Head of operations

🚀 Head of Operations

📍 Location: Kent

📊 Reports to: Chief Support Officer

Our client are a rapidly growing technical services group operating across FM, M&E, and specialist engineering. They are scaling through organic growth and acquisition, with a strong focus on operational excellence, technology adoption, and AI-driven efficiency.

The opportunity

You will take full ownership of Service Operations across the Group — people, process, systems, performance, and culture.

Key responsibilities

🔧 Service Operations leadership

• Lead and develop a multi-site team of Service Coordinators and Account Leads
• Build a high-performance culture based on accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement
• Own recruitment, onboarding, performance management, and capability development

⚙️ Operating model transformation

• Design and implement a single Group-wide operating model across all businesses
• Standardise core workflows including:
• Job intake & scheduling
• Planned preventative maintenance (PPM)
• Compliance tracking
• Escalation management
• Billing support
• Establish consistent KPIs and weekly reporting rhythms across all entities

🤖 AI & automation enablement

• Partner with the Applied AI Lead to identify and implement automation opportunities
• Drive adoption of AI tools across the service function
• Eliminate manual processes and reduce operational inefficiency
• Champion a technology-first mindset across the team

🧩 M&A integration & scalability

• Own the Service Operations integration playbook for acquisitions
• Ensure new businesses are onboarded into Group systems within 30 days
• Maintain operational capacity for future acquisitions and growth

🤝 Client & engineer experience

• Ensure all clients and engineers have named operational support
• Improve response times, first-time fix rates, and service quality metrics
• Oversee customer experience and escalation resolution processes
• Support development of a self-service customer portal

What we’re looking for

Essential

• Experience leading a service operations, helpdesk, or field service coordination function (15+ people)
• Proven ability to transform operations, not just manage them
• Strong understanding of CAFM / field service systems (SimPro ideal)
• Experience improving efficiency, process design, or service delivery models
• Multi-site or multi-entity operational experience
• Strong change management capability

Preferred

• Background in FM, M&E, building services, or technical services environments
• Experience in PE-backed, acquisitive, or fast-growth organisations
• Exposure to automation, AI tools, or workflow optimisation initiatives