Our commitment to inclusive recruitment

Bristol Mind is a small and friendly team, committed to encouraging equality, diversity, inclusion and equity (EDIE) throughout our workforce.

In practice, this means:

  • We actively encourage applications from people with lived experience of mental health issues, and from under-represented groups including people with Global Majority, Neurodivergent, LGBTQIA+ identities and those with protected characteristics. 
  • We foster a culture of wellbeing across the organisation, including regular check-ins, huddles and 121 supportive conversations for staff experiencing stress or personal challenges.
  • We are committed to flexible working practices which make it easier for people to have a healthy work-life balance.  
  • We are curious and respectful of difference, adopt anti-racist approaches to our work, and invite constructive challenge regarding power and voice within the organisation.

Ready to join our Team?

If you feel you are a great match for the job, but do not meet all of the criteria, we invite you to email us for further information or an informal chat.

All job opportunities will be posted on this page.

 

Current Vacancies

 

Job Opportunity: Head of Operations

Reports to: CEO and Board of Trustees

Direct Reports: Community Wellbeing Manager, Infoline Volunteers, Lived Experience Advocates

Key Relationships: Staff, Volunteers, Key Stakeholders, Health and Social Care Professionals and other partner agencies

Location: Bristol Offices, blended remote working

Hours: 37 hours over 5 days. Some evening and weekend work may be required.

Salary: £49,498 plus 6% pension

Contract Type: Permanent

 

Background and Purpose

 Bristol Mind is a local and independent charity working at the heart of our community to offer equity-based, inclusive and accessible mental health and wellbeing support. We work with over 2,000 service-users and 85 volunteers each year, delivering a range of services including:

 

  • InfoLine telephone information and advice service
  • MindLine confidential telephone listening support
  • Meeting Minds 121 counselling, with LGBTQIA & Neurodivergence streams
  • Community Wellbeing: targeted services for refugees and victims of hate crime

 

Bristol Mind is co-located with the Citizens’ Advice Bristol building on Fairfax Street in Central Bristol. This is a dynamic environment, and both organisations are working to ensure service-users can benefit from our collective services.

We are seeking an energetic Head of Operations who will oversee our high-quality services and develop a strong learning culture which places both volunteering and lived experience at the heart of our delivery.

With a background in community mental health or wellbeing and a passion for designing and developing services, the ideal candidate will be a confident leader with strong people

skills and a keen eye for performance, evaluation & impact.  You will be joining an experienced Senior Management Team within a friendly and values-led charity which benefits from local, regional and national support within the National Mind Federation.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

SMT

  • Support the CEO using joint oversight of service performance & development, safeguarding, premises/ onsite safety, staff and volunteer management.
  • Produce regular reports to CEO, Head of Finance and Board of Trustees on service delivery performance, including outputs, outcomes, finance and risk.
  • Attend key sector and partnership meetings, representing Bristol Mind and promoting our strategic/ operational offer to the community.
  • Seek out new strategic & delivery opportunities, working with teams to prepare project outlines or tenders, including deliverables, outcomes and budgets for review by SMT.
  • Using our new Pathway of Change, lead on Impact across the organisation, refining our new CRM, and supporting all staff and volunteers to engage positively with data/ continuous improvement.
  • Harness the skills and insights of our staff and volunteers as we become a learning organisation, devising creative CPD or thought leadership opportunities which enhance a whole-community approach to positive mental health and wellbeing.
  • Lead on our strategic ambition linking volunteers across our services to co-design CPD opportunities, and to create and celebrate diverse progression opportunities from volunteer to paid work in the mental health and wellbeing sectors.

 

Community Wellbeing Services

  • Lead on the design, development and oversight of our Community Wellbeing Services, from our volunteer-led Infoline service to partnership projects including Refugee Services & Lived Experience Advocates, Bristol Hate Crime & Discrimination Service and our WorkWell West pilot.
  • Line manage our Community Wellbeing Service Manager, helping them develop a safe, responsive, trauma-informed team to meet the needs of low-income and minoritised groups
  • Manage delegated CWS budgets, working closely with the Community Wellbeing Services Manager and Head of Finance to ensure that services are delivered on time and within agreed expenditure.
  • Ensure Lived Experience participation runs through all our Community Wellbeing Services, including where this might lead to strategic/ Board influence.

Overall running of Bristol Mind

 

  • Ensure that the views of staff, volunteers and service users are promoted using inclusion and co-design principles.
  • Carry out work in accordance with Bristol Mind’s policies and procedures, current legislation, and Mind Quality Mark standards.
  • Ensure that the organisation is presented in a professional manner to its beneficiaries, members and stakeholders.
  • Take responsibility for your own safety and that of colleagues and visitors in the workplace.
  • Contribute to events and activities that raise the profile of Bristol Mind, which may include some evening and weekend hours for which TOIL will be given.
  • Engage in staff meetings, supervision, appraisal, and training, as agreed with your line manager.
  • Undertake other tasks which may not be included in this job description, but which fall within the scope of this post.

 

Review: This job description is subject to periodic review.

Person Specification

 

 

ESSENTIAL

DESIRABLE

Qualifications / Education

1.      Good level of education (A’Levels or equivalent)

15. Qualification in Counselling or allied Mental Health

 

Knowledge & Experience

2.     Experience of working at senior levels within a fast-paced and changing environment.

3.     Extensive experience of supporting and managing staff and volunteers within a community/ VCSE setting.

4.    Experience of supporting and involving people with lived experience of trauma, depression or anxiety.

5.     Extensive experience of managing multiple projects / contracts including design/ delivery/ budget management/ reporting.

6.     Experience of working in partnership with other agencies to deliver services, strengthen impact, influence commissioners and design/ cost new projects or services.

7.     Experience of safeguarding including managing and reporting/ recording concerns.

16. Experience of working with sanctuary seekers and/or people from diverse minoritised groups.

17. Experience of facilitating learning events for staff, volunteers and/or service-users

Skills & Ability

8.     Excellent interpersonal skills including high levels of emotional intelligence & clear communication.

9.     Good staff performance/ matrix management skills with an understanding of how to coach/ mentor individuals and teams to achieve their full potential.

10.  Excellent grasp of monitoring & evaluation, including enthusing/ training others and analysing/ summarising key qualitative and quantitative data.

11.    Excellent written English and verbal skills, able to communicate with different audiences with confidence and passion.

12.  Excellent IT skills, including full command of MS Office, SharePoint and CRM databases.

18. Knowledge of social media & comms to promote services, volunteering, thought leadership or learning.

 

Personal Attributes

13.  Commitment to the rights and self-determination of all people and the value of recovery and social inclusion in mental health.

14.  An understanding of, and commitment to, anti-discriminatory and anti-racist practice with proven understanding of equity, diversity & inclusion.

 

 

To apply

Bristol Mind is committed to developing our workforce in line with equitable principles. We openly encourage applications from people with lived experience of mental health issues and from people from minoritised groups who are under-represented within our services. This includes people who identify as from a Global Majority, refugee or migrant, neurodivergent or LGBTQIA+ group, or who are disabled or have faced discrimination based on any protected characteristic.

Please read the job description and person specification carefully. Fill in the application form by answering each point on the person specification form, using examples from paid or voluntary experience.

 

If you would like an informal conversation about the role, please observe the full job description here: 03 Head Of Operations JD Feb 2026 FINAL,  fill in a copy of the application form here: Bristol Mind Application Form, and contact the CEO, Emma Brech, at [email protected]. Applications should be emailed to the CEO by the deadline of Sunday, 22nd March 2026 at 5 pm. 

 

Late applications will not be accepted, and we will only be able to notify applicants who reach the interview stage.