Service Manager

VIVO Defence Services; North East; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension matched at 6%

25 days annual leave

Company car / car allowance

Private medical cover

Job summary

VIVO Defence Services is recruiting a Service Manager to lead safety-compliant delivery of planned and reactive maintenance for the UK MoD contract. You will coordinate operatives, manage risk assessments and CAFM traceability, and work with supply chain partners to ensure timely, quality service.

You will build strong relationships with end users and internal teams, provide technical guidance, and oversee small billable works while safeguarding operational costs and contract profitability.

Qualifications

• Experience in planned and reactive maintenance environments.
• HNC in a building, civil, electrical or mechanical discipline with safety qualifications.
• Strong IT skills and experience using CAFM systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead safe, compliant delivery of maintenance services across the contract.
• Coordinate day-to-day service delivery with operatives and supply chain partners.
• Review risk assessments and method statements; ensure timely CAFM documentation.
• Build strong relationships with end users and stakeholders; resolve issues.
• Manage small billable works and provide cost estimates when needed.
• Maintain safety culture and balance operational priorities with costs.

Skills

Communication skills

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Management-level HSE qualification

Strong IT skills

Education

HNC in building/Civil/Elect/Mech

SMSTS or equivalent

Tools

CAFM systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

Who We Are

VIVO provides facilities management and accommodation maintenance for the UK military and its partners. VIVO embodies both experience and innovation.

Job Req ID: 312971

Posting Start Date: 28 Oct 2026

Location:

Durham, County Durham, GB, DH1

Contract Type: Full Time

Job Advertisement:

Who We Are

VIVO provides facilities management and accommodation maintenance for the UK military and its partners. VIVO embodies both experience and innovation.

What We Do

We put our Customers and Families First. They are the driving force behind everything we do. We drive forward improvements for them to ensure the service they receive, whether reactive repairs or a major project, is completed safely and on time. In order to achieve this, we have 4 core values: open, caring, agile and collaborative. These are at the heart of everything we do.

Location: Durham. Home based with regular travel to cover sites in the North East

Permanent, Full time

Salary: £40,000-£45,000

We are looking for an experienced Service Manager to lead the safe, compliant and effective delivery of planned and reactive maintenance services across the VIVO RFCA contract. You will play a key role in ensuring that maintenance activities are delivered in line with statutory legislation, MoD mandatory requirements and VIVO’s Health, Safety and Environmental standards, while consistently achieving performance, quality and value-for-money targets.

Working closely with supply chain partners and regional teams, you will coordinate day-to-day service delivery, ensuring that suitably qualified operatives are deployed with the correct equipment, skills and authorisations. You will be responsible for overseeing safe systems of work, reviewing Risk Assessments and Method Statements, and ensuring all activity is accurately recorded through the CAFM system with supporting documentation completed on time.

A significant part of the role involves building strong working relationships with end users and internal stakeholders. Acting as a key point of contact, you will support the resolution of operational issues and complaints, contribute to the development of additional works, and provide professional and technical advice to support estate operations. You will also manage small billable works, including producing rough orders of cost and ensuring works are delivered efficiently and commercially.

As a Service Manager, you will lead by example, embedding a positive safety culture and providing clear supervision, coaching and direction to teams to ensure service levels are met. You will balance operational priorities with commercial awareness, managing costs, mitigating risk and contributing to forward maintenance planning to support a profitable and sustainable contract.

About You

You will have practical experience working within planned and reactive maintenance environments, ideally with responsibility for small project delivery. You will hold an HNC (or equivalent experience) in a building, civil, electrical or mechanical discipline, alongside a management-level Health & Safety qualification such as SMSTS. Strong IT skills are essential, with confidence using Microsoft Office and CAFM systems.

Technical competency is essential for this role.

You will be comfortable taking on additional responsibilities such as Legionella, Asbestos, Confined Space or Working at Height Authorised Person roles, with training provided where required. Above all, you will be a confident communicator with strong relationship management skills, able to influence stakeholders, make sound decisions and drive high standards of delivery in a regulated, safety-critical environment.

What We Offer

• 6% employee matched pension contribution
• 25 days annual leave
• Company car/car allowance
• Single private medical cover

VIVO Defence Services

The role you have applied for is with VIVO Defence Services, a joint venture between Serco and EQUANS. By applying for this role, please be aware that information contained within your CV may be shared between VIVO Defence Services, Serco and EQUANS during the recruitment process.

At VIVO, we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. Therefore, we will make reasonable adjustments at interview through to employment for our candidates and strongly encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool.

We are open to discussions around flexibility and flexible working and operate a hybrid work structure in many of our business areas. We are proudly a Disability Confident Leader. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview.