Business Area Manager - Certification

Location: Kettering, Northamptonshire (NN16 8SD)

Salary: £40,000 – £50,000 DOE

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Closing Date: 13th November 2026

The Opportunity

Interaction Recruitment are recruiting on behalf of a leading technical organisation for an experienced Business Area Manager – Certification to join their team based in Kettering. This is an exciting opportunity for an established leader with a strong technical and commercial background to take responsibility for a specialist Certification business area, leading multiple teams and driving operational performance, business growth and customer satisfaction. The successful candidate will lead and inspire the PRC and STE teams, ensuring the department delivers against its financial and operational objectives whilst maintaining the highest standards of quality, compliance and customer service. The Certification department operates internationally, with teams across the UK, Ireland, Sri Lanka, Finland, Turkey and China, providing technical assessments of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) against UK and European regulations.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate and develop the Certification teams, creating a high-performing and commercially focused working environment.
• Drive departmental performance against budgets, revenue targets, operational KPIs and strategic objectives.
• Take ownership of financial management, including budgeting, forecasting, cost control and month-end reporting.
• Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency, profitability, service delivery and business growth.
• Develop team capability through coaching, performance management, training and succession planning.
• Ensure effective resource planning and workload management to meet customer requirements.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key customers, industry stakeholders, regulators and trade associations.
• Support business development activities, identifying new opportunities and strengthening the organisation's market position.
• Oversee quality management systems and ensure ongoing compliance with ISO/IEC 17065 accreditation requirements.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives, ensuring quality, health and safety and operational standards are maintained.
• Work collaboratively with Testing, Sales, China and other departments to deliver an excellent customer experience.
• Represent the organisation at industry events, exhibitions, presentations, webinars and customer meetings.
• Undertake regular UK and Ireland travel, alongside occasional international travel, including visits to China.

About You

The successful candidate will be an inspirational and commercially minded leader with proven experience managing teams and delivering business performance within a technical, certification, testing or regulated industry environment. You will ideally demonstrate:

• Proven leadership and people management experience, with the ability to develop and motivate high-performing teams.
• Strong operational management skills, including responsibility for KPIs, budgets and business performance.
• A relevant technical background within certification, conformity assessment, testing or a regulated industry.
• The ability to understand and interpret technical standards and regulatory requirements.
• Strong commercial awareness, including budget management, forecasting and financial reporting.
• Experience in business development, customer relationship management and identifying growth opportunities.
• Excellent communication, presentation and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience driving continuous improvement and implementing operational change.
• Strong organisational, planning and decision-making abilities.
• A proactive, resilient and results-driven approach, with the confidence to make decisions and hold teams accountable.
• Competent IT skills, particularly Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Teams.
• A full UK driving licence and willingness to travel regularly within the UK, Ireland and internationally.

Desirable Experience

• A recognised leadership or management qualification.
• Experience managing teams within an accredited certification or laboratory environment.
• Knowledge of ISO/IEC 17065 and accreditation requirements.
• Experience working with UKAS and/or INAB accredited activities.
• Technical knowledge of PPE certification processes and relevant legislation.
• Experience with quality management systems, audits and health and safety management.
• Understanding of international regulatory frameworks and product certification schemes.

What's on Offer?

• Salary of £40,000 – £50,000 depending on experience.
• 25–30 days' annual leave, depending on length of service.
• Life assurance.
• Group personal pension plan.
• Income protection.
• Free on-site parking.
• Flexible working hours.
• Opportunity to lead an established international technical team and influence business growth.

Interview Process

• Closing date: 13th November 2026.
• First-stage interviews: 20th November 2026 via MS Teams.
• Second-stage interviews: 25th November 2026, in person.

Apply Today

If you are an experienced technical or operational leader looking for an opportunity to take ownership of a specialist business area, drive commercial success and lead an established international team, Interaction Recruitment would like to hear from you.