Role Purpose The Head of Air (Air-Conditioning & Fire Damper) is a senior commercial-operational leader responsible for driving profitable growth, operational excellence, and scalable performance across the Air division. This role carries full P&L accountability for Air and plays a critical role in aligning service delivery, pricing discipline, cost control, and sales enablement to achieve sustainable revenue and margin growth. The Head of Air will operate as a strategic business partner to Sales, Finance, and Executive Leadership, ensuring operational capability directly supports commercial expansion, customer acquisition, and long-term value creation.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Growth & Business Leadership
* Develop and execute a 3-5 year Air Operations growth strategy aligned to the Group's commercial objectives
* Translate sales pipeline forecasts into operational capacity and capability plans
* Identify new revenue opportunities within existing contracts (upsell, cross-sell, premium services)
* Support entry into new markets, sectors, and service lines
* Contribute to strategic planning, investment decisions, and long-term business expansion initiatives
* Act as a senior member of the Management Team, shaping company-wide growth strategy
Full P&L Ownership & Financial Performance
* Own and manage the Air Operations P&L as an accountable business unit
* Drive revenue growth while improving gross margin and EBITDA contribution
* Ensure accurate budgeting, forecasting, and five-year financial planning in collaboration with Finance
* Monitor engineer productivity, utilisation rates, recovery rates, and margin per contract
* Implement cost optimisation initiatives without compromising service quality
* Drive pricing discipline and commercial governance across all operational contracts
Sales Enablement & Commercial Partnership
* Act as operational lead in major bids, tenders, and contract negotiations
* Validate pricing models, labour assumptions, and delivery risk before contract sign-off
* Partner closely with Regional Sales Managers to ensure profitable deal structures
* Challenge unprofitable quotations and enforce margin protection
* Support key account growth through operational performance reviews and executive-level engagement
* Contribute to sales strategy by identifying operational differentiators and value propositions
Operational Excellence & Scalable Delivery
* Build a scalable operating model capable of supporting accelerated growth
* Standardise processes across regions to improve efficiency and consistency
* Drive continuous improvement initiatives that reduce cost-to-serve and increase customer satisfaction
* Ensure rapid, structured response to incidents and customer escalations
* Implement performance dashboards and data-driven decision-making across the division
* Maintain accreditations and compliance frameworks required to support commercial growth
Performance Management & KPIs
* Define and monitor KPIs aligned to revenue, margin, productivity, service quality, and customer retention
* Improve Net Promoter Score (NPS) and customer retention metrics
* Report monthly performance to Senior Management with clear financial and operational insights
* Ensure accountability across the leadership team through structured 1:1s and performance reviews
Leadership & Organisational Development
* Build, develop and lead a high-performing, commercially aware operations team
* Align team objectives with financial and sales targets
* Develop succession plans and leadership capability within the division
* Foster a culture of ownership, accountability, and customer-centricity
* Ensure workforce planning aligns with growth projections
Risk, Compliance & Governance
* Ensure compliance with Health & Safety, Quality, Environmental and industry regulations
* Protect company reputation through strong governance and incident management
* Monitor regulatory changes impacting operations and commercial viability
* Ensure quality and compliance frameworks enable - not hinder - business expansion
Accountabilities
* Delivery of Air Operations revenue and margin targets
* Operational contribution to overall Group EBITDA
* Commercial viability of all Air contracts
* Engineer utilisation, productivity, and cost management
* Customer retention and satisfaction
* Operational scalability to support growth
* Compliance, accreditation, and risk management
* Development and performance of the Air Operations team
Key Skills & Experience
* Proven senior leadership experience in Air Operations or Technical Field Services
* Demonstrable P&L ownership and margin growth experience
* Strong commercial acumen and understanding of pricing models and contract structures
* Experience supporting sales growth and complex bids
* Advanced financial literacy (budgeting, forecasting, margin analysis, cost control)
* Strong analytical and KPI-driven mindset
* Ability to lead distributed and remote teams
* Executive-level communication and presentation skills
* Experience driving operational transformation and scalable growth models
QHSE Responsibilities
* Ensure compliance with Health & Safety, Environmental and Quality Management Systems
* Promote a culture of safety, operational integrity, and regulatory compliance
* Integrate QHSE standards into operational strategy to support sustainable growth
Success Profile
* Commercially driven, not purely operational
* Growth-focused and strategically minded
* Financially disciplined and data-oriented
* Comfortable challenging sales and operational assumptions
* Capable of scaling operations without eroding margin
* A visible leader who aligns operational performance with revenue generation
* Proven senior leadership experience in Air Operations or Technical Field Services
* Demonstrable P&L ownership and margin growth experience
* Strong commercial acumen and understanding of pricing models and contract structures
* Experience supporting sales growth and complex bids
* Advanced financial literacy (budgeting, forecasting, margin analysis, cost control)
* Strong analytical and KPI-driven mindset
* Ability to lead distributed and remote teams
* Executive-level communication and presentation skills
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