Director Facilities Operations

Maxwell Stephens Recruitment; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Maxwell Stephens Recruitment is assisting in the appointment of an exceptional Operations Director for the national Grounds Division. You will lead a large, geographically dispersed workforce, shaping strategy, improving financial performance and delivering market-leading service standards across contracts.

The role requires a commercially aware leader who can align operational excellence, customer experience and financial performance with growth objectives.

Qualifications

• Extensive operational leadership across large, multi-site operations.
• Experience managing mobile workforces and growth in PE-backed settings.
• Strong commercial, financial and customer relationship skills.
• Solid knowledge of health & safety, governance and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Lead all operational activities across the Grounds Division.
• Drive profitability, productivity and service excellence.
• Develop and implement operational strategy and growth plans.
• Lead regional management teams and strengthen leadership capability.
• Champion health, safety and regulatory compliance.
• Promote technology-enabled delivery and continuous improvement.

Skills

Operational leadership

Large-scale ops

Commercial acumen

H&S governance

Change management

Strategic thinking

Job description

Executive Summary

Our client is seeking an exceptional Operations Director to lead its national Grounds Division through the next phase of operational excellence and commercial growth.

This is a pivotal leadership appointment within one of the UK’s fastest-growing technology-enabled property services organisations. The successful candidate will be responsible for leading a large, geographically dispersed operational workforce, ensuring exceptional service delivery whilst driving productivity, innovation, profitability and customer satisfaction.

Reporting directly to the Managing Director, the Operations Director will play a key role in shaping the future direction of the Grounds Division, creating a high-performing operational culture and ensuring the business is positioned to support ambitious long-term growth.

This is far more than a traditional operational management role. We are seeking a commercially aware leader who understands that operational excellence, customer experience and financial performance are intrinsically linked.

The Opportunity

The Grounds Division continues to grow rapidly and requires an exceptional operational leader capable of delivering consistency, efficiency and outstanding customer service across a complex national portfolio.

Working alongside the Managing Director and Executive Leadership Team, the Operations Director will be responsible for developing operational strategy, strengthening leadership capability, improving financial performance and ensuring the business continues to deliver market-leading service standards.

The successful candidate will embrace innovation, technology and continuous improvement, creating an operational platform capable of supporting future expansion through both organic growth and acquisition.

Purpose of the Role

To provide strategic operational leadership across the business's national Grounds Division, ensuring safe, profitable and consistent service delivery whilst developing a high-performing operational culture capable of supporting significant business growth.

The Operations Director will hold responsibility for operational performance, customer satisfaction, health and safety, people development, productivity and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Lead all operational activities across the Grounds Division.
• Ensure consistent delivery of services across multiple regions and contracts.
• Develop operational strategies that support sustainable business growth.
• Drive operational excellence across all service lines.
• Create scalable operational structures capable of supporting continued expansion.
• Lead regional operational management teams to achieve consistently high standards.

Commercial Performance

• Support delivery of divisional financial objectives.
• Drive operational efficiency and productivity improvements.
• Identify opportunities to improve profitability through better utilisation of labour, plant and resources.
• Support contract mobilisation and operational integration.
• Contribute to budgeting, forecasting and financial planning.
• Work closely with commercial teams to ensure operational delivery supports business development objectives.
• Develop strong executive-level relationships with key customers.
• Ensure outstanding customer service and contract performance.
• Support contract retention and customer growth initiatives.
• Resolve complex operational issues where required.
• Promote a customer-first culture throughout the organisation.
• Ensure contractual KPIs and SLAs are consistently achieved and exceeded.

Leadership & People Development

• Build and develop a high-performing operational leadership team.
• Mentor Regional Managers and senior operational leaders.
• Drive accountability throughout the organisation.
• Promote collaboration across operational, commercial and support functions.
• Develop succession planning and leadership capability.
• Foster an engaged, inclusive and high-performance culture.

Health, Safety & Compliance

• Champion a positive Health & Safety culture across all operational activities.
• Ensure full compliance with statutory, contractual and regulatory obligations.
• Maintain the highest operational standards.
• Ensure environmental and sustainability objectives are embedded within operational delivery.
• Monitor and manage operational risk effectively.

Technology & Innovation

• Promote technology-enabled operational delivery.
• Utilise operational data and reporting to drive informed decision-making.
• Support implementation of digital platforms and innovative operational solutions.
• Identify opportunities for automation and process improvement.
• Encourage continuous improvement throughout operational teams.
• Review operational performance regularly against agreed KPIs.
• Implement best practice across all regions.
• Improve consistency, efficiency and customer satisfaction.
• Drive lean operational principles where appropriate.
• Encourage innovation and challenge traditional ways of working.

First Twelve Months

The successful candidate will be expected to develop a comprehensive operational improvement plan, strengthen consistency across regional operations, improve operational productivity and efficiency, enhance customer satisfaction and contract performance, develop leadership capability throughout the operational management structure, embed technology and data into operational decision-making, support continued growth of the Grounds Division and build a culture focused on accountability, innovation and continuous improvement.

Candidate Profile

We are seeking an experienced operational leader who has successfully managed large-scale, geographically dispersed service operations.

The successful candidate is likely to have held positions such as Operations Director, Regional Operations Director, Head of Operations, Regional Director, Business Unit Director or Operations Manager within a large-scale environment.

They are likely to have operated within organisations across grounds maintenance, landscaping, external maintenance, environmental services, facilities management, property services, highways maintenance, arboriculture or infrastructure services.

Experience Required

The successful candidate will demonstrate significant operational leadership experience within a service-led environment, experience managing large mobile workforces across multiple locations, strong commercial awareness and financial understanding, excellent customer relationship management skills, proven ability to improve operational performance, experience leading organisational change, strong leadership and people development capability, and an excellent understanding of Health & Safety and operational governance.

Experience working within high-growth or Private Equity-backed businesses would be advantageous. Experience supporting acquisitions or operational integration would also be beneficial.

The successful candidate will demonstrate strategic operational thinking, commercial awareness, strong analytical capability, decisive leadership, high emotional intelligence, excellent communication skills, integrity, accountability, resilience under pressure, a continuous improvement mindset and a passion for operational excellence and customer service.

For an ambitious operational leader seeking autonomy, challenge and the opportunity to shape a national business, this represents an outstanding career opportunity.