Director of Operations

Haringey (N17), London, UK. (This is an in-person role with optional one day remote)

Vacancy listed30/07/2026

Details

• Location: Haringey (N17), London, UK. (This is an In-Person role with optional one day working remotely)
• Job Title: Director of Operations
• Reporting to: CEO, with accountability to the Board of Trustees
• Line Manages: Operations Co-ordinator and Finance Officer
• Employment Type: Full-Time (40hrs Per Week)
• Start date: October 2026 (Ideally, or later if you have a notice period)

Summary of the role: The Director of Operations is a pivotal senior leadership role at Sister System, responsible for strengthening the people, culture, systems and organisational foundations that enable our mission to thrive. Working closely with the CEO, Senior Leadership Team and Board of Trustees, the postholder will play a central role in delivering our current strategic priorities and shaping the next chapter of Sister System as we develop our future strategy beyond September 2027.

This is a significant opportunity to help shape a growing, values-led organisation founded on co-curation, sisterhood, race & gender equity and the belief that girls and young women should be active architects of the services, systems and opportunities designed for them.

The role will be instrumental in translating our founding vision into strong, sustainable practice, ensuring Sister System is equipped to grow its impact while remaining deeply connected to the voices, experiences and leadership of the girls and young women we exist to serve.

Our Charity: Sister System exists to ensure that care-affected girls and young women are not defined by the systems they have experienced, but are supported to recognise their strengths, shape their futures and access the same opportunities as their peers.

Our culturally competent, co-curated model works alongside girls and young women aged 13-24 through a long-term journey of support, progression and leadership. Across three interconnected stages, we provide trusted relationships, mentoring, therapeutic support, education, leadership development and pathways into employment. Our approach recognises that meaningful change takes time, consistency and a community that continues to believe in her.

Founded with girls and young women, not simply for them, Sister System places their voices, experiences and ambitions at the heart of everything we do. Through our growing hub-and-spoke model, we are expanding our reach while also influencing the wider systems, services and institutions that shape their lives.

Our ambition is not only to improve individual outcomes, but to demonstrate a better way of working with care-affected girls and young women-one that is relational, culturally responsive, asset-based and built around what they tell us they need to thrive.

As Sister System enters its next phase of growth and prepares to shape its future strategy, we are seeking an experienced and values-led Director of Operations to join our Senior Leadership Team. This is an exciting opportunity to strengthen the people, culture, systems and infrastructure that will enable our organisation-and the girls and young women alongside us-to achieve even more.

Our Vision:

A world where empowered girls reach their potential through equitable opportunities.

Our Mission:

To bridge the gap between care-affected girls and young women within mainstream society by working alongside them to ensure they have the same opportunities that everyone else has - at home, school, work and within our communities.

Our Values:

• COLLABORATIVE We co-curate programmes with our Sis-Stars. We seek powerful partnerships.
• EVIDENCE-BASED We build trust and respect within our sector.
• MASTERFUL We aim for excellence as standard and share our learning.
• SOLUTION-FOCUSED We innovate to overcome challenges with a long-term goal in mind.
• TENACIOUS We are not afraid to take a stand and push for change.

Key Responsibilities Strategic Leadership and Implementation

• Work closely with the CEO, Senior Leadership Team and Board of Trustees to translate Sister System's strategy, theory of change, operational model and financial plans into clear organisational priorities and coordinated action.
• Play a central role in shaping Sister System's next strategy ahead of the September 2027 refresh, ensuring it reflects our founding commitment to co-curation, the voices of girls and young women, our evolving three-stage model and our future growth ambitions.
• Lead the development of proportionate planning, monitoring and review processes that enable the Senior Leadership Team to track progress, reflect on performance, identify barriers and remain accountable for delivery.
• Monitor progress against agreed strategic goals and KPIs, ensuring that risks, dependencies and areas requiring leadership attention are clearly identified and addressed.
• Support senior leaders to turn strategic priorities into realistic plans, with clear ownership, timescales and measurable outcomes.
• Ensure that learning from delivery, impact data, staff experience and the voices of girls and young women inform strategic decision-making and organisational improvement.
• Cultivate a strong shared sense of purpose across Sister System, helping colleagues understand how their roles contribute to our mission, values and long-term ambitions.

Financial Strategy and Audit

• Work closely with the CEO, Senior Leadership Team and Board of Trustees to shape, implement and regularly evaluate Sister System's financial strategy, ensuring it supports our mission, strategic ambitions and long-term sustainability.
• Provide clear, financial recommendations to the CEO, helping the organisation navigate the balance between delivering high-quality, meaningful impact for girls and young women, achieving value for money and maintaining financial resilience.
• Translate Sister System's strategic priorities, delivery model and growth ambitions into realistic financial plans, forecasts and scenarios that support timely and well-informed decision-making.
• Lead financial scenario planning and ensure that the CEO and Board have a clear understanding of the financial implications, risks and trade-offs associated with key organisational decisions.
• Lead and oversee the annual audit process, working effectively with external auditors, the finance team, senior leaders and the Board to ensure a robust, timely and transparent process.
• Ensure that learning and recommendations arising from audits, financial reviews and assurance activity are translated into clear improvements and strengthened organisational practice.
• Lead the development, monitoring and management of annual budgets, reforecasts and longer-term financial plans, ensuring resources are aligned with Sister System's strategic priorities.
• Hold and actively manage the tension between quality, impact, affordability and value for money, ensuring financial decisions protect the integrity of Sister System's model and the experience of the girls and young women we serve.
• Provide the CEO, Senior Leadership Team and Board with clear, accessible and timely financial information, insight and recommendations to support effective leadership and governance.
• Produce high-level financial reports and analysis covering budgets, cash flow, reserves, forecasts, strategic KPIs and other relevant performance indicators.
• Maintain and continuously strengthen proportionate financial systems, controls and processes that reflect Sister System's size, stage of growth and evolving operating model.
• Ensure that robust financial and performance-reporting infrastructure is in place, with clear accountability, reliable data and appropriate oversight across the organisation.
• Support Directors and budget holders to understand their financial responsibilities, manage resources effectively and make informed decisions within agreed parameters.
• Identify emerging financial risks, pressures and opportunities for greater efficiency, advising the CEO on appropriate actions and ensuring these are monitored and addressed.
• Oversee high quality bookkeeping practice to ensure reporting is accurate and up to date.
• Work with the fundraising team to develop budgets for proposals and create timely financial reports for funders and donors

Culture and Operational Effectiveness

• Work closely with our People and Culture consultant, CEO and Senior Leadership Team to shape and embed a progressive, inclusive and high-performing organisational culture aligned with Sister System's values: Collaborative, Evidence-based, Masterful, Solution-focused and Tenacious.
• Champion a culture of regular, honest and constructive feedback, helping managers and colleagues to hold crucial conversations with clarity, care and accountability.
• Ensure that Sister System's internal culture reflects the relational, empowering and values-led approach that sits at the heart of our work with girls and young women.
• Review existing organisational processes and workflows, identifying practical opportunities to improve clarity, consistency, collaboration and efficiency.
• Develop and embed proportionate ways of working that support Sister System's current size, evolving operating model and future growth.

People Planning and Management

• Lead the development of a clear and forward-looking people plan that ensures Sister System has the right structure, capacity . click apply for full job details