Operations Manager - Heat Networks/Energy Centre

Penguin Recruitment; Greater London; On-site; GBP 63,000 - 77,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension

23 Days Holiday + Bank Holidays

Mon-Fri 8am-5pm

Career progression

Long-term opportunity

Vehicle allowance

Job summary

Penguin Recruitment is seeking an experienced Operations Manager for District Heating and Energy Centres in the City of London. You will oversee day-to-day management of multiple heat network contracts, lead engineers and drive service delivery and safety.

You will report to the Operations Director, shape contract performance, profitability and client relationships, and play a key role in growing a specialist heat network business.

Qualifications

• Experience within District Heating, Heat Networks, Energy Centres, Commercial Heating or large-scale mechanical plant would be highly advantageous.
• Strong leadership and people-management skills.
• Commercial awareness including responsibility for budgets and contract performance.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of Heat Network, District Heating and Energy Centre maintenance contracts.
• Lead, motivate and develop a team of engineers.
• Ensure PPM and reactive maintenance programmes are delivered in line with contractual SLAs.
• Maintain excellent levels of customer service and contract retention.
• Develop strong, long-term client relationships.
• Attend regular client review and performance meetings.
• Provide technical support and guidance to engineers when required.
• Monitor contract performance, profitability, productivity and KPIs.
• Assist with the mobilisation of new contracts.
• Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency and service delivery.
• Carry out engineer appraisals, mentoring and recruitment.
• Drive continuous improvement across the operational team.

Skills

Mechanical background

HVAC

Leadership

Contract management

People management

Budgeting

Client relationships

Safety compliance

Job description

Operations Manager - District Heating / Energy Centres

City of London | £70,000 Basic + £6,000 Vehicle Allowance + Bonus & Package

Are you an experienced Operations Manager, Contract Manager or Engineering Manager with a strong mechanical, heating or HVAC background?

Are you looking for a genuine leadership opportunity where you can take ownership of major contracts, develop engineering teams and play a key role in the growth of a specialist District Heating & Energy Centre business?

This could be an excellent opportunity to join one of the UK's fastest-growing specialist Heat Network businesses.

Reporting directly to the Operations Director, you will take responsibility for the operational and commercial performance of a portfolio of heat network maintenance contracts across the City of London.

This is not simply a contract management position. You will have genuine autonomy and the opportunity to influence service delivery, develop engineers and future managers, strengthen client relationships and help shape the continued growth of the business.

The Package

• £70,000 Basic Salary
• £6,000 Vehicle Allowance
• Performance Bonus
• Pension
• 23 Days Holiday + Bank Holidays
• Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm
• Genuine career progression
• Long-term opportunity within a rapidly expanding specialist business
• Opportunity to influence and help shape the future direction of the company

The Role

As Operations Manager, you will be responsible for the day-to-day management of multiple District Heating, Energy Centre and Heat Network maintenance contracts.

You'll lead from the front, ensuring engineers have the technical and operational support they need while maintaining excellent standards of safety, compliance, customer service and contract performance.

The position combines:

You'll work closely with the Operations Director and wider management team to ensure contracts are delivered efficiently, profitably and to the highest possible standard.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of Heat Network, District Heating and Energy Centre maintenance contracts
• Lead, motivate and develop a team of engineers
• Ensure PPM and reactive maintenance programmes are delivered in line with contractual SLAs
• Maintain excellent levels of customer service and contract retention
• Develop strong, long-term client relationships
• Attend regular client review and performance meetings
• Provide technical support and guidance to engineers when required
• Monitor contract performance, profitability, productivity and KPIs
• Assist with the mobilisation of new contracts
• Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency and service delivery
• Carry out engineer appraisals, mentoring and recruitmenent
• Drive continuous improvement across the operational team

The Ideal Candidate

We're looking for an experienced engineering professional who understands both the technical and operational sides of commercial heating and mechanical engineering.

You may currently be working as an Operations Manager, Contract Manager, Engineering Manager, Senior Contract Manager or similar, with experience managing engineers and commercial maintenance contracts.

Experience within District Heating, Heat Networks, Energy Centres, Commercial Heating or large-scale mechanical plant would be highly advantageous.

You'll ideally possess:

• Previous experience in Operations, Contract or Engineering Management
• Strong mechanical, HVAC, heating or building services background
• Knowledge of commercial heating systems, plant rooms and mechanical services
• Ideally, experience with District Heating, Heat Networks or Energy Centres
• Strong leadership and people-management skills
• Commercial awareness, including responsibility for budgets and contract performance
• Experience managing key client relationships
• Strong communication and organisational skills
• Good understanding of Health & Safety and compliance
• Ability to provide technical support and leadership to engineers
• A proactive approach to problem solving and continuous improvement

This is an opportunity to join a specialist engineering business with significant growth plans, rather than a traditional FM environment.

You'll have the opportunity to take genuine ownership of your contracts, develop your own team, build relationships with key clients and work alongside senior management as the business continues to expand.

For the right person, there is genuine scope for career progression and increased responsibility as the company grows.