Operations Manager

Operations Manager

Location: Tonbridge– Office based and onsite

Contract: Full, Time, Permanent

Salary up to £60,819.41 per annum, plus, £4,000 car allowance

42.5 hours per week (8-5 Monday- Friday)

MPS has been looking after residents’ homes for over 25 years. As part of the Mears Group, we focus on estate management and property maintenance, delivering tailored solutions that support people and communities. 

We provide a wide range of services; including responsive repairs, planned works, and cyclical maintenance to over 100 local authorities and housing providers across the UK. One of our key partners is Orbit, a major housing provider in the Midlands, East Anglia, and the South East, managing over 45,000 homes. 

Together, MPS and Orbit ensure residents receive timely, high-quality repairs and maintenance, with a strong emphasis on customer care, safety, and long-term value. 

About the role:

We are looking for an experienced Operations Manager to lead delivery of the Orbit contract across Ipswich, Norwich, Bexley, Medway, Surrey, Margate and Sussex. This role has full responsibility for operational performance, commercial delivery and client engagement across Electrical and Planned Works.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage operational teams to ensure high performance, effective service delivery and a strong customer focus.
• Take full responsibility for operational and commercial delivery, ensuring contractual commitments, budgets, cash flow and KPIs are achieved in line with company and client requirements.
• Oversee the end-to-end delivery of Electrical, Planned Works and ensuring compliance with quality, safety and contractual standards.
• Maintain strong operational oversight through a balance of office-based management (approx. 60%) and field-based presence (approx. 40%).
• Ensure full compliance with health & safety legislation, including COSHH, Mears standard operating procedures, values and quality assurance accreditations.
• Manage direct labour and supply chain partners, identifying opportunities to improve productivity, efficiency and cost savings, working closely with Procurement to maximise national agreements and innovation.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships, acting as the main operational point of contact and attending monthly operational and regular informal review meetings.
• Ensure accurate and timely completion of all company and client reporting within agreed timescales.
• Promote and embed a positive, customer-focused culture in line with the Mears Red Thread, ensuring professional standards across sites, vehicles, ID and health & safety compliance.
• Manage employee performance, coaching and developing individuals, ensuring HR policies are followed and company assets are maintained appropriately.
• Support wider business activities, including business development, bid support, and providing cover for other managers as required.
• Attend formal and informal company and client meetings, including monthly travel to the Tonbridge office with occasional overnight stays.

Key Criteria:

• Proven management experience with the ability to lead, motivate and develop supervisory teams.
• Previous managerial experience within property maintenance, planned works or a similar operational environment.
• Strong HR and people management capability, including performance management, coaching, development and team engagement.
• Sound knowledge of building and property maintenance
• Ability to manage multiple sites and contracts plus experience of contract/ project management
• Good technical awareness of trade operations, enabling effective oversight of workloads and day-to-day site activity.
• Full UK driving licence with the flexibility to travel regularly across Ipswich, Norwich and Tonbridge.
• Strong IT skills, including confidence using Excel to support reporting, scheduling and performance monitoring.
• Electrical awareness, with an understanding of compliance and quality standards within electrical workstreams.
• Previously experience with management of budgets and cash flow

Benefits we can offer you.

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Annual Mears Fun Day - Our annual Fun Day is organised as a massive thank you from the Executive team for all the hard work!
• Volunteering Leave - Mears supports employees to undertake paid volunteering in the community, in support of our social value commitment.
• Staff perks with Mears Rewards - discounts of up to 10% weekly groceries, holidays, eye test vouchers, Share save scheme, plus much more.
• Family friendly policies
• Car Allowance

All our roles require candidates to have the entitlement to work within the UK, Mears does not currently offer visa sponsorship.

To drive a Mears vehicle, you must be aged over 21 have held your licence over 3 months and have less than 9 points.

Candidates should be aware that all our roles are subject to relevant Background, Identity & Security checks before commencement of employment.

Apply below or to discuss your application further; contact:

If you need any help with your application process, we are here to support you. We will be accessible every step of the way.

At Mears Group, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive, we are a Disability Confident employer, valuing individuality and ensuring equal opportunities for all.

We proudly support the Armed Forces Covenant and are honoured to have achieved the Gold Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) to coincide with this, we hold an Endorser Award for the Career Transition Partnership, recognising our commitment to veterans transitioning into civilian careers.

In our continued effort to promote social mobility, we invite applicants to voluntarily share their background information during the application stages to help us better understand the diverse experiences of our candidates. This is to ensure we are committed to improving social mobility. We use the Social Mobility Index to assess and enhance opportunities for individuals from diverse backgrounds. These questions are optional and will not impact your ability to apply.