Operations Manager - Restoration Ecology

Location: Edinburgh / Hybrid (Scotland-based preferred)

Company: Habitat Assessment & Restoration Ltd (HAR)

Ready to drive operational excellence that delivers real, lasting environmental impact? Join us as an Operations Manager at a specialist consultancy dedicated to restoring island ecosystems and protecting biodiversity.

Habitat Assessment & Restoration Ltd (HAR) is an ambitious, growing ecological consultancy dedicated to protecting vital species and restoring seabird habitats across Scotland, the wider UK, and internationally. We work at the intersection of clean energy and conservation, delivering ecological research and innovative habitat restoration that enable sustainable development while protecting biodiversity.

As we enter our next phase of growth, we are seeking a commercially minded, experienced and highly effective Operations Manager to scale our systems, strengthen performance, and support sustainable expansion. This is a rare opportunity to build the operational backbone of a purpose-led organisation at a pivotal stage in its journey.

THE ROLE

Reporting directly to the Managing Director, you will play a central leadership role in driving operational excellence across the business. You will ensure HAR operates efficiently and profitably in line with our quality, environmental, and health & safety standards, while designing and embedding the systems and processes needed to support long-term growth. This role combines strategic oversight with hands-on delivery in a growing SME environment. You’ll work closely with the leadership team and project managers to turn good ideas into reliable, scalable ways of working.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Operational Leadership
  • Lead day-to-day operational management across teams and projects
  • Design, refine, and embed scalable systems, workflows, and processes
  • Develop and maintain KPIs and performance dashboards to drive accountability and improvement
  • Ensure compliance with regulatory, quality, health & safety, and environmental standards
  • Support bid/no-bid decisions and project set-up from an operational and commercial perspective
• People & Resource Management
  • Oversee resource planning, capacity management, and scheduling
  • Support recruitment, onboarding, and core HR processes
  • Implement and maintain performance management frameworks
  • Help shape career pathways and role clarity across the team
  • Foster a collaborative, high-performance culture aligned with HAR’s values
• Commercial & Financial Management
  • Work with the MD and finance function on budgeting, forecasting, and cost control
  • Support pricing, fee structures, and utilisation planning for project-based work
  • Monitor project margins and operational KPIs to inform decision-making
  • Identify and implement improvements that enhance profitability and operational efficiency

ABOUT YOU

You are a confident, proactive operator who enjoys making organisations run smoothly and sustainably. You are comfortable moving between strategy and detail, and you like building simple, robust systems that enable others to do their best work. You don’t need to be an ecologist, but you should be motivated by the idea of enabling real environmental impact through strong operations.

Essential Experience & Skills

• Proven experience in business, operations, or practice management; ideally within consultancy, professional services, or a similarly project-based environment
• Strong financial acumen, including budget management, forecasting, and cost control
• Excellent organisational and project management skills
• Demonstrated experience designing and improving operational systems and processes
• Strong leadership, stakeholder management, and communication skills
• Commercial awareness with the ability to think strategically and act pragmatically
• Comfortable working in a growing SME with a mix of structure-building and hands-on delivery

Desirable

• Experience within environmental, sustainability, engineering, or consultancy settings
• Knowledge of project-based fee structures, utilisation, and margin management
• Previous experience supporting a scaling SME or start-up
• HR or people management experience (e.g. policies, performance, engagement)
• Ability to travel across the UK and the Channel Islands when required
• Based in Scotland, with the ability to work from Edinburgh periodically

If you don’t meet every desirable point but feel you can deliver the core of the role, we encourage you to apply.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Competitive salary
• Performance-related bonus
• Flexible and hybrid working
• Generous annual leave
• Pension contribution
• Professional development and training support
• The opportunity to shape and grow a purpose-led organisation — and share in its success

WHY JOIN HAR?

You won’t just be managing operations — you’ll be shaping how a growing ecological consultancy delivers measurable environmental impact at scale. This is an opportunity to:

• Build the operational engine of a business that combines commercial performance with environmental purpose
• Work closely with technical experts delivering impactful conservation and restoration projects
• Put in place the systems and structures that will define how HAR grows in the coming years

If you are motivated by operational excellence, strategic growth, and the chance to contribute to real-world conservation outcomes, we’d like to hear from you.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your CV and a covering letter outlining your suitability for the role to: ian.cain@habitat-restoration.com

Application deadline: 3rd April 2026

For an informal discussion about the role, contact Ian Cain via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-cain-a0097692/