Operations Controller

Summary

• We are looking for an Operations Controller to join our team in Greenford, west London.
• This role is a key part of our Operations Team and plays a vital role in the success of our services.
• This is a customer‑focused role reporting to the General Manager and working with the rest of the team to ensure that all operations are carried out in a safe, professional, and timely manner.
• The role requires a degree of flexibility to collaborate with other disciplines (e.g. transport, payroll, finance etc.) to facilitate effective and efficient:
  • delivery of passenger services;
  • vehicle management;
  • supervision of frontline staff;
  • utilisation of resources; and
  • liaison with external partners (e.g. local day care centres, local schools, local authorities).

• Ealing Community Transport (ECT) has been providing safe and accessible transport in the London Borough of Ealing since 1979. We provide:
  • a door‑to‑door Plus Bus service that connects people who find public transport difficult to use with the services and facilities important to them;
  • day trips for Plus Bus users;
  • Plus Bus for Health, which provides transport to GP surgery appointments for people who would otherwise require a home visit;
  • London Dial‑a‑Ride services on behalf of TfL and Group Transport minibuses for local community groups;
  • transport Adult Day Centres;
  • and home‑to‑school transport for children and young people with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities on behalf of Ealing Council.
• We’re the founding part of ECT Charity, one of the UK’s leading providers of community transport, who safely provide almost 360,000 passenger trips for our communities each year In Ealing, west London, Cheshire and Dorset. You can find out more about ECT Charity here.
• ECT is an Equal Opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates, regardless of age, sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital/civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity. We are happy to make reasonable adjustments during the selection process (and if a position is offered, in employment) if required.
• ECT is also a Disability Confident employer and welcomes applications from the disabled community.
• ECT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and any vulnerable person using our services. In order to meet this responsibility, we follow safer recruitment practices which are outlined in further detail in our Safeguarding Adults at Risk and Protecting People Policy.

• Engage and liaise with passengers and customers/partners via telephone and email to take bookings and manage contracts. You will be expected to conduct any communication in a polite and professional manner, showing empathy to the transport needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged members of the community.
• Liaise with, and assist, other members of the Operations Team and operational staff (drivers and passenger assistants) to ensure professional service delivery.
• Conduct day‑to‑day operations, schedule routes and assign vehicles and staff to each route.
• Maintain staff rotas, including coverage of “rest days”, annual leave and sickness.
• Act as a “first response” to all accidents, incidents, breakdowns or customer complaints, ensuring escalation to the General Manager where needed. This will include being part of the rota providing “out of hours” support, which includes taking the on‑call mobile phone home and being available to respond to urgent issues outside of normal working hours, including weekends and evenings. Additional payment is provided for this responsibility.
• Maintain systems to ensure accurate records are held for quality, control, performance management and accounting purposes.
• Assist the General Manager in ensuring that the Operations Team’s processes and systems are adhered to and assist in implementing/developing/reviewing these as needs be to maximise efficiency.
• Work with the General Manager to ensure staff compliance with ECT policies and procedures as well as regulatory/contractual obligations.
• Assist the General Manager in monitoring the performance of drivers and…