Chief Operating Officer

Blazequel Fire Protection; St. Neots; On-site; GBP 135,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary up to £150,000

25 days’ annual leave

Company laptop

Company uniform

Collaborative team environment

Job summary

Blazequel Fire Protection is seeking a Chief Operating Officer to lead UK Mainland operations and align with Northern Ireland, building a scalable operating system for predictable delivery and cash conversion.

You will embed standardised processes, strengthen planning and execution across projects and service work, and coach senior leaders to drive performance while travelling regularly across the UK and Ireland.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading a multi-disciplinary operation spanning projects and service/maintenance.
• Ability to build and redesign operating processes rather than inherited systems.
• Strong track record in improving delivery, margins and cash conversion.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day UK Mainland operations and align with Northern Ireland.
• Build a repeatable operating system for predictable delivery and cash flow.
• Shape standardised ways of working using EOS, LEAN and Theory of Constraints.
• Improve project/service planning, handovers, forecasting and invoicing.
• Coach functional leaders and drive accountability across teams.
• Drive weekly operational reviews and remove constraints to improve delivery.

Skills

People leadership

Operations leadership

Cross-functional

Process redesign

Job description

Blazequel is a leading provider of specialist fire protection services, trusted across the UK and Ireland to safeguard high-risk environments. With more than 20 years of experience and offices in Bedford and Londonderry, we deliver tailored fire and security solutions that protect lives, property and operations.

Our mission is to empower industry through bespoke fire safety solutions, delivered with honesty, integrity and unwavering attention to detail. Respect, innovation and conscientious service underpin everything we do, and we consistently go the extra mile for our customers.

As we continue to scale fast, we are now looking for a Chief Operating Officer to join us on a full-time, permanent basis.

The Benefits

• Salary of up to £150,000 Depending on Experience
• 25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays
• Collaborative team environment
• Company laptop and any relevant IT
• Company uniform/workwear

This is an outstanding opportunity for an experienced operational leader with a proven track record of leading multi-disciplinary project and service operations to join our ambitious organisation.

You’ll be making your mark at a pivotal point in our growth, using your expertise to shape how our operations work as we scale, and creating the structures that will support our continued success.

What’s more, you’ll have the scope to leave a lasting impact on the way our business operates across the UK and Ireland in this highly influential leadership role.

The Role

As our Chief Operating Officer, you will take day-to-day accountability for our UK Mainland operations and lead operational alignment with our Northern Ireland activities. You will build a repeatable operating system that enables predictable delivery, clear ownership and effective cash conversion.

Specifically, you will shape and embed practical, standardised ways of working, drawing on the best of EOS, LEAN and Theory of Constraints. Establishing clear ownership and accountability across critical processes, you’ll create the operating discipline we need to scale our business.

You’ll strengthen planning and execution across projects and service work, improving close-out and WIP-to-cash, and ensuring greater visibility of variations, margins, forecasts and invoicing. By improving handovers between sales, estimating and operations, you will ensure work is deliverable and profitable from the outset.

On top of this, you will lead and coach functional leaders across the business, building management capability and accountability, setting clear expectations and addressing performance issues effectively.

Additionally, you will:

• Run effective weekly operational reviews that drive decisions and action
• Identify and remove constraints affecting project and service delivery
• Improve forecasting and implement recovery action
• Recruit and restructure where needed
• Build succession strength and reduce reliance on individual team members
• Ensure customer escalations have a clear journey

About You

To be considered as our Chief Operating Officer, you will need:

• Proven experience leading a multi-disciplinary operation spanning projects and service or maintenance, ideally with 20+ employees and managers reporting to you
• Evidence of building or redesigning operating processes, rather than solely managing inherited systems
• A track record of improving measurable outcomes across areas such as delivery reliability, quality, utilisation, WIP-to-cash and customer performance
• Strong people leadership skills, including coaching, delegation and performance management
• Commercial understanding of WIP, variations, margin drivers, invoicing and cash conversion
• The ability to make decisions with imperfect information and escal…
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with engineers, managers, customers and directors
• The ability to manage difficult conversations calmly and confidently
• The flexibility to travel regularly across the UK and visit Northern Ireland

Other organisations may call this role Chief Operations Officer, COO, Operations Director, Director of Operations, Head of Operations, or Managing Director.

Webrecruit and Blazequel are equal opportunities employers, value diversity and are strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment. Equal opportunities are the only acceptable way to conduct business and we believe that the more inclusive our environments are, the better our work will be.