Contractor Operations & Services Lead

Applica Resourcing Limited; Manchester; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Applica Resourcing Limited in Manchester is seeking an Operations & Services Manager to own the contractor lifecycle and broader services function. You will partner with recruitment, finance and clients to ensure compliant onboarding, mobilisation and support for assignments.

The role focuses on process improvement, workflow automation and scalable governance across travel, visas, and contractor management, enabling delivery teams to mobilise quickly and efficiently.

Qualifications

• Strong experience in contractor onboarding, mobilisation or contractor services.
• Experience with processes and systems that support a variety of workforce solutions.
• Experience creating or improving operational processes and workflows.
• Understanding of compliance and international contractor mobilisation.
• Experience managing travel, visas or international assignments is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of RPO, MSP and similar workforce solutions is desirable.
• Excellent organisation and stakeholder management skills.
• A proactive and solutions-focused mindset.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the full contractor journey from offer acceptance to assignment completion.
• Ensure all onboarding, compliance, mobilisation and offboarding activities are completed accurately and on time.
• Act as the central point of coordination between recruitment, finance, clients and external providers.
• Manage contractor queries professionally and proactively throughout assignments.
• Lead contractor mobilisation planning across multiple regions and client locations.
• Coordinate travel, accommodation and mobilisation logistics in line with client requirements and ensuring correct approval process has been followed.
• Manage the external travel partner process and ensure compliance with client travel policies.
• Support contractors with mobilisation planning and pre-assignment requirements.
• Oversee visa and immigration processes in partnership with external visa providers.
• Track visa requirements and ensure documentation is prepared and submitted on time.
• Coordinate medicals, insurance and assignment prerequisites where required.
• Maintain clear visibility of contractor mobilisation timelines and risks.
• Act as a key contact for clients on contractor onboarding, extensions and operational queries.
• Manage contract extensions, amendments and assignment changes.
• Support account managers by ensuring contractor-related queries are resolved quickly and professionally.
• Maintain strong relationships with clients to support service delivery and retention.
• Ensure no placement is confirmed without full documentation and adherence to client terms.
• Maintain and continuously improve contractor onboarding, offboarding and compliance processes.
• Monitor regulatory and client requirement changes and update processes accordingly.
• Work closely with People & Culture and Legal where required to manage risk.
• Lead the development and optimisation of contractor onboarding, mobilisation and offboarding processes.
• Drive adoption and improvement of operational platforms including Bullhorn and Onboarded.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, automation and contractor experience.
• Create and maintain clear documentation of processes and best practice.
• Work closely with Recruitment Delivery, Business Development, Finance and People & Culture.
• Support internal reporting and provide operational insight to leadership.
• Help scale and evolve the contractor services function as the business grows.

Skills

Contractor onboarding

Mobilisation

Contractor services

Compliance

Travel & visas

RPO/MSP knowledge

Stakeholder management

Multi-priority handling

Proactive solutions

Job description

Applica Resourcing Limited in Manchester is seeking an Operations & Services Manager to own the contractor lifecycle and broader services function. You will partner with recruitment, finance and clients to ensure compliant onboarding, mobilisation and support for assignments.

The role focuses on process improvement, workflow automation and scalable governance across travel, visas, and contractor management, enabling delivery teams to mobilise quickly and efficiently.