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Web Recruit Ltd; St. Neots; On-site; GBP 135,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company laptop

Hybrid working environment

Generous annual leave

Pension plan

Job summary

Blazequel is seeking a Chief Operating Officer to lead UK Mainland operations and align with Northern Ireland activities. You will build a repeatable operating system to enable predictable delivery, ownership clarity and strong cash conversion.

As an experienced operational leader, you will shape practical, standardised ways of working using EOS, LEAN and Theory of Constraints, establish accountability across critical processes and drive performance improvements across the business.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading multi-disciplinary operation with 20+ employees.
• Experience building or redesigning operating processes.
• Track record of improving delivery reliability, quality and cash conversion.
• Strong people leadership and coaching skills.
• Commercial understanding of WIP, margins and invoicing.
• Excellent communication with engineers, managers and directors.
• Willingness to travel across the UK and Northern Ireland.

Responsibilities

• Lead UK Mainland operations and align with Northern Ireland activities.
• Build repeatable operating system enabling predictable delivery.
• Embed EOS/LEAN/TOC-based working methods.
• Improve planning, execution, handovers and cash conversion.
• Lead and coach functional leaders; manage performance.
• Run weekly reviews and remove delivery constraints.
• Oversee hiring, restructuring and succession planning.
• Ensure customer escalations have clear journey.

Skills

Leadership

Process improvement

Delivery management

People management

Commercial awareness

Communication

Decision making

Travel flexibility

Job description

Blazequel is a leading provider of specialist fire protection services, trusted across the UK and Ireland to safeguard high-risk environments. With more than 20 years of experience and offices in Bedford and Londonderry, we deliver tailored fire and security solutions that protect lives, property and operations.

Our mission is to empower industry through bespoke fire safety solutions, delivered with honesty, integrity and unwavering attention to detail. Respect, innovation and conscientious service underpin everything we do, and we consistently go the extra mile for our customers.

As we continue to scale fast, we are now looking for a Chief Operating Officer to join us on a full-time, permanent basis.

The Benefits

• Salary of up to £150,000 Depending on Experience
• 25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays
• Collaborative team environment
• Company laptop and any relevant IT
• Company uniform/workwear

This is an outstanding opportunity for an experienced operational leader with a proven track record of leading multi-disciplinary project and service operations to join our ambitious organisation.

You’ll be making your mark at a pivotal point in our growth, using your expertise to shape how our operations work as we scale, and creating the structures that will support our continued success.

What’s more, you’ll have the scope to leave a lasting impact on the way our business operates across the UK and Ireland in this highly influential leadership role.

The Role

As our Chief Operating Officer, you will take day-to-day accountability for our UK Mainland operations and lead operational alignment with our Northern Ireland activities. You will build a repeatable operating system that enables predictable delivery, clear ownership and effective cash conversion.

Specifically, you will shape and embed practical, standardised ways of working, drawing on the best of EOS, LEAN and Theory of Constraints. Establishing clear ownership and accountability across critical processes, you’ll create the operating discipline we need to scale our business.

You’ll strengthen planning and execution across projects and service work, improving close-out and WIP-to-cash, and ensuring greater visibility of variations, margins, forecasts and invoicing. By improving handovers between sales, estimating and operations, you will ensure work is deliverable and profitable from the outset.

On top of this, you will lead and coach functional leaders across the business, building management capability and accountability, setting clear expectations and addressing performance issues effectively.

Additionally, you will:

• Run effective weekly operational reviews that drive decisions and action
• Identify and remove constraints affecting project and service delivery
• Improve forecasting and implement recovery action
• Recruit and restructure where needed
• Build succession strength and reduce reliance on individual team members
• Ensure customer escalations have a clear journey

About You

To be considered as our Chief Operating Officer, you will need:

• Proven experience leading a multi-disciplinary operation spanning projects and service or maintenance, ideally with 20+ employees and managers reporting to you
• Evidence of building or redesigning operating processes, rather than solely managing inherited systems
• A track record of improving measurable outcomes across areas such as delivery reliability, quality, utilisation, WIP-to-cash and customer performance
• Strong people leadership skills, including coaching, delegation and performance management
• Commercial understanding of WIP, variations, margin drivers, invoicing and cash conversion
• The ability to make decisions with imperfect information and escalate only where director input is required
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with engineers, managers, customers and directors
• The ability to manage difficult conversations calmly and confidently
• The flexibility to travel regularly across the UK and visit Northern Ireland

Other organisations may call this role Chief Operations Officer, COO, Operations Director, Director of Operations, Head of Operations, or Managing Director.

Webrecruit and Blazequel are equal opportunities employers, value diversity and are strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment. Equal opportunities are the only acceptable way to conduct business and we believe that the more inclusive our environments are, the better our work will be.

Perks and Benefits Generous annual leave, plus public holidays based on location. Extra annual leave for your birthday or an alternative celebration day. Access to an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) Pension plan with contributions from Mauve Group (where applicable). Opportunities for professional growth via Mauve Academy – our learning portal. Annual training allowance for career development. Hybrid working environment, with home setup allowance (where applicable). Optical benefits (£155/€180 toward eye tests, glasses, and lenses). Exciting opportunities, including domestic/international travel, team meet-ups, and company-wide events.