National Safeguarding Operations Manager

The Scout Association

Hours
35 hours per week

About the Organisation

Scouts and everyone are welcome here - all genders, races, and backgrounds. We give over 400,000 4–25-year-olds the skills they need for school, college, university, and the job interview: the skills they need for life. Right across the UK, we’re helping young people gain skills for life and find their place in the world. We help them speak up, play their part, and shine bright. Scouts is the place to be yourself and find yourself.

These are young people who are not afraid to stand up for what they believe in, to do the right thing, and to think of others before themselves. At a time when communities sometimes feel divided, Scouts brings people together. We’re building stronger communities and contributing to a stronger society. All this is made possible by the generosity of our adult volunteers.

Now’s a challenging time for us all, but Scouts has never been more important - giving young people purpose, hope, and a place to belong. With the launch of Squirrels for 4–6-year-olds, and opening more units in even more areas of deprivation, we’re making more of a difference than ever.

About the role

We are seeking to appoint a National Safeguarding Operations Manager to join the team overseeing the safeguarding and vetting function of Safe Scouting across the UK. The post is at Gilwell Park, London. The team is currently working on a hybrid model, with attendance in the office expected at least once a week, and for meetings and development sessions as required. Out-of-hours work may be required alongside evening and weekend work. The purpose of this role is to lead the day-to-day operations of the safeguarding and vetting functions at The Scout Association, contributing to a motivating and engaging team environment.

The role provides specialist support, guidance, and oversight to Safeguarding Team members and the Movement on safeguarding matters. This role importantly provides the opportunity to input into national policies, contribute and collaborate with others in the safeguarding sector space to ensure best practice within the team is being followed, and to ensure safeguarding development work is informed by operational data trends and analysis for the biggest impact. 

Responsibilities

Key Accountabilities:

• Lead the operational delivery of the safeguarding and vetting functions of the Scout Association
• Provide regular management oversight, supervision, and case direction
• Be responsible for the development of managers and wider team members, identifying relevant support and training needs where appropriate
• Contribute to the development of child, young people, and vulnerable adult safeguarding policies and procedures, ensuring key policies are in line with current Government guidance and legislation.
• Oversee high-risk and complex cases, including representing the Association at high-level multiagency meetings as required.
• Oversee the maintenance of information sharing and recording systems to ensure records are appropriately stored, are accurate, and are able to be analysed.
• Taking responsibility and maintaining a culture of learning and reflecting on cases / significant cases of concern, and implementing relevant learning within the service,
• Use data tools and reporting processes to analyse workflows to identify trends to inform process changes, resourcing, policies, and training requirements.
• Provide witness statements on behalf of the Association in safeguarding criminal matters, and attend court as and when required.
• Oversee the Safeguarding team on call arrangements, to ensure all volunteers are able to access professional advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including responsibility for call escalation 365 days a year outside of office hours.
• Develop and maintain external professional Safeguarding contacts within statutory and similar voluntary organisations.
• Oversee the application of quality assurance frameworks to monitor casework practice standards.
• To ensure responsive and genuine engagement with internal and external stakeholders, which will provide both challenge and support.
• To work collaboratively with the National Safeguarding Development Manager to ensure there is a strong link between the two functions within the team, and that operational response work is informed by and informs training and development of both staff and volunteers.

Skills, Competencies, Experience & Attributes

Skills & Abilities:

• High-level interpersonal skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Able to undertake assigned tasks within deadlines
• Ability to lead a team
• Ability to work on one's own initiative
• Ability to make risk-based decisions
• Ability to work on one's own initiative

Experience:

• Experience in managing a Safeguarding function
• Experience in providing effective case management and supervision
• Experience in using data and analysis to inform safeguarding practice.
• Experience of working with volunteers

Personal Qualities:

• Committed to delivering a high-quality, customer-focused service
• Considerable discretion and independence to act under general guidance, but refers to higher levels for policy and professional decisions
• Show calmness under pressure with attention to detail and accuracy
• Ability to keep sensitive information confidential
• Personable and approachable manner
• Open-minded, flexible, and articulate

Compensation & Benefits

• 28 days holiday (rising to 32 days after 2 years), plus extra days at Christmas
• Double-matched pension up to 10% of gross salary
• Generous family leave and support as a family-friendly employer
• Access to our Learning & Development hub for ongoing training
• Recognition as Charity of the Year (Charity Times Awards 2022)

Working locations

• Gilwell Park, Essex, United Kingdom

How to apply

• Please submit an online application by 11:59 pm on Wednesday, 29th April 2026.
• If you'd like to find out more to see if this role suits you, we'd be very happy to have an informal chat; please contact [email protected] to set up a call or virtual meeting.
• To help us monitor the application of our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Policy, we’d be grateful if you'd also complete the Recruitment Monitoring questions on the Application Form. 
• Before making an application, please make sure that you’ve read the Recruitment and Selection Policy

Interviews

• Interviews will be held in person at Gilwell Park, Chingford, on Wednesday, 13th May 2026.

Policies

The Scouts is an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute. We offer flexible working arrangements to support diverse needs and lifestyles, ensuring that our teams can thrive both professionally and personally.

We welcome and encourage applicants from all walks of life, believing that varied perspectives strengthen our innovation and community. Your unique experiences and ideas are essential to our success, and we look forward to hearing from all voices.

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