Role Description – Chief Operating Officer

Role Outline

As Chief Operating Officer, you will provide strategic leadership and operational management for Finance, IT, Governance and Safeguarding, Central Services (including property & facilities, Health and Safety and Office Management), Data Protection/Information Security, People and Internal Communications, procurement and contract management. You will play a key role in supporting the CEO, Board, and Leadership Team to deliver the charity’s vision and strategic aims, with a primary emphasis on financial leadership.

Key Accountabilities

• Acting as Deputy CEO and a trusted advisor to the CEO and Board on policy and strategic decisions.
• Leading and managing the Finance function, ensuring robust financial planning, management, reporting, and compliance.
• Overseeing the internal IT team, IT strategy and outsourced IT provision, ensuring technology meets organisational needs and information security standards.
• Hold executive responsibility for the organisation’s people agenda, ensuring a high‑performing, inclusive and values‑led workforce. This includes oversight of workforce planning, internal communications, employee relations, reward and wellbeing, leadership capability, and organisational change, ensuring people practices enable effective service delivery, legal compliance and long‑term sustainability.
• Leading and managing governance and safeguarding functions, ensuring effective oversight, regulatory compliance, risk management, and a strong culture of safety and accountability.
• Leading Central Services, including property and facilities management, administration, procurement, and health & safety compliance.
• Hold executive responsibility for safeguarding, risk management and governance frameworks, ensuring robust systems, clear accountability and strong assurance to the Board and regulators. This includes oversight of safeguarding culture and practice, ownership of the strategic risk framework, serious incident reporting, regulatory compliance, and effective governance processes that support sound decision‑making and organisational integrity.
• Ensuring effective data protection and information security practices across the organisation.
• Developing and embedding a culture of business partnering, customer focus, and continuous improvement.
• Providing timely and accurate financial information and analysis to support strategic decision-making.
• Drive a forward-looking, agile and responsive approach to business planning that enables the delivery of our strategy and keeps us responsive to the constantly changing external environment.
• Support the leadership team to evolve our operating model, develop and manage systems and processes to ensure successful delivery of priorities, programmes and projects.
• Leading major projects and programmes, including financial sustainability initiatives.
• Managing and developing staff effectively to build a high performing corporate resources team.
• Flexibility adapting to changing requirements and organisational priorities.
• Upholding confidentiality and security of information in line with organisational policies.
• Ensuring that confidentiality and security of information is maintained in accordance with our Confidentiality, Data Protection, IT and Security policies. Promoting sustainable working practices and reducing the environmental impact of St Giles work.
• Drive forward a collaborative, insight driven and values-led culture and workforce strategy that ensures we make the most of digital technologies, data and modern ways of working to grow our impact.
• Demonstrating an understanding of and commitment to St Giles values and to equality, diversity, and inclusion.
• Demonstrates a strong understanding of St Giles approach to employing and developing lived experience including how it is applied in line with our values.
• Oversee a strategic approach to equity, diversity and inclusion, ensuring we set ambitious goals and understand our progress and impact.