Head of Operational Support

VIVO Defence; Salisbury; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading facilities management company in Salisbury seeks a Head of Operational Support to drive operational excellence in Dstl contract management. The role demands strong technical understanding, leadership capability, and experience managing substantial FM operations. Offering competitive salary up to £85,000 plus benefits, including flexible working opportunities.

Benefits

25 days annual leave

6% employee matched pension contribution

Private medical cover for self and partner

Company car/car allowance

Life assurance 2x annual salary

1 x professional subscription per year

Qualifications

• Significant experience in facilities management.
• Currently holds a senior management role.
• Proven record of managing complex FM operations with budgets over £20 million.

Responsibilities

• Drive operational excellence and corporate assurance across the Dstl contract.
• Develop and implement quality and performance strategies.
• Oversee performance reporting and ensure compliance with regulations.

Skills

Technical understanding

Commercial acumen

Leadership capability

Analytical skills

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Degree or equivalent

Job description

Overview

Who we are: VIVO provides facilities management and accommodation maintenance for the UK military and its partners. VIVO embodies both experience and innovation.

What we do: We put our Customers and Families First. They are the driving force behind everything we do. We drive forward improvements for them to ensure the service they receive, whether reactive repairs or a major project, is completed safely and on time. In order to achieve this, we have 4 core values: open, caring, agile and collaborative. These are at the heart of everything we do.

Location

DSTL, Salisbury

Contract Type

Permanent, Full time

Salary

Up to £85,000 + Benefits

Role

The Head of Operational Support is a senior leadership position responsible for driving operational excellence, corporate assurance, and performance management across the Dstl contract. This pivotal role provides strategic direction for all aspects of business and support services, ensuring that operational delivery meets contractual, regulatory, and quality standards while maintaining a strong focus on customer satisfaction, innovation, and continuous improvement.

As the senior lead for support services, you will oversee the management and application of the contract across multiple teams, ensuring alignment between operational performance, governance requirements, and business objectives. You will establish and maintain effective corporate assurance systems, ensuring that all company processes remain compliant with relevant regulations, standards, and quality frameworks. Your leadership will ensure that assurance procedures are consistently applied, monitored, and continuously impro"ed to drive both compliance and operational performance.

Key elements include developing and implementing quality and performance strategies to strengthen the organisation's capability to deliver against complex contractual obligations. You will validate processes, measure productivity, and conduct in-depth performance analysis using data from a range of sources to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement. By translating this insight into actionable strategic plans, you will drive continuous improvement across operational teams and ensure that changes are embedded effectively.

In this capacity, you will oversee all aspects of performance reporting, ensuring that contractual and corporate reporting requirements are met in full and on time. You will be responsible for delivering monthly performance reviews, analysing key metrics, and ensuring that data-driven decision-making underpins service delivery. Through a strong understanding of industry developments and evolving client needs, you will drive innovation and ensure that operational processes remain efficient, effective, and compliant with changing regulations and standards.

Governance and risk management are central to the position. You will proactively identify and mitigate risks to ensure the stability and resilience of operational services, maintaining full compliance with all contractual, statutory, and regulatory obligations. Your approach will combine robust risk management with a focus on opportunity - ensuring that improvements, efficiencies, and innovations are captured and implemented across the contract.

Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship management are critical to success in this role. You will develop and maintain trusted, collaborative relationships with Dstl clients, ensuring open communication, transparency, and the consistent delivery of high-quality service outcomes. You will also work closely with suppliers, subcontractors, and internal operational teams to improve performance and alignment across all elements of service delivery.

As a senior leader, you will provide visible leadership to a diverse and multidisciplinary hard services FM team, setting clear expectations and fostering a culture of accountability, performance, and inclusion. You will promote VIVO's core values and develop one way of working across the organisation to ensure consistency, efficiency, and best practice. You will encourage professional development, support wellbeing, and champion diversity and engagement throughout your teams.

What You'll Bring

The role demands a strong combination of technical understanding, commercial acumen, and leadership capability. You will be educated to degree or equivalent level, with significant experience in facilities management and currently hold a senior management role. You will bring a proven record of managing complex FM operations with budgets in excess of £20 million, as well as demonstrable expertise in driving efficiencies, lifecycle management, and performance assurance.

You will possess a deep understanding of FM compliance frameworks and assurance processes, along with a proven ability to manage supply chain performance and deliver measurable improvements in business performance. A background in operating within secure environments, particularly within Defence or MOD contexts, will be highly advantageous. A background in hard services FM is essential.

Your analytical and data interpretation skills will be critical, enabling you to convert complex performance data into clear insights and actionable plans for senior leadership and executive reporting. You will also demonstrate sound commercial awareness and a strong ability to build credibility and trust with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.

Candidates must be eligible to obtain and retain Security Check (SC) clearance and, due to site restrictions, must be UK nationals.

What We Offer

• 25 days annual leave
• 6% employee matched pension contribution
• Private medical cover for self and partner
• Company car/car allowance
• Life assurance 2x annual salary
• 1 x professional subscription per year

VIVO Defence Services
The role you have applied for is with VIVO Defence Services, a joint venture between Serco and EQUANS. By applying for this role, please be aware that information contained within your CV may be shared between VIVO Defence Services, Serco and EQUANS during the recruitment process.

At VIVO, we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. Therefore, we will make reasonable adjustments at interview through to employment for our candidates and strongly encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool.

We are open to discussions around flexibility and flexible working and operate a hybrid work structure in many of our business areas. We are proudly a Disability Confident Leader. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview.