Location: Bristol (city-wide, multi-site)
Contract: Full time. Permanent
Package: Up to £150,000 plus benefits, including performance related bonus
Bristol Waste Company (BWC) delivers essential waste management, recycling, street cleansing and facilities services for the City of Bristol and surrounds. As a Teckal organisation wholly owned by Bristol City Council, we play a central role in Bristol’s environmental ambitions and the everyday quality of life for its residents. Our purpose is simple: to provide services people can rely on, to create lasting social value for the communities we serve and to be able to build our business to be able to re-invest into better services for our stakeholders.
We are now looking for a Managing Director to lead the next phase of our development. This is an important appointment at a time when expectations are rising, services are evolving, and the organisation is strengthening its foundations for long‑term sustainability.
The Opportunity
As Managing Director, you will provide clear strategic direction, strong governance, and visible leadership across a complex operational organisation. You will work closely with our Shareholder, Chair and Board to ensure BWC delivers safe, reliable and efficient services, while building the financial resilience, capability and culture needed for the future.
You will guide a programme of modernisation—embedding a performance rhythm, improving data and systems, clarifying processes, strengthening commercial understanding and ensuring the organisation is well positioned for the next contract period. You will set high expectations for quality and accountability, while supporting colleagues across multiple sites to deliver consistently and confidently.
What you will lead
* Setting organisational direction and aligning strategy, purpose and values with the expectations of Bristol City Council.
* Ensuring strong governance, risk management and assurance within a Teckal compliant framework.
* Leading organisational performance across all operational services, supported by meaningful KPIs and trusted data.
* Strengthening financial sustainability across service areas, including commercial strategy and FM performance.
* Overseeing contract planning, with clear service standards, cost drivers and deliverables.
* Build new business, developing a confident, inclusive culture with strong leadership visibility and engagement.
* Acting as an ambassador for BWC—building relationships and representing the company across the city and sector.
About You
You will bring significant senior leadership experience from a complex operational environment—such as environmental services, utilities, transport, logistics, manufacturing or FM—and a strong record of delivering organisational performance and business building.
You will be commercially astute, financially literate and able to lead transformation that drives measurable improvements in quality, efficiency, culture and capability. You will have experience working with public‑sector partners or regulated environments and be confident operating at Board level.
Above all, you will combine strategic clarity with disciplined delivery, and provide the calm, credible leadership needed to guide a diverse organisation through change.
Apply
To apply, please submit your CV and a short supporting statement (maximum two pages) outlining how you meet the requirements of the role and your approach to leadership.
Indicative Process
* Closing date for applications: Friday 8th May
* Preliminary Interviews with GatenbySanderson: Monday 18th May (via MS Temas).
* Final Panel interviews and Stakeholder Panels: TBC 27th to 29th May (in person)
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