Head of Branches North

Air Liquide; Manchester; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Air Liquide UK is seeking a proactive Head of Branches to lead northern England operations, ensuring safety, customer experience, and profitability across branch networks. You will manage P&L, inventory, logistics, and a multidisciplinary team, driving efficiency, training, and growth of industrial gases and hardgoods, while upholding high safety standards and regulatory compliance.

Collaborate with field sales and customer service teams to maximise revenue and maintain strong customer

Qualifications

• Strong operational leadership and governance across multiple sites.
• Commercial drive with focus on revenue growth and profitability.
• Financial acumen for P&L management and cost control.
• Commitment to safety and environmental standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage branch operations across northern England with accountability for safety, customer experience, and profitability.
• Own the operational budget, sales revenue, CapEx and cost-control initiatives for the branch.
• Directly manage a multidisciplinary team including branch ops managers, drivers and internal sales.
• Drive commercial growth by collaborating with field sales reps and key account teams.
• Ensure adherence to ADR regulations, audits, incident investigations and safety inspections.
• Oversee inventory, storage, and local route planning to optimize delivery efficiency.

Skills

Operational leadership

Commercial drive

Financial acumen

Safety leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree optional

Job description

Air Liquide is a global leader in the gas industry not by chance, but through our constant
advances in the technological field. So when it comes to recruiting great people to join our
business we take it seriously. We believe our talented people and their passion for our
Business is what brings success to our group.

Working at Air Liquide UK means having opportunities to evolve in an environment that
actively promotes and encourages its people, recognises expertise, and offers genuine
opportunities that provide colleagues with autonomy and accountability.

We believe our people are the cornerstone of our Company as such we care about the
development and growth of our people and teams as much as the development and growth of
our business.

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How will you CONTRIBUTE and GROW?

Air Liquide is currently searching for a proactive Head of Branches to join the team and be responsible for branch operations in northern England.

In this role, you will hold ultimate accountability for branch operations including safety, customer experience, employee experience, branch efficiencies and profitability, PG Distribution (including HG’s), retail showroom and trade counter, warehouse activities, internal sales and sales growth.

The accountabilities :

• Culture of Safety: Establish and enforce an absolute safety-first culture across all branch activities, ensuring compliance to process, laws and local dangerous goods regulations.

• Hazard & Audit Management: Ensure routine safety inspections are carried out, audit actions completed, adherence to ADR regulations, near miss reporting and incident investigations.

• Road Safety: High focus on road safety, driver training, driver and vehicle compliance and fleet management alongside the Road Safety team

P&L, Operations & Supply Chain

• P&L Management: Own the operational budget, sales revenue, capital expenditure (CapEx), and cost-control initiatives for the branch.

• Asset & Cylinder Logistics: Ensure management of inventory, PG storage, and local route planning to optimize delivery efficiency and customer experience.

• Continuous Improvement: Streamline store/warehouse operational workflows, order fulfillment, and counter sales procedures to raise

• productivity and lower cost-to-serve.

• Commercial Growth & Customer Experience

• Revenue Generation: Encourage collaboration with field sales reps and key account teams to drive sales of industrial gases and hardgoods.

• Customer Relationship Management: Collaboration with Customer Experience and Customer Service teams to ensure customer retention.

• Team Leadership & People Operations

• Direct Management: Lead, recruit, coach and mentor a multidisciplinary branch team consisting of Branch Operations Managers, distribution teams including delivery drivers, branch operatives, internal sales specialists and yard operatives.

• Performance Development: Conduct regular performance reviews, foster technical training programs and promote career succession planning.

• Retail & Customer Service: Oversee the training and mentoring of the branch counter teams to ensure fast, expert technical support for walk-in industrial and trade customers.

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Are you a MATCH?

• Bachelor Degree optional but not essential. Equivalent combination of experience and/or training and education will be considered.

• The ideal candidate brings strong operational leadership, commercial drive, financial acumen and an uncompromising commitment to safety and environmental standards ideally across a multi site operation within a chemical, industrial manufacturing, or high-pressure gas distribution environment.

• Safety Leadership: Proven track record of leading, auditing, establishing, and upholding strict safety protocols in high-risk environments.

• Business & Financial Acumen: Strong capability in P&L analysis and branch sales growth.

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Our Differences make our Performance
At Air Liquide, we are committed to build a diverse and inclusive workplace that embraces the diversity of our employees, our customers, patients, community stakeholders and cultures across the world.

We welcome and consider applications from all qualified applicants, regardless of their background. We strongly believe a diverse organization opens up opportunities for people to express their talent, both individually and collectively and it helps foster our ability to innovate by living our fundamentals, acting for our success and creating an engaging environment in a changing world.