Operations and Commercial Manager

Ian Williams Ltd.; Norwich; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Profit sharing

Car allowance

Pension contribution up to 10%

Annual leave with buy/sell options

Annual pay reviews

Life assurance

Medical and permanent health insurance

Maternity/Paternity pay

Training and development

Exclusive supplier discounts

Lighthouse Charity access

Job summary

Ian Williams Ltd is seeking an experienced Operations and Commercial Manager to lead a new Responsive Maintenance unit in East Anglia. The role demands strong commercial and operational leadership, building collaborative, customer-focused partnerships and delivering results across multiple contracts.

You will drive performance, coach teams, manage budgets and assets, ensure compliance, and champion a high-quality customer experience while fostering wellbeing and inclusion across the workforce.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading operational and commercial teams, ideally in a service-led or contracting environment.
• A track record of driving performance, compliance, and quality across multiple contracts.
• Strong commercial acumen, with experience in budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build trust and alignment across teams and clients.
• A passion for developing people, building resilience, and fostering a culture of learning and continuous improvement.
• Commitment to health, safety, and wellbeing, with a proactive approach to risk management and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Driving performance: Set and monitor objectives, targets, and KPIs to deliver productivity and commercial results. Use regular performance discussions to keep your team engaged and motivated.
• Embed a solutions oriented culture: Coach your team to anticipate challenges, think critically, and apply practical solutions, ensuring momentum and efficiency.
• Build capability and resilience: Develop your team through structured coaching, targeted training, and proactive interventions to future proof our workforce.
• Ensure financial and asset management: Take responsibility for budgeting, forecasting, and asset utilisation, embedding robust controls and data driven decision making.
• Champion compliance and quality: Ensure all work meets building codes, safety regulations, and industry standards, maintaining high levels of quality, safety, and legal accountability.
• Consistency in the customer experience: Lead your team in prioritising customer needs, driving high-quality, customer focused outcomes that boost satisfaction and loyalty.
• Promote wellbeing and inclusion: Foster a culture of wellbeing, respect, and inclusivity, where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute.

Skills

Leadership experience

Stakeholder management

Commercial acumen

Budgeting & forecasting

Communication skills

People development

Job description

At Ian Williams, our Operations and Commercial Managers are passionate, people focused leaders with strong commercial and operational expertise. We're delighted to have secured a long term contract, creating an exciting opportunity to establish a new Responsive Maintenance business unit in East Anglia. As a result, we're seeking an exceptional leader to drive its success from day one.

You'll thrive in a fast paced, reactive environment, leading and inspiring high performing teams to deliver an outstanding repairs service. By creating a culture where people feel valued and empowered, you'll help maintain our strong reputation with housing clients and their residents.

This role is ideally suited to someone with a strong commercial and operational background, preferably within responsive maintenance or repairs, and a track record of building collaborative, customer focused partnerships that deliver lasting results.

What we offer

• Company profit share scheme (9.33% of base salary achieved last year)
• Car allowance, private mileage scheme and fuel card
• Enhanced employer pension contribution of up to 10%, or a savings scheme
• Annual leave including public holidays, with the option to buy up to five days or sell up to three days each year
• Annual pay reviews
• Life assurance, medical insurance and permanent health insurance
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay
• Training and development opportunities
• Exclusive discounts from preferred suppliers
• Access to the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity for health and wellbeing support, including free legal and financial advice

The Operations and Commercial Manager role will involve:

• Driving performance: Set and monitor objectives, targets, and KPIs to deliver productivity and commercial results. Use regular performance discussions to keep your team engaged and motivated.
• Embed a solutions oriented culture: Coach your team to anticipate challenges, think critically, and apply practical solutions, ensuring momentum and efficiency.
• Build capability and resilience: Develop your team through structured coaching, targeted training, and proactive interventions to future proof our workforce.
• Ensure financial and asset management: Take responsibility for budgeting, forecasting, and asset utilisation, embedding robust controls and data driven decision making.
• Champion compliance and quality: Ensure all work meets building codes, safety regulations, and industry standards, maintaining high levels of quality, safety, and legal accountability.
• Consistency in the customer experience: Lead your team in prioritising customer needs, driving high-quality, customer focused outcomes that boost satisfaction and loyalty.
• Promote wellbeing and inclusion: Foster a culture of wellbeing, respect, and inclusivity, where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute.

What you’ll bring as Operations and Commercial Manager

• Proven experience leading operational and commercial teams, ideally in a service-led or contracting environment.
• A track record of driving performance, compliance, and quality across multiple contracts.
• Strong commercial acumen, with experience in budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build trust and alignment across teams and clients.
• A passion for developing people, building resilience, and fostering a culture of learning and continuous improvement.
• Commitment to health, safety, and wellbeing, with a proactive approach to risk management and compliance.

About Ian Williams Ltd

Discover more about us by reviewing our website, and also through our social media platforms, along with LinkedIn, Indeed and Glassdoor.

The successful applicant will be required to complete a criminal records check. As an organisation assessing applicants’ suitability for positions which are included in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order using criminal record checks processed through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), we comply fully with the code of practice and undertake to treat all applicants for positions fairly.

Ian Williams is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Diversity is more than a commitment at Ian Williams; it is the foundation of what we do. We are fully focused on equality and believe deeply in diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, and all other characteristics that make us different.

We reserve the right to shortlist prior to the closing date.

Ian Williams Ltd will use applicants’ details for recruitment purposes only. For more information, please read our Candidate Privacy Notice located atour website.

We are delighted to have strong relationships with our preferred agencies; therefore we politely request no agencies engage with us in regards to this position.