National Operations Manager - Vending

An amazing opportunity to join our operating services division within LAVAZZA Professional. This is a field-based role and the location of the successful candidate is flexible, but regular visits to our head office in Basingstoke, North Hampshire, are required. This role will involve travel within the UK. Experience within vending and/or stand-alone retail is essential.

Lavazza Professional Operating Services offers one of the UK’s leading operated vending services which covers sites nationally.

The National Operations Manager will be responsible for leading operational excellence in our vending team, providing engaging leadership to a team of geographically dispersed employees in the management of mobile vending operations. The role will involve managing daily operations alongside forward-looking delivery of KPIs and SLAs in support of the channel, ensuring great customer service delivery. The duties will include embedding a culture of operational excellence, delivering efficiencies, incorporating smarter use of data and technology to support business delivery. The guiding and managing of staff at a national level, setting performance objectives, evaluating and optimising operational performance, ensuring regulatory and company standards are upheld and preparing operational reports.

To be successful as a National Operations Manager, you should be able to lead and manage people, manage operation budgets, lead projects, ensure operations run smoothly and achieve relevant KPIs and targets. You should be able to perform efficiently in a high-pressure environment and demonstrate excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills.

• Organise and manage direct reports (regional managers and support coordinator)
• Lead and engage the vending operations team in the UK market (c. 120 employees)
• Delivery of service KPIs and SLAs to the channel
• Ensure high levels of customer service and business retention
• Plan and monitor organisational costs through budget and regular reviews
• Review with regional management teams and support coordinator the operator routes, ensuring efficiency in SLA delivery
• Easyweb & Power BI data analysis – Vending and micro markets for continuous improvement
• Implement or optimise operational software or systems to improve reporting and performance
• Embed and maintain a safety culture with organisation stakeholders, managers and MVOs
• Ability to lead projects, understand and work through operation, logistics or tech issues
• Build and maintain relationships in key departments CS, HR, IT, finance and external suppliers
• Agile route management to accommodate regular machine install & uplifts
• Conduct “work with days” each year with regional managers and vending operators
• Manage vehicle fleet – Working alongside fleet manager ensuring safety and compliance
• Effectively manage all employee relations with HR engagement
• Engage and liaise with customer and client account managers

Responsibilities include the management of 7 direct reports and around 110 indirect reports across the UK.

• Leading and inspiring employees
• Build strong relationships
• Navigate and drive change
• Good organisational skills
• Embracing problem solving and change management
• Technology innovation
• Creating and sharing vision
• Industry expertise in vending and micro markets - ESSENTIAL
• Ability to motivate a team
• Good written and verbal communications

Other Requirements: ALL applicants must be located within the UK due to the interview process; the successful candidate will be required to provide industry supporting references and will have to complete and satisfy a DBS check.