Operations Manager

Location

Stoke‑On‑Trent (preferred) or Worcester

Full‑time, permanent

We have a fantastic opportunity for an Operations Manager to the Midlands leadership team overseeing our Adderley Green & Worcester depots on a full‑time permanent basis. You must be willing to travel between the two depots.

Reporting to the General Manager the Operations Manager is accountable for all aspects of operational performance for the depot. As a champion of our customers, the successful candidate will build and maintain a customer‑centric culture.

You will support your team in delivering excellent customer experiences, while leading a governance agenda that supports legislative and policy compliance.

Through your leadership, the Operations Manager will establish and develop an engaged, talented and high‑performing operations team, nurturing an innovative and continuous improvement culture.

• Ensure cost efficient delivery of a safe, punctual service
• Dynamically analyse and manage information, systems and data both retrospectively and proactively to ensure continuous improvement of service performance.
• Drive engagement with drivers, management team, and customers
• Ensure collaboration between operational and engineering team members, fostering excellent working relationships between drivers and supervisors to continue a consistent customer experience
• Manage Service delivery team across all assigned depots in accordance with First Group policies, standard operating procedures and all relevant legislation
• Deliver agreed plans and budgets, including established level of service and service quality.
• Ensure staff planning at the depot meets the operating requirements of the business
• Ensure an effective working relationship with recognised trade union representatives and officials
• Manage and plan collision reduction and staff/passenger injury reduction
• Manage and deliver agreed key performance indicators and effectively manage the teams in all areas of people management; development, absence management and compliance
• Ensure positive working relationships are maintained between operations, commercial and engineering functions
• Liaise with external bodies to improve performance of lost miles and punctuality.
• Ensure all cash handling procedures are followed
• Act as the ‘Transport Manager’ for the company as defined by the Traffic Commissioner

• Proven leadership skills are essential to provide strategic and day to day direction to your team and be an effective manager of collective relationships in a unionised environment
• Strong influencing and negotiation skills
• Excellent customer service focus
• Team builder and driver of high‑performance teams
• Certificate of Professional Competence in Passenger Transport would be desirable.
• A willingness to study for CPC is essential
• Passion for safety and driving to deliver a high performing safety behavioural culture
• Budgetary and financial experience with a capability in logical system analysis to communicate results in formats comprehensible to all disciplines
• Ability in endorsing commitment to set long/short‑term objectives
• Mentoring/coaching skills in the progression of the deliverables of the business
• Self‑reliant and straightforward communicator with skill sets to promote the customer facing business, in a positive light with the capacity to inspire in a structured and encouraging way
• Aptitude to build and maintain stakeholder relations, indicative of a professional leader
• Capacity to manage and commute between multi‑site operations, providing cover when required