Operations Manager

Briscoe Search & Consulting; Western Australia; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Briscoe Search & Consulting is seeking a senior project leader to own the Projects function across a growing specialist trade contractor. You will lead Project Managers, Supervisors and Site Managers across a portfolio of concurrent projects, ensuring delivery, margin, and programme are managed with clear accountability.

You will build capability, maintain forward-look planning, and drive improved planning, scheduling and reporting systems as the business scales.

Qualifications

• Leadership of multi-project delivery across specialist trade contracting environments.
• Ability to manage Project Managers, Supervisors and Site Managers with accountability and coaching.
• Experience in labour-intensive, field-based delivery and building stakeholder relationships.

Responsibilities

• Own the Projects function across multiple live projects with focus on delivery, margin and schedule.
• Provide direction and develop capability of project leaders while maintaining governance.
• Maintain look-aheads and resource plans; manage procurement, labour, and site priorities.

Job description

• Own the Projects function across a growing specialist trade contractor
• Lead Project Managers and Supervisors across a portfolio of concurrent projects

Our client is a successful and fast-growing specialist trade contractor delivering commercial projects across WA. Following a period of sustained growth, award of larger contracts and an increased team, they are now looking for a senior project leader to take ownership of the entire Projects and delivery function. The objective is a delivery department that performs consistently, protects margin, develops its people and stays ahead of problems without the owner being pulled back into day-to-day project issues.

You will take leadership responsibility for:

• Leading a portfolio of concurrent projects from mobilisation through construction, completion and handover - balancing competing labour, procurement, programme and client priorities.
• Providing clear direction, support and accountability to Project Managers, Supervisors and Site Managers, building their judgement and capability rather than solving every issue for them.
• Maintaining current look-aheads and resource plans so labour, materials, procurement, access and site priorities are visible and coordinated across the portfolio.
• Owning the commercial health of delivery - job margin, labour productivity, cost-to-complete, forecasting, variations and the impact of site decisions on profitability.
• Creating a disciplined flow of project information so Projects, Commercial, Procurement, Finance and leadership can see what is happening now and what is coming next week and next month.
• Improving project planning, scheduling, reporting and control systems as the business grows, rather than simply managing the processes already in place.
• Dealing directly and confidently with builders, Contract Administrators and site teams on programme, access, delays, variations and accountability while preserving the long-term relationship.
• Driving WHS, QA, defect prevention and close-out through clear team standards, systems and accountability.
• Identifying programme, cost, productivity and resource risks early and ensuring corrective action occurs before they become project problems.
• Working closely with Commercial / Pre-Construction so tender assumptions, scope, procurement and commercial risks are understood before and during execution.
• Developing a Projects team that owns outcomes, communicates early and solves problems at the right level without unnecessary escalation.
• Remaining visible across projects and sites - close enough to know what is really happening, but able to step above individual jobs and lead the function.
• Ultimately, building a Projects department that operates with consistency, foresight and accountability without the Managing Director needing to step back into everyday project management.

We are deliberately targeting leaders from specialist trade contracting or subcontracting environments. You may come from flooring, ceilings, cladding, painting, concrete, fit-out, passive fire, tiling, building services or another labour-intensive trade contractor. What matters is that you understand labour productivity, programme pressure, variations and builder relationships across multiple live projects. Head-contractor experience can be relevant where you have genuinely operated in this environment, but trade-contractor experience will be strongly preferred.

You will likely have operated at Project Director, Projects Manager, Operations Manager, Construction Manager, Senior Project Manager or similar level and already have experience managing project leaders. The leadership style matters just as much. We are looking for someone hands-on, visible, grounded and low ego - clear on expectations, comfortable holding people accountable and committed to building a team that can think for itself. You will be a conduit for information across the business and a front-foot thinker: not just responding to today's issue, but helping the team see tomorrow's, next week's and next month's problems before they arrive.

This is a genuine opportunity to take ownership of a critical function in an already successful private business entering its next stage of growth. You will have the autonomy to improve how projects are run, shape the capability of the team and build the delivery platform required for the next phase. For the right person, there is a clear pathway to broader General Management responsibility.