Operations Manager in Bristol

Operations Manager

Robert Half Ltd is working in partnership with this organisation to recruit an experienced Operations Manager for this role.

Salary: Circa £42,000 + excellent benefits package
Hours: Full-time
Location: North Bristol

The Role

We are looking for an experienced and highly capable Operations Manager to take ownership of the day-to-day operational running of a busy, organisation.

This is a broad, hands-on role suited to someone who enjoys being the lynchpin between multiple stakeholders, teams and functions. You will bring together facilities, health & safety, administration, HR and finance, ensuring that everything works effectively behind the scenes so that the wider organisation can focus on delivering its core purpose.

You might come from a multisite retail, hospitality, education, leisure, healthcare or other customer-facing operational environment. What matters most is your ability to manage complexity, build strong relationships and keep multiple priorities moving simultaneously.

You will need to be comfortable spinning multiple plates, responding calmly to changing priorities and knowing when to take ownership, when to delegate and when to bring in specialist support.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Management

• Take overall responsibility for the effective day-to-day operation of multiple sites.
• Coordinate activity across facilities, administration, HR, finance, compliance and other support functions.
• Act as a key point of contact between operational teams, senior leaders, central functions and external suppliers.
• Identify operational issues early and ensure they are resolved quickly and effectively.
• Develop practical processes and systems that improve efficiency, consistency and service delivery.
• Support the implementation of organisational change and new initiatives.

Health, Safety & Compliance

• Ensure appropriate health & safety systems, procedures and risk assessments are in place and maintained.
• Monitor compliance across sites and ensure actions are followed through.
• Coordinate incident, accident and first-aid processes as required.
• Maintain accurate operational records, policies and documentation.
• Work with relevant specialists and senior colleagues to manage safeguarding, compliance and regulatory requirements.

Facilities & Estates

• Oversee the effective management and maintenance of sites, buildings and facilities.
• Coordinate internal site teams and external contractors and service providers.
• Manage facilities-related contracts and ensure suppliers deliver against agreed standards.
• Ensure appropriate fire, emergency and business continuity arrangements are in place.
• Monitor maintenance requirements, repairs and improvements and ensure issues are progressed to completion.

People & HR

• Work closely with HR/People colleagues on recruitment, onboarding, compliance and employee administration.
• Ensure relevant employment records and compliance checks are maintained.
• Coordinate absence and other people-related processes.
• Support managers and colleagues with operational HR matters, escalating to specialist HR support where appropriate.

Finance & Administration

• Work with finance colleagues to monitor budgets, expenditure and operational costs.
• Support purchasing, invoicing and supplier management.
• Ensure operational spend represents good value and is appropriately controlled.
• Oversee administration processes and ensure teams provide an efficient, professional service.
• Maintain accurate records, reports and documentation.

Stakeholder Management

• Build strong and trusted relationships with senior leaders, operational teams, central functions and external partners.
• Act as the link between multiple stakeholders, ensuring information flows effectively and actions are followed through.
• Communicate clearly and confidently with people at all levels.
• Influence and challenge constructively when required while maintaining positive working relationships.
• Represent the organisation professionally with suppliers, contractors and external partners.

About You

We are looking for someone who is:

• An experienced operations professional, ideally with multisite or multi-location experience.
• Comfortable working across a broad range of operational disciplines rather than within a single specialist function.
• Highly organised, able to prioritise effectively and comfortable managing competing demands.
• A natural problem-solver who takes ownership and gets things done.
• A confident and engaging communicator who can build relationships quickly.
• Adaptable and calm under pressure, with the ability to respond to changing circumstances.
• Commercially aware and comfortable working with budgets, suppliers and operational costs.
• Confident working with health & safety, facilities, HR and compliance processes.
• Able to influence and coordinate people without always having direct authority.
• Comfortable moving between strategic thinking and practical, hands-on problem solving.
• Someone who enjoys being the person who keeps all the moving parts connected and on track.

Experience

We would particularly welcome applications from candidates with experience in multisite retail, hospitality, leisure, education, healthcare, property, facilities or other complex customer-facing environments.

You do not need to have worked in the same sector. We are more interested in your operational breadth, judgement, communication skills and ability to manage complexity.

Above all, you will be someone who can walk into a busy environment, understand what needs to happen, bring the right people together and make sure it gets done.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role means that the organisation's sites run safely, efficiently and consistently, people know who to go to when they need help, issues are resolved before they become problems, and senior leaders have confidence that the operational detail is being well managed.

You will be the person who connects the dots, keeps things moving and makes the complicated look straightforward.

Robert Half Ltd acts as an employment business for temporary positions and an employment agency for permanent positions. Robert Half is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. Suitable candidates with equivalent qualifications and more or less experience can apply. Rates of pay and salary ranges are dependent upon your experience, qualifications and training. If you wish to apply, please read our Privacy Notice describing how we may process, disclose and store your personal data: roberthalf.com/gb/en/privacy-notice.