Trade Operations Manager (Electrical Services)

MJP Electrical Services LTD; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A growing electrical services firm is seeking an operational leader to manage trade operations in Bristol. This role demands ownership of live schedules and hands-on problem-solving in a fast-paced environment. Candidates must have prior experience in trade services and demonstrate strong decision-making skills under pressure. This position offers significant autonomy, a competitive salary, and the opportunity to impact the company's operational growth directly.

Benefits

Ownership and autonomy

Impact on business operations

Opportunity for growth with the business

Qualifications

• Experience in a trade services business is a must.
• Experience managing schedules and dealing with customers.
• Comfortable making decisions with incomplete information.

Responsibilities

• Own live engineer schedule and daily capacity.
• Ensure job data accuracy to prevent invoicing errors.
• Act as point of contact for engineers and customers.

Skills

Experience managing live schedules with field engineers

Strong understanding of job data

Strong written and verbal communication skills

Ability to make decisions under pressure

Tools

ServiceM8

Simpro

Jobber

ServiceTitan

Job description

Location: Bristol & South West Remote initially with plans to centralise HQ later in the year

Job Type: Full-time, Permanent

Salary: Competitive, based on trade experience

IMPORTANT - READ BEFORE APPLYING

This role requires prior experience working inside a trade services business.

You must have worked in an environment such as:

• Electrical
• Plumbing
• Gas
• Construction
• Facilities / Maintenance
• Trade contracting or service delivery

If your background is corporate HR, retail ops, admin, or non-trade operations only, this role is not suitable and your application will not be progressed.

Job Description

MJP Electrical is a fast-growing electrical services business operating across Bristol and the South West.

We are at a critical stage where the business must run operationally without the founder being the bottleneck.

This role exists to own trade operations end-to-end.

This is not a support or coordinator role.

It is a hands-on operations ownership role where daily realities include:

• engineers running late
• jobs overrunning or changing mid-day
• customers under pressure
• parts not always available
• live schedules that must be constantly optimised
• system accuracy directly affecting cashflow

If you enjoy bringing order to chaos and making decisions with incomplete information, this role will suit you.

What You'll Be Responsible For

Service Delivery & Schedule Control

• Own the live engineer schedule and daily capacity
• Optimise routing, availability, and job sequencing
• Pull jobs forward when engineers finish early
• Manage overruns, delays, and same-day changes
• Keep customers informed and expectations managed

Job Lifecycle & Data Accuracy

• Own job cards from booking through to completion
• Ensure job status, notes, follow‑ons, and outcomes are accurate
• Prevent errors that delay invoicing or damage cashflow

Materials, Purchase Orders & Margin

• Control purchase order accuracy
• Ensure materials used align with works completed
• Prevent missed charges and margin leakage

Engineers & Customers

• Act as the operational point of contact for engineers
• Handle pushback calmly and decisively
• Manage escalations without drama
• Balance empathy with accountability

Systems & Operational Hygiene

• Maintain clean, accurate data across job management systems
• Ensure smooth flow from booking → completion → invoice
• Identify bottlenecks early and fix them

Requirements

Essential (Non‑Negotiable)

• Previous experience working inside a trade services business
• Experience managing live schedules with field engineers
• Comfortable dealing with customers when things go wrong
• Strong understanding of how job data affects invoicing and cashflow
• Confident making decisions under pressure and with incomplete information
• Experience using job management systems (ServiceM8, Simpro, Jobber, ServiceTitan, or similar)
• Strong written and verbal communication skills

Desirable

• Electrical or facilities services background
• Experience improving operational processes in a trade environment
• Ability to spot patterns and prevent recurring issues
• High attention to detail without losing pace

Not Suitable If You

• Have never worked with trades or engineers
• Prefer theory over execution
• Avoid difficult conversations
• Need structure before taking responsibility
• Want a quiet or predictable 9‑5 role

Benefits

• A senior, trusted role with real ownership and autonomy
• Direct impact on how the business operates and scales
• Opportunity to remove the founder from day‑to‑day operations
• Stable, growing trade business with long‑term vision
• Competitive salary based on experience
• Respect, authority, and accountability — not micromanagement
• Opportunity to grow with the business as it expands