Operations Manager

Location: Hastings and St Leonards-on-Sea
Salary: £12,480
Hours: 16 hours per week
Contract: 6 month fixed term contract with potential to extend Closing date: November 20th 2026
Interviews: Week commencing November 22nd 2026

About Sustenance
Sustenance is a registered charity (no. 1209111) that provides food to our community in Hastings and St Leonards-on-Sea. Our weekly Thursday session is run by a dedicated team of volunteers. We help local people struggling with the cost of living and have a broad range of members from across the community. We serve a nutritious three course lunch and provide them with a large bag of groceries.

The role
You will share day to day responsibility for running Sustenance, working with our current Operations Manager who works 3 days per week. Together you will:

  • Oversee the Thursday session, including setup, service, pack-down, health and safety, and cash management

  • Manage food supply and storage, including surplus food collections, local sourcing, driver scheduling and compliance at the Stade and Concordia Hall

  • Recruit, support and train volunteers, and build a positive and respectful volunteer culture

  • Manage relationships with partner organisations, donors and funders, including monitoring and reporting

  • Run our social media and website, and act as the contact for media enquiries

  • Set up and run a system to measure our impact each quarter, and report to the trustees

About you
You will have experience of managing operations in a charity or community setting, working with volunteers, and handling cash and records accurately. You will be calm and practical, warm and respectful, and comfortable working independently within boundaries set by the trustees. Food safety knowledge, experience of food projects and a driving licence are desirable.

You must be available for the Thursday session and quarterly trustee meetings, able to travel between our two sites, have the right to work in the UK, and be willing to undertake an enhanced DBS check.

How to apply
Please send your CV and a covering note which answers the questions below to info@sustenance.org.uk by Friday November 20th 2026. 

Please answer each question in no more than 120 words.

  1. Why do you want to work at Sustenance?

  2. What will you bring to Sustenance, and what do you hope Sustenance will give you?

  3. Tell us about your experience of fundraising or managing funder relationships for a small charity or community organisation. Give one example, including what you did and what the outcome was.

  4. This role is a jobshare with Sustenance’s founder. How would you go about making that relationship work well?

Applications without a supporting statement will not be considered. We particularly welcome applicants who live locally.

Sustenance is committed to equality and dignity for everyone who uses or supports our work.