Operations Manager

Biffa Waste Services; Manchester; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading waste management company in Manchester is seeking an Operations Manager to oversee daily operations and ensure high performance against KPIs. The ideal candidate will have strong operational management experience in the waste industry, demonstrate people management skills in a unionised environment, and be adept at prioritizing workloads. This role offers a competitive salary, ongoing career development, and various employee benefits, including a generous pension scheme and retail discounts.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Ongoing career development

Generous pension scheme

Retail and leisure discounts

Holiday and travel discounts

Bike to work scheme

Qualifications

• Must have strong operational management experience within waste or similar industries.
• Proven ability to manage people and performance in a unionised environment is essential.
• Skilled at prioritising workloads and delegating effectively.

Responsibilities

• Support Depot Manager to meet depot performance standards while ensuring cost efficiencies.
• Lead a traffic dispatch team, monitoring performance through key KPIs.
• Oversee daily operations involving 31 vehicles and 50 drivers.

Skills

Operational management experience

People management

Health & safety compliance

Performance management

Microsoft systems proficiency

Job description

Operations Manager

Location: Biffa Trafford Park Depot

A quick look at the role

To efficiently and effectively manage the day-to-day operations of the Depot, whilst delivering and maintaining first class customer service against pre-defined business KPIs. This role will work alongside the Transport Manager role to support the depot's operational, safety, transport and service performance.

Your core responsibilities

• Support the Depot Manager to ensure depot performance meets required standards while maintaining cost efficiencies, and deputise during periods of absence.
• Lead, support and manage a traffic dispatch team of six, monitoring performance through key KPIs covering Service, Safety and Profitability.
• Oversee daily operations involving 31 vehicles, 50 drivers and 35 routes (including backshifts) across weekdays and selected weekend services.
• Manage driver performance, development and feedback, maintaining personal development plans and supporting career progression.
• Handle underperformance, absence management and disciplinary procedures, ensuring driver cover and manpower levels are sustained year-round.
• Plan and oversee mobilisation of new contracts, short-term projects, re-routes and seasonal changes, ensuring optimal resource and route planning.
• Work with customer services and commercial teams to enhance customer experience, monitor key service reports and attend customer meetings where required.
• Ensure full compliance with Health & Safety requirements, including inductions, training, safe systems of work and collaboration with off-site colleagues.

Our essential requirements

• Strong operational management experience within the waste or similar industries, with good knowledge of relevant regulations.
• Proven ability to manage people, health & safety, and performance in a unionised environment.
• Skilled at prioritising workloads, delegating effectively, and delivering against KPIs in a fast-changing environment.
• Commercially aware, with experience managing P&L accounts and controlling costs to maximise profitability.
• Confident user of Microsoft systems (including Teams) and other operational software central to Biffa processes.

And here’s why you’ll love it at Biffa

• Competitive salary.
• Ongoing career development, training and coaching – because if you don’t grow, we don’t grow.
• Generous pension scheme.
• Retail and leisure discounts.
• Holiday and travel discounts.
• Bike to work scheme.

Changing the way people think about waste

At Biffa, we love working with waste. Whether we’re turning it into sustainable power, finding new ways to recycle it or simply keeping it off the streets, we believe every day is an opportunity to improve the lives of millions. It’s a view that’s shared by our 11,000+ people around the country, who trust us to provide them with a career that’s always rewarding, often challenging, but never dull. And it’s why we’re the UK’s No. 1 choice for business waste management.

Dedicated to diversity

Being inclusive is core to our culture at Biffa; we believe different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds are key to developing a creative and effective working environment that represents our communities and generates the best outcomes for colleagues, customers and stakeholders, which is why you’ll find us championing diversity, equity and inclusion at every turn.