Operations Manager
Full Time | Office Based |Permanent
Monday to Friday, 7:00am – 5:00pm
Location: Mid Kent
Salary £35,000 - £45,000 (DOE)
We are looking for an experienced Operations Manager to oversee the scheduling, planning and delivery of drainage operations within a highly reactive environment.
This role is pivotal to ensuring work is scheduled effectively, resources are deployed efficiently, and services are delivered safely, on time, and to a high standard.
The position combines hands-on operational coordination with commercial awareness and would suit someone confident managing moving parts in a fast-paced, logistics-heavy setting.
The Role
1. Plan, coordinate, and oversee daily operations involving specialist vehicles, drivers and subcontractors
2. Ensure effective utilisation of fleet, drivers, and external partners
3. Act as a key point of contact for subcontractors, managing availability, performance, and communication
4. Provide support to field teams, resolving on-site issues and operational challenges
5. Maintain a strong understanding of specialist vehicles and equipment, including their capabilities and limitations
6. Continuously review workloads and adjust plans in response to urgent callouts, delays, or changing priorities
7. Work closely with internal teams to ensure smooth end-to-end service delivery
8. Ensure all activity is carried out in line with health & safety standards and internal procedures
9. Oversee jobs from planning through to completion, ensuring accurate records and documentation are maintained
Commercial & Financial Oversight
10. Monitor costs and budgets for works under your control
11. Manage spend across labour, equipment, subcontractors, and materials
12. Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce costs without impacting service quality
13. Support accurate job costing, invoicing, and operational reporting
Skills & Experience
14. Demonstrable experience in scheduling or managing operations ideally within utilities, drainage or logistics
15. Strong operational understanding of specialist vehicles and plant
16. Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a reactive environment
17. Confident communicator, able to work effectively with drivers, subcontractors, clients, and internal teams
18. Calm, solutions-focused approach when dealing with operational pressure
19. Good commercial awareness with experience managing costs and budgets
20. Competent with scheduling systems and office software
Personal Qualities
21. Proactive and well-organised
22. Practical and detail-oriented
23. Adaptable and dependable
24. Comfortable working independently while contributing positively to a wider team
25. Hands-on, can-do approach to problem solving
Interviews are to be held immediately, so please apply today for immediate consideration!
This role is being handled by Nicole Howe, Business Support Consultants for Pearson Whiffin Recruitment.