of data, analytics, automation, artificial intelligence and digital technologies to improve service delivery, assurance, customer experience and organisational effectiveness.
• Ensure that operational decision making is increasingly evidence-based through the effective use of dashboards, performance indicators and analytics.
• Promote a culture of innovation, learning and continuous improvement.
• Work collaboratively with ICT, Data & Analytics and programme teams to identify and prioritise digital opportunities.
• Support the safe, ethical and responsible use of AI and emerging technologies in line with organisational policies and governance requirements.

The above is not intended as a comprehensive list of duties involved, and the Director of Early Years Operations may be asked on occasion to take on other responsibilities or perform other duties appropriate to the post, in line with Pobal’s Strategic Plan 2027+

Required Experience & Skills 

Personal Attributes

• Resilient with ability to flourish in the management of a busy, complex and dynamic operational environment. 
• Constructs a coherent and clear strategic vision for remit.
• Structured, organised, flexible and adaptable in approach.
• Excellent ability to prioritise and manage competing demands.
• Instils confidence and resilience in others.
• Enthusiastic, pragmatic and motivating.
• Confident and approachable / assertive as required.
• Good self-awareness. 

Professional Experience

• Minimum of 5 years’ experience of staff and functional management in busy, complex and dynamic operational environment(s).
• Experience at senior management level within a wider leadership team.
• Significant experience in staff development and performance management. 
• Proven track record in leading planning, delivery and improvement of large scale service deliver operations.
• Strong experience of cross-business delivery management.
• Evidence of the production of high quality reports and written materials - Excellent and effective communicator (written and oral) - Experience managing complex stakeholder environments. 
• Experience leading organisational change and transformation. 
• Experience establishing governance, assurance or risk management arrangements. 
• Experience using data and performance information to drive improvement.
• Experience using digital technologies, data analytics, automation, AI-enabled tools or other innovative approaches to improve organisational effectiveness, service delivery or customer experience.
• Proficient in use of MS packages e.g. Word, Excel, Outlook, Project, PowerPoint; Microsoft Dynamics CRM; SharePoint and portals.

Qualifications

• Personal application, critical thinking and presentational capability as represented through a third level qualification to Level 8 or higher on the National Framework of Qualifications, or equivalent.
• Whilst experience and performance track record are key determinants, ideally would have additional professional development and / or qualification relevant to the remit (e.g. in business, finance, management, service development / delivery, process improvement, project management). 

Desirable

• Knowledge of workings of the early years / community / voluntary / public sector - Experience of digital transformation. 
• Experience of AI, automation or advanced analytics. 
• Experience working in a regulated or publicly accountable environment. 
• Experience of managing complex funding programmes.