Operations Director

KBS Maritime Ltd; England; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading maritime operations firm in the UK is seeking an experienced Operations Director to lead on operational initiatives and drive strategic transformation. This role involves ensuring compliance with governance frameworks, managing risks, and aligning operational delivery with corporate objectives. The ideal candidate will possess strong communication, stakeholder management, and change management skills, with experience in senior operational leadership roles. Competitive salary and benefits are offered.

Benefits

A competitive salary

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Enhanced pension scheme

Life assurance

Cycle to work scheme

Occupational Health & Wellbeing Services

50% off entry into the Historic Dockyard

Qualifications

• Proven experience in senior operational leadership roles.
• Strong understanding of governance, compliance, and assurance.
• Ability to influence and build rapport across technical contexts.

Responsibilities

• Lead operational initiatives to maintain a sustainable operating model.
• Monitor delivery against KPIs and embed governance frameworks.
• Oversee risk management and ensure compliance with standards.

Skills

Strategic oversight

Governance frameworks

Risk management

Stakeholder management

Problem-solving

Change management

Team leadership

Education

Degree level education

Job description

Operations Director

Service Area: Business Management (Leadership Team)

Hours of Work: 37 Per week

Salary: Competitive

What You'll be doing

As Operations Director you'll be leading on operational initiatives that ensure KBS Maritime maintains a sustainable, efficient, and compliant operating model. You'll be tasked with driving strategic transformation by aligning business processes with corporate objectives, monitoring delivery against KPIs, and embedding robust governance frameworks. Additionally, you'll oversee risk management, safeguard compliance with regulatory and ethical standards, and hold the enterprise leadership team accountable for performance. The Operations Director will be central to shaping operational change and ensuring the organisation delivers on its strategic vision at Portsmouth Naval Base.

Furthermore, you'll design and implement assurance mechanisms to validate operational performance, lead audits and reviews, and foster a culture of quality and accountability. By collaborating with senior leadership and engaging stakeholders across the Royal Navy, Defence Infrastructure Organisation, regulators, and auditors, you'll build trusted relationships and communicate strategic priorities effectively. You'll act as a key advisor on governance and assurance matters, ensuring transparency and resilience while supporting the long-term partnership vision of KBS Maritime as the Authority's preferred industrial partner.

You’ll Have

With proven experience in senior operational leadership roles, ideally gained within complex environments where governance, compliance, and assurance are critical, you'll possess a strong understanding of governance frameworks, risk management, and assurance practices, you'll be able to provide strategic oversight while driving organisational change. Your exceptional problem‑solving skills and strategic thinking will also enable you to align operational delivery with corporate objectives and ensure resilience across the business.

You'll also bring excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities, coupled with the capability to lead cross‑functional teams effectively. Strong organisational and interpersonal skills, alongside experience in change management, will allow you to influence others and embed new ways of working. Educated to degree level (or equivalent), you'll have experience managing multi‑service operations within the UK and will either hold, or be eligible to obtain, the necessary security clearance to operate in this environment.

About you

Having the ability to influence and build rapport across technical and organisational contexts, you'll be comfortable applying procedures flexibly while instilling confidence in information custodians and stakeholders. Strong people management skills will enable you to set clear targets, motivate and empower teams, and address issues constructively. With a results‑oriented mindset, you'll deliver effective performance management, resolve cross‑functional challenges, and apply knowledge of systems and processes to achieve outcomes. Your interpersonal skills will be key to building positive relationships, demonstrating emotional stability, and showing respect and tolerance across all levels of the organisation.

You'll also bring strategic thinking, capable of defining the right future state and mapping incremental steps in harmony with wider business plans. With the ability to simplify complex technical data, you'll communicate clearly to stakeholders at all levels. Progressive and proactive, you'll challenge the status quo, champion continuous improvement, and drive a transition toward data‑informed, risk‑based decision‑making. Organised and forward‑looking, you'll plan effectively, delegate resources wisely, and act with initiative, all while living and endorsing the company's values.

You’ll get

• A competitive salary
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
• Enhanced pension scheme
• Life assurance
• Access to our internal benefits and discounts programme for all colleagues
• Cycle to work scheme
• Group income protection
• Flexible parental benefits (if applicable)
• Access to our Internal employee assistance network, giving you the opportunity to reach the heights of success within your new position.
• Continued professional career development
• Kudos reward opportunities (internal achievements scheme)
• Occupational Health & Wellbeing Services
• 50% off entry into the Historic Dockyard

About Us

At KBS Maritime, we're not just another company - we're an exciting and dynamic joint venture between industry leaders BAE Systems and KBR. Our team is dedicated to providing Asset Management, Infrastructure Management, Energy Solutions and Alongside Services at His Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth (HMNBP), the beating heart of the Royal Navy.

With almost two-thirds of the Royal Navy's surface ships stationed at HMNBP, working with KBS Maritime means being at the forefront of innovation and progress. We operate in a unique and fascinating environment, with a mix of historic dockyards and cutting‑edge infrastructure that's unlike any other.

By delivering state of the art solutions to the Royal Navy, KBS Maritime offers the chance to work on projects that make a real difference to the safety, security, and sustainability of the UK's National Defence and Security. But it's not just about the work - at KBS Maritime, we believe in the value of our people. We have the ethos of a small business, which means we value and empower our team members to succeed