Better places, thriving communities.
Head of Operations – Edinburgh
Lead. Influence. Deliver Excellence.
We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Head of Operations to provide technical, operational and commercial leadership across a diverse, multi‑site public sector estate in Scotland, operating within an NEC4 TSC / CEMAR environment. This is a high‑impact role for a strategic, people‑focused leader who thrives in a fast‑paced setting and is committed to delivering safe, resilient and compliant engineering services.
Role Purpose
As the Head of Operations, you will be responsible for ensuring the safe, efficient and compliant delivery of all engineering and Hard FM services. You will drive high performance, safeguard operational resilience, and ensure all sites — including rural and remote locations — receive consistent, high‑quality support.
Working collaboratively with Operations, Commercial and Projects teams, you will ensure smooth handovers, aligned priorities and a seamless service for our client. You will also play a key role in building trusted, transparent relationships with stakeholders across both organisations.
This position carries full P&L accountability and leadership responsibility for internal engineering teams and an extended network of specialist contractors and SME suppliers.
Key Responsibilities
1. Provide strong leadership to Operations Managers and Technical Services teams.
2. Ensure consistent delivery of Hard FM services, meeting statutory, contractual and performance standards.
3. Oversee governance, compliance, critical systems testing and engineering risk management.
4. Monitor CAFM performance, workflows and statutory tasks, resolving delays and recurring issues.
5. Act as senior escalation point for technical failures and operational incidents.
6. Lead and develop teams, supporting performance, capability, culture and succession.
7. Manage specialist contractors, remedials, small works and commercial governance (incl. CEMAR).
8. Build strong client relationships and lead monthly service reviews.
9. Drive digital optimisation, resilience and continuous improvement across operations.
Person Specification
10. Senior leadership experience within Hard FM/engineering and multi‑site operations.
11. Strong commercial acumen with P&L and cost‑control expertise.
12. Expertise in statutory compliance, H&S governance and critical engineering systems.
13. Skilled in CAFM, reporting and supply‑chain management.
14. Excellent stakeholder‑management and communication skills.
15. Familiarity with contract governance (EWs/CEs).
16. SCQF Level 9 / ILM 5 (or equivalent) and commitment to CPD.
17. Ability to obtain BPSS/CTC clearance and hold a clean UK driving licence.
Our market-leading offering provides you with benefits that suit your lifestyle.
We have a virtual GP on hand for you and members of your household. So you can get expert advice by video or phone without having to leave your home. We offer financial wellbeing assistance through our Salary Finance scheme. For example, you could access 50% of your earned pay before payday for a small fee. Salary Finance also offers competitive loans.
When you join us, we’ll give you a link to our flexible lifestyle benefits platform, Choices. You might choose to purchase up to five extra days’ holiday each year. You might buy critical illness insurance, seek dental treatment or buy technology products at an affordable cost. There are many choices!
We give you access to high street discounts from thousands of well-known retailers, gyms and more through our MiDeals platform. And we have a cycle-to-work scheme. Life cover of up to four times your salary is available. We also offer enhanced pension contributions, a save-as-you-earn scheme, and a Mitie Matching Share Plan (you could even be awarded free shares in Mitie).
We award our employees with Mitie Stars as recognition for their hard work. There are cash prizes up for grabs each month and at the end of the year there’s a chance to scoop a top prize of £10,!
Our success is a direct result of the experience and quality of our people. Progressing your career is therefore a top priority for us. We offer a diverse variety of training and development avenues via a wide selection of learning resources to suit you.
We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. If you have a disability or long-term condition (for example dyslexia, anxiety, autism, a mobility condition or hearing loss) and need us to make any reasonable adjustments, changes or do anything differently during the recruitment process, please let us know by emailing Marie Hyde at .