Operations Manager - LINK

About the Service

For over twenty years, Barnardo's LINK has delivered high-quality post adoption support to children and families. Our work supports prospective adopters, adoptive families, children and young people, birth family relatives, and families funded via the Adoption Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF).

We also have well established contracts with Health and Local Authority Commissioners offering short term therapeutic intervention to support families affected by mental health. To deliver the service we work with a network of independent therapists across England, offering both virtual and face-to-face therapeutic and parenting support.

A core component of our work is our Attachment Focused Therapy, which strengthens relationships between parents and children and supports the development of secure attachments. Our approach is grounded in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) and the principles of PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, Empathy).

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Operations Manager to drive excellence across Barnardo's LINK. This is a senior role with strategic, operational and practice leadership responsibilities, supporting the continued growth and development of our post-adoption support work.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and embed high quality therapeutic practice across LINK and wider Barnardo's Family Placement provision, ensuring learning is shared and applied effectively.
• Oversee and manage relationships with commissioners, including Local Authorities, Health partners, and ASGSF-funded contracts.
• Represent Barnardo's at internal and external forums within the adoption sector.
• Drive continuous service improvement, building on our 2026 Ofsted Outstanding judgement.
• Lead on recruitment, training, and development of therapists, ensuring a strong and responsive national network.
• Identify opportunities for service growth, development, and promotion.

About You

You will bring:

• Significant experience in post-adoption support, including therapeutic work with children and families.
• Strong knowledge of attachment theory, therapeutic parenting models, and trauma-informed practice.
• Experience of working with commissioning frameworks such as the Adoption & Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF).
• Proven ability to lead services and manage partnerships with commissioners and stakeholders.
• A passion for improving outcomes for children, young people and families through innovative, evidence-based practice.
• Excellent communication, leadership and influencing skills.

Why Barnardo's?

At Barnardo's, we are committed to transforming the lives of the most vulnerable children.

Joining LINK means:

• Being part of a nationally recognised, Ofsted Outstanding Service
• Working within a values-driven, child-centred organisation
• Access to ongoing professional development and leadership opportunities
• Making a real difference to adoptive families and mental health wellbeing

Apply now to help shape the future with Barnardo's LINK Adoption & Family Support Service.

Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible