HC-One
Marketing Director
ivolve Care & Support
The Client
The Position
Chief Operating Officer
Introduction
ivolve Care and Support is a specialist care provider delivering high-quality, person-centred support to adults with learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs, brain injuries, and complex care requirements. Operating across multiple services and regions, ivolve is driven by a clear vision for a demand-led model and a strong culture of values-based leadership.
At an important inflection point in its development, ivolve Care and Support commissioned Rinnova to lead the search for a permanent Chief Operating Officer. The requirement was for an experienced, values-led operational leader who could bring immediate grip and rigour across a complex, multi-site organisation, whilst helping to build the foundations for sustained quality and commercial performance.
01
The context
As ivolve moved forward with its strategic ambitions, securing the right operational leader was a critical priority. The COO role required someone who could work effectively across a complex environment spanning supported living and residential settings, and who could translate strategy into consistent, visible delivery at frontline level.
The brief called for a practical, hands-on operator, someone who could establish clear accountability, drive performance cycles, identify and grow talent within the organisation, and work as a true executive partner to the senior leadership team. The successful candidate needed to balance operational discipline with the emotional intelligence and cultural awareness that ivolve’s values-led environment demands.
ivolve had been seeking the right operational leader for a considerable period, having worked with other search partners without success. Securing the right individual was therefore not only a strategic priority but an urgent one, and the brief called for a search firm that could bring both the network and the sector expertise to deliver where others had not.
02
The solution
Rinnova mobilised our advisor-led model and deep sector network to identify a strong and diverse shortlist of COO candidates. Our advisors brought an in-depth understanding of what outstanding operational leadership looks like in complex adult social care environments, enabling us to access individuals not always visible through conventional search channels.
Candidates presented brought credentials that included:
- Proven multi-site operational leadership across supported living and residential care settings
- Experience building simple, repeatable operating models that improve quality and commercial performance in tandem
- A track record of identifying and developing high-potential leaders within their organisations
- The ability to balance operational rigour with emotional intelligence and a values-led culture
- Strong executive presence and experience working in close partnership with quality, people, and commercial functions
03
The impact
The appointment of ivolve’s new Chief Operating Officer brought immediate operational focus and a clear framework for performance and accountability across the organisation. Key outcomes included:
- A senior operational leader in post with the capability to create immediate grip and long-term stability
- Strengthened leadership alignment across operational and frontline functions
- A search process conducted with pace and rigour, supported by advisors with deep expertise in care operations
- Improved consistency of delivery across ivolve’s multi-site estate
- Increased confidence for the Board, commissioners, and colleagues in the organisation’s senior operational leadership
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