Reactive Operations Manager (Electrical)

Cambridge University; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious university in Cambridge is seeking a Reactive Operations Manager (Electrical) to lead the in-house maintenance team. This role involves ensuring efficient service delivery, technical guidance, and promoting health and safety compliance. The ideal candidate will have strong leadership skills and experience in managing maintenance operations within a complex estate. Competitive pay and generous benefits are offered, including flexible working and extensive leave allowances.

Benefits

Competitive pay with progression

Generous annual leave

Flexible working opportunities

Family-friendly policies

Employer contribution to pension scheme

Travel benefits and discounts

Support with relocation

Qualifications

• Experience managing reactive maintenance operations in a complex estate.
• Strong leadership and team management skills.
• Ability to implement positive change and evaluate supplier performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the reactive maintenance team.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance.
• Monitor performance against KPIs and optimize resources.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Problem-solving

Knowledge of health and safety regulations

Budget control

Job description

Reactive Operations Manager (Electrical)

Department/location: Estates Division - Facilities

Salary: £47,389-£59,966

Reference: BA47336

Category: Academic-related

Date published: 23 September 2025

Closing date: 14 October 2025

About the Role

The Estates Division manages the University's operational estate, comprising over 370 buildings with a total footprint of 723,000 square metres and an insurance value exceeding 3.4 billion. With an annual maintenance spend of over 25 million, the Division plays a vital role in supporting the University's academic and research activities.

We are looking for a proactive and experienced Reactive Operations Manager (Electrical) to lead the in-house First Response engineering team within the Asset Management section. This key role ensures the delivery of a responsive, efficient, and safe maintenance service across the University's estate, driving operational performance and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the reactive maintenance team, ensuring effective service delivery across the estate.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to supervisors and engineers, fostering a culture of excellence.
• Monitor performance against KPIs, optimise resources, and produce operational reports.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders and external suppliers to coordinate priorities and improve service outcomes.
• Oversee staff development, including recruitment, training, performance reviews, and welfare support.
• Promote and enforce health and safety compliance, including toolbox talks and contractor oversight.
• Support asset data collection and contribute to system change control processes.
• Identify inefficiencies and drive process improvements, holding suppliers accountable for quality and performance.

About You

You will be an experienced operational leader with a strong technical background in building maintenance and engineering services with an electrical bias. You will have excellent people management skills, a proactive approach to problem-solving, and a commitment to health and safety.

Required Experience and Skills

• Experience managing reactive maintenance operations in a complex estate.
• Strong leadership and team management skills (supervising up to 9 staff, line managing 1).
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication abilities.
• In-depth knowledge of health and safety regulations and safe working practices.
• Ability to implement positive change and evaluate supplier performance.
• Familiarity with asset data systems and change control processes.
• Experience of budgetary control and budget monitoring of multiple cost centres

Why Join Us?

Working at the University of Cambridge offers a wide range of benefits, including:

• Competitive pay with automatic progression and annual cost-of-living increases
• Generous annual leave allowance
• Flexible and hybrid working opportunities
• Family-friendly policies including maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave
• Access to workplace nurseries
• A generous employer contribution to our auto-enrolment pension scheme
• Travel benefits and retail discounts at over 2,000 stores
• Support with relocation, if applicable

Interview Schedule

Interviews are expected to take place during the week commencing 20th October.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please email Estates Division on [e-mail]

Please quote reference BA47336 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.