CLEANING OPERATIONS MANAGER

Overview: Better places, thriving communities. Join Mitie – the future of high‑performing places.

ROLE: Operations Cleaning Manager

HOURS: 40 hours (hybrid with occasional travel to sites)

LOCATION: South and East Sussex

At Mitie, we bring out the best in places — unlocking their potential so that everyone who uses them can thrive. We are looking for an Operations Cleaning Manager to oversee a portfolio of strategic accounts, leading Contract Managers, driving operational excellence and ensuring service delivery meets contractual SLAs and KPIs. You will play a key role in financial oversight, continuous improvement and maintaining a safe, compliant working environment.

Role Responsibilities

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of Health, Safety, Environment and Quality systems and the management of safe systems of work.
• Represent Mitie effectively at both internal and external meetings.
• Lead by example in all role activities.
• Apply excellent problem‑solving skills to deliver robust solutions.
• Command respect from teams and customers through confident, considered actions and behaviours.
• Provide strong leadership and management across all operations.
• Multitask effectively and support logistical solutions where required.
• Produce high‑quality reports, including competent use of Word and PowerPoint.
• Apply strong financial acumen, with basic to intermediate Excel competency.

Client & Contract Management

• Manage key accounts and ensure service delivery meets contractual standards.
• Build strong relationships with clients through regular meetings and reviews.
• Support Contract Managers in understanding contractual obligations and boundaries.
• Resolve escalated customer issues promptly with clear action plans.

Financial & Performance Management

• Develop account plans to reduce overspend and improve profitability.
• Conduct mid‑month financial reviews and track performance against budget and forecast.
• Deliver annual P&L targets and ensure accurate, timely payroll.
• Track all budget streams, manage spend and ensure cost recovery for additional works.
• Maintain accurate billing and cost‑control documentation.

Operational Excellence

• Identify root causes of operational issues and implement long‑term solutions.
• Ensure full compliance with monthly and quarterly Q‑Audits, managing improvement plans.
• Monitor plant, equipment, maintenance schedules and compliance requirements.
• Support creation of monthly client reporting packs.
• Drive innovation, continuous improvement and adoption of new technologies.

People Leadership

• Lead, motivate and develop Contract Managers and their teams.
• Oversee recruitment, induction, appraisals, development and succession planning.
• Manage escalated HR matters and ensure all staff complete mandatory training.
• Promote a positive, professional working culture and share best practice.

Compliance & Safety

• Ensure compliance with Mitie policies, procedures and Health & Safety standards.
• Promote the LiveSafe programme and maintain a safe working environment.
• Support social value initiatives, sustainability goals and Plan Zero commitments.

Required Qualifications

• Strong understanding of Health, Safety, Environment and Quality systems.
• Confident communicator able to represent Mitie at all levels.
• Proven leadership skills, with the ability to motivate and influence teams.
• Excellent problem‑solving ability and sound judgement.
• Strong financial awareness and competency in Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
• Able to multitask, manage time effectively and produce high‑quality reports.

Health & Safety Responsibilities

• Follow Group and company policies and procedures at all times.
• Report any deficiencies in systems of work or equipment that may pose a risk or impact service delivery.
• Use all work equipment and PPE properly and in accordance with training received.
• Report any issues or training needs to your Line Manager and/or through your divisional incident reporting system.

There’s a place for you at Mitie — join us today! Our market-leading offering provides you with benefits that suit your lifestyle. We have a virtual GP on hand for you and members of your household. So you can get expert advice by video or phone without having to leave your home. We offer financial wellbeing assistance through our Salary Finance scheme. For example, you could access 50% of your earned pay before payday for a small fee. Salary Finance also offers competitive loans. When you join us, we’ll give you a link to our flexible lifestyle benefits platform, Choices. You might choose to purchase up to five extra days’ holiday each year. You might buy critical illness insurance, seek dental treatment or buy technology products at an affordable cost. There are many choices! We give you access to high street discounts from thousands of well-known retailers, gyms and more through our MiDeals platform. And we have a cycle-to-work scheme. Life cover of up to four times your salary is available. We also offer enhanced pension contributions, a save-as-you-earn scheme, and a Mitie Matching Share Plan (you could even be awarded free shares in Mitie). We award our employees with Mitie Stars as recognition for their hard work. There are cash prizes up for grabs each month and at the end of the year there’s a chance to scoop a top prize of £10,000! Our success is a direct result of the experience and quality of our people. Progressing your career is therefore a top priority for us. We offer a diverse variety of training and development avenues via a wide selection of learning resources to suit you. We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. If you have a disability or long‑term condition (for example dyslexia, anxiety, autism, a mobility condition or hearing loss) and need us to make any reasonable adjustments, changes or do anything differently during the recruitment process, please let us know by emailing Aleksandra Otlewska at aleks.otlewska@mitie.com. Since 1987, Mitie’s 80,000 employees have been maintaining companies globally. We are the UK’s leading facilities management and professional services company, and our clients range from household names in banking, critical government sites as well as hospitals and schools. Join our Mitie Team. Together our diversity makes us stronger.