Senior Business Operations Manager

Overview

In this role you will translate strategic direction into day-to-day delivery within the Corporate Business Operations & Support function. You’ll coordinate executive support, governance activities and information requests, ensuring professional, confidential and impartial service. You will shape operating models and processes, leverage digital tools to boost productivity, and align resources with changing priorities. This is a high-responsibility leadership position in a fast-paced public sector environment with a strong focus on service resilience and cross‑Council collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Provide operational leadership and continuity across the function by deputising for the lead.
• Coordinate day-to-day executive and senior leadership support, ensuring timely meetings, briefings, and follow-ups.
• Oversee member and mayoral support with high professional standards and political impartiality.
• Manage statutory information activity (FOI, EIR, Subject Access) with compliance to timescales.
• Coordinate corporate governance activities including forward plans, logs, risk/issue registers, and records management.
• Allocate and deploy workloads flexibly to maintain service resilience.
• Monitor performance and produce management information to inform planning and decision-making.
• Support continuous improvement of operating models, processes, and ways of working, aiming to simplify activity and improve customer experience.
• Champion use of digital technology, data, and automation to enhance productivity and information quality.
• Build strong relationships with senior leaders, elected members, and other teams to promote a One Council approach.

Key requirements

• Significant experience in leading or managing business operations or corporate support.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities in high-profile, time-critical environments.
• Experience in managing and developing teams and re-allocating resources to maintain resilience.
• Strong knowledge of corporate governance, information management, and organisational processes.
• Experience working with senior leaders or elected members in a politically sensitive environment.
• Understanding of statutory information requirements, governance, compliance and assurance.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills with use of performance data to inform decisions.
• Commitment to continuous improvement, digital enablement and customer-focused ways of working.

• political awareness
• excellent judgement
• stakeholder management
• digital enablement and automation
• data and management information
• governance systems and records management

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