Operations Manager

Safetykleen; Widnes; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Private healthcare

Pension contribution

Job summary

Safetykleen Maidstone is seeking an Operations Manager to own the P&L and lead a diverse field-based workforce, including service engineers, waste collection teams, warehouse operatives, and office staff. You will drive performance, customer experience and growth through hands-on leadership and strategic planning.

You will champion a safety-first culture, control costs, optimise routes and fleet use, and deliver exceptional service levels while developing your team and supporting career

Qualifications

• Proven leadership of multi-disciplinary field teams.
• Strong communication and coaching skills.
• Experience driving service quality and operational performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a multi-skilled field-based team of technicians and staff.
• Set clear performance expectations and provide regular feedback and coaching.
• Own customer retention and contract renewals, delivering service levels that exceed expectations.
• Drive routing, fleet utilisation, and resource planning for efficiency.
• Champion Health & Safety and ensure robust reporting and risk assessments.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Strategic planning

Team coaching

Cost control

Education

CPC transport qualification (advantageous)

Job description

Operations Manager - OTE £72k per annum

The Opportunity

This is a business critical, hands-on leadership role at the heart of our business. As Operations Manager, you’ll take full ownership of the Maidstone operation and its P&L, shaping performance, culture, and customer experience in equal measure.

You’ll lead from the front - guiding a diverse, field-based workforce that includes service engineers, waste collection teams, warehouse operatives, and office-based employees. Your leadership will be fundamental to delivering outstanding service, unlocking growth opportunities, and building a high-performing, safety-first operation.

This is your chance to make a real difference: driving efficiency, elevating standards, and inspiring a team to consistently exceed expectations.

Benefits for Operations Manager

• Base Salary £60,000 OTE - £72,000 including performance bonus.
• £3,900 Car Allowance.
• Monday - Friday day shifts.
• 25 days holiday + 8 Bank Holidays off.
• 5% contributory pension and life assurance (3x salary).
• Private healthcare from day one.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and sick pay.
• 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme with confidential support.
• Wellbeing-focused discounts, including Virgin Active gym membership, Gymflex, Tastecard, and major retailer cashback.
• Cycle to Work scheme.
• Employee recognition and referral rewards scheme.
• Training and development opportunities to support your career progression.

About Us

At Safetykleen, we provide essential parts cleaning, waste collection and environmental advisory services that help customers reduce their environmental footprint and improve operational performance.

With operations in 15 countries and over 1 million services delivered each year, you’ll be joining a stable, growing business with a fast-paced and collaborative environment, where safety, compliance and sustainability are central to everything we do.

The role

• Lead, recruit, develop, and energise a multi-skilled team of field-based Service and Sales Technicians, Waste Collection Representatives, Warehouse Operatives, and Customer Service/Administration staff.
• Set the tone for excellence through clear communication, hands-on coaching, structured training, regular feedback, and meaningful monthly 1:1s that unlock individual and team performance.
• Own customer retention and contract renewals, ensuring every customer is serviced on time, every time, with service levels that don’t just meet expectations - but consistently exceed them. Proactively identify and maximise every commercial opportunity.
• Drive operational efficiency through smart planning and optimisation of routes, fleet utilisation, and resource allocation.
• Champion a best-in-class Health & Safety culture - conducting robust risk assessments, leading incident investigations, and ensuring meticulous, high-quality reporting.
• Take full accountability for operational performance and cost control, with complete ownership of P&L delivery and improvement.

Key Success of an Operations Manager

• Qualified Transport Manager Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC); advantageous.
• Leadership - lead teams on an inclusive journey with respect, courage, and action.
• Customer Focussed - actively seeks out the best solution for the customer and recognises that our success is driven by our customers’ success.
• Good Communicator & Active Listener - clear and concise communicator and expresses genuine interest in what others are communicating.
• Achievement / Goal Driven - sets ambitious standards and challenging goals and is determined to exceed them.
• Organised - stay focused on different tasks and uses time & energy effectively and efficiently to achieve the desired outcome.
• Resilience and Tenacity - able to deal effectively with pressure, recover quickly from setbacks, and remain optimistic and self-confident even under adversity.
• A valid UK Drivers Licence

Come and join us and be part of something exciting where you can reach your full potential, make a difference, change your lifestyle for the better and grow your career. #INDHP