Operations Director in Southampton

Churchill Estates Management (CEM) is seeking an experienced Operations Director to join its senior leadership team and lead the delivery of high-quality Retirement Living services across the business. This is a pivotal leadership role with accountability for operational excellence, customer satisfaction, colleague engagement, and strategic growth. As a key member of the Management Team, you will help shape the future direction of CEM, ensuring our services consistently deliver value, peace of mind and an excellent customer experience for leaseholders, while creating a positive and high-performing environment for colleagues.

This role is office based from our Head Office in Ringwood, Hampshire.

Role Purpose

• Lead the successful delivery of CEM’s Retirement Living services in line with the company’s vision, values and strategic objectives.
• Champion a culture of customer excellence, ensuring residents receive responsive, high-quality and value-driven services.
• Create an engaging and supportive colleague experience that attracts, develops and retains high-performing teams.
• Drive operational efficiency, continuous improvement and robust governance to ensure service charges and operating costs remain fair, transparent and focused on owners’ cost of living.
• Support the expansion of new Retirement Living services and innovative business opportunities.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Provide inspiring leadership to a workforce of 300 colleagues, including 5 direct reports and their teams, setting clear expectations, coaching talent and creating a culture of accountability, engagement and continuous development.
• Ensure all services are delivered safely, compliantly and in accordance with all relevant legal, regulatory frameworks as well as fully maintaining the Health & Safety standards, with clear ownership, strong compliance and swift resolution of issues.
• Embed CEM’s values across all operations, creating a consistently high standard of customer service across every development.
• Use customer insight, colleague feedback and performance data to continuously improve service delivery and satisfaction.
• Lead the preparation of annual service charge budgets, ensuring strong financial discipline, transparency and value for money for leaseholders.
• Drive smarter, more efficient ways of working to help control costs and minimise financial pressures on owners.

Retirement Living – Growth & New Services

• Work closely with the Managing Director and SLT Colleagues to expand service delivery and support business growth.
• Oversee the mobilisation and commissioning of new developments, ensuring excellent customer journeys, operational readiness and delivery to time and budget.
• Build trusted relationships with partners, investors, RTM Directors and stakeholders to generate new business opportunities.
• Lead new and innovative business streams, ensuring scalable processes, effective contracts and sound governance.
• Partner with Churchill Living Sales teams to align services with company sales targets.

Corporate Leadership & Representation

• Represent CEM externally with regulators, professional bodies, trade associations and at industry events.
• Lead the development and continuous review of operational policies, procedures and manuals to ensure best practice and consistency.
• Oversee the emergency call-out rota (evenings and weekends) and respond to urgent situations as required.
• Contribute strategically across the wider business, helping shape long-term plans, performance priorities and organisational effectiveness.

Skills & Experience

We are looking for a people-focused senior Operations Leader with a proven track record of leading dispersed teams and delivering excellent customer outcomes. The ideal person will have:

• Strong experience leading large multi-site operational teams through engagement, coaching and performance management.
• Passion for customer excellence, service improvement and colleague satisfaction.
• Demonstrable success in driving operational efficiency, change programmes and continuous improvement.
• Commercially and financially astute, with experience managing complex budgets and service charge structures.
• Strong strategic thinker, able to balance long-term growth with day-to-day operational delivery.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Highly organised, able to manage competing priorities and make sound decisions.
• Resilient, adaptable and comfortable operating in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Strong IT and systems capability.

How You’ll Be Rewarded

• Competitive salary
• Company Car benefit
• 28 days holiday + Bank Holidays
• Day off on your birthday
• Excellent colleague benefits including Family BUPA Cover, Health Screening, Group Personal Pension Plan and Life Assurance
• 200 John Lewis vouchers for expectant parents
• Colleague wellbeing programmes and ambassadors

About Us

We are Churchill Estates Management, a progressive managing agent of privately owned leasehold Retirement Living accommodation. We manage nearly 300 developments nationally, supporting over 10,000 leaseholders and providing property services and customer care to more than 12,000 retired people. We are ambitious, growing rapidly, and committed to raising standards in Retirement Living. Join an award-winning, customer-focused business where people matter and where your leadership can make a lasting difference to customers, colleagues and communities.

Our Values – TORCH: Trust | Openness | Respect | Communication | Honesty

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