Head of Operations

Costain; Peterborough; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the utilities sector is seeking a Head of Operations to lead a vibrant team. This role involves managing projects that impact around 600 family homes weekly, ensuring compliance, safety, and quality. Candidates should possess strong leadership skills, commercial acumen, and experience in utility frameworks.

Qualifications

• Leadership experience in Utility Frameworks (Water, Power, or Gas).
• Proven track record of working collaboratively with clients.
• Experience managing complex programmes of work.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Operational Team to deliver safe and compliant projects.
• Foster excellent working relationships with clients.
• Ensure that PCD targets are met and mains are completed on time.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Commercial acumen

Collaboration

Education

SMSTS certification

SHEA Passport

Job description

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Job Description

This is an excellent opportunity for a Head of Operations to lead a high-performing and vibrant team with a performance mindset. You will be responsible for leading the Operational Team to deliver safe, customer-focused, compliant, quality, and cost-controlled projects, impacting around 600 family homes each week, in line with the developed programme and ensuring contractual targets are met (Programme Volume of Mains Abandoned, Customer and Commercial Unit Rate).

This role will be hybrid, with 3 days a week on-site (Peterborough/Hitchin and Marks Tey).

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Responsibilities

1. HSE - Act as a leader and role model within HSE&Q, setting and driving standards, investigating incidents, ensuring learning is embedded, and working with HSEQ teams to drive improvements.
2. Client - Foster excellent working relationships and communication with our client Cadent, understanding their requirements and delivering against them with integrity and authenticity.
3. LDP's - Build strong relationships with our supply chain, considering the impact of decisions on them, setting standards, and driving performance improvements.
4. Customer - Collaborate with the Customer team to implement core processes, respond to reactive communications, support proactive outreach, resolve disputes, and improve customer performance standards.
5. Commercial Controls - Work with the Commercial team to ensure operational decisions favor unit rate, minimize changes through planning, manage programme delivery for optimal commercial outcomes, and monitor KPI performance.
6. Programme - Ensure that PCD targets are met, mains are completed on time, and planning and programme controls are effectively implemented to reduce change.
7. Leadership - Demonstrate behaviors that prioritize health and safety, ensure programme controls deliver customer outcomes, foster team spirit, articulate vision and strategy, communicate regularly, support team development, and promote understanding across silos.

Qualifications

• Leadership experience in Utility Frameworks (Water, Power, or Gas)
• Ability to lead a high-performing team, with a collaborative mindset, clear standards, and a good sense of humor
• Proven track record of working collaboratively with clients
• Commercial acumen and understanding of the NEC environment
• Experience managing complex programmes of work
• Excellent communication skills, both interpersonal and presentation
• SMSTS certification
• SHEA Passport

Desirable:

• Wider construction management experience
• Understanding of risk management
• Experience working with a range of stakeholders, including HAs, permitting, and compliance requirements
• Detailed NEC experience

About Us

Costain improves people's lives with smart infrastructure solutions across energy, water, transportation, and defence markets in the UK. We focus on blue-chip clients with major projects driven by national needs, regulation, legislation, or performance standards. Our services cover the entire asset lifecycle: strategic consultancy, advisory, digital solutions, asset optimization, and complex programme delivery. Our culture and values underpin all we do.

A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to applicants with a disability who meet the minimum criteria for the role. Please note that during high-volume or seasonal recruitment, the number of interviews may be limited.

For more details, visit the Disability Confident website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/disability-confident-campaign