Operations Manager Job Somerset area,England UK,Management

Salary:

£35,000 - £39,000 - depending on qualifications and experience + 5% pension contribution

Start Date:

1 st December 2026

Hours:

42 hours per week. Two days off per week. Holiday 31 days (including Christmas & New Year)

Location:

Mill on the Brue, Bruton, Somerset

Contract:

Full time, permanent, after a probationary period of 12 months

Valid First Aid certificate (minimum 16 hours)
Valid driving licence
Expect to be within reasonable driving distance of the Centre for top cover calls or unexpected out of hours emergencies (shared with other members of the management team)
Enhanced DBS disclosure
Minimum of 3 years managerial experience

Qualifications:

Two or more of the following:

Requirements

We are looking for a highly motivated individual who demonstrates a wide knowledge, experience and love of the outdoors, both professionally and individually.
We require a ‘people’ person, an excellent communicator, and someone who has significant experience of managing teams.
To be successful in this role you need to be conscientious, proactive, organised, trustworthy, reliable, responsible, have a sense of humour and be passionate about delivering your knowledge of the outdoors to others, especially children.
You must be IT literate and experienced in using spreadsheets and rotas.
You should be keen to learn more about our environmental practices and help educate and motivate our staff and customers.
We seek a team player who can engage with members of the management team as well as our wider team.

Key Responsibilities:

Personnel

Manage the Senior Instructor team, Instructors, any freelance staff & group leaders
Assist in recruitment & interviewing Operations Team applicants
Oversee induction & training of all Ops staff
Maintain jobs lists for Senior Instructors
Oversee Ops staff, observing performance including recording of absences & any disciplinary process in conjunction with HR
Attend Senior Instructor meetings
Manage appraisals for Senior Instructors & Instructors
Attend management meetings
Welcome groups
Follow up any complaints or observations with the Operations team
Undertake evaluations with visiting groups
Informally liaise with visiting schools to ensure expectations are met
Be on duty overnight occasionally and part of top cover for the Centre

Health & Safety

Ensure awareness of current activity best practice. Regularly review & amend practice/procedure/training accordingly
Ensure Ops team are recording accidents, near misses & incidents accurately & thoroughly
Oversee the investigation of accidents, near misses, & incidents as required & implement action plans in response to accidents etc.
Be a point of call for first aid
Write/review activity risk assessments, operating procedures & handbooks
Individually risk assess SEN adaptations where required
Oversee the inventory of all specialist equipment
Manage activities in adverse weather
Liaise with the Technical Advisor (ropes) on staff training
Responsible for AALA & BAPA applications

Maintenance of equipment

Ensure all activity areas of MoB are kept to the required standard (safety & aesthetically)
Maintain any jobs lists & pass any technical jobs to appropriate teams
Liaise with Maintenance for the purchase of or use of maintenance equipment
Oversee weekly/monthly/annual equipment checks (known as R’s) & ensure logs are accurate & up to date.
Ensure stock checks are carried out throughout the financial year

Other