At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and optimise service operations for a major vending solutions provider.
- Company: Selecta, Europe's largest self-serve coffee and convenience food provider.
- Benefits: 25 days leave, life assurance, health cash plan, and attractive bonus scheme.
- Other info: Join a diverse team committed to creating moments of joy for everyone.
- Why this job: Drive transformation in a tech-led environment and make a real impact.
- Qualifications: Senior operational leadership experience in vending or related fields required.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 € per year.
About Selecta
Selecta is the largest provider of unattended self-serve coffee and convenience food in Europe, leading the way in vending solutions and specialist coffee services. Selecta operates across 16 countries within Europe, serving 12 million people every day. Within the UK, we deliver a national service trusted by circa 3,500 businesses to provide digital-first vending solutions across workplaces, schools, universities, hospitals, transport hubs, and other high-traffic environments.
As a 24/7 food and drinks distribution and technology-led powerhouse, Selecta provides millions of moments of joy to end consumers across Europe. Our solutions include digital vending machines, coffee machines, smart fridges, snack markets, and other unattended retail formats. The UK business is undergoing continued transformation into a data-led, service excellence-driven unattended retail platform, powered by technology, operational discipline, and customer-centric execution.
Role Overview
We are hiring a Service Director to play a pivotal role in driving the development and success of Selecta’s UK&I Service and Operations strategy. Reporting directly to the Managing Director UK&I, this role is responsible for leading and optimising all service operations, ensuring high machine uptime, efficient field service leadership, strong customer retention, and operational profitability. It also includes leadership of a large, geographically dispersed field workforce, ensuring performance, capability, and engagement are aligned to operational and commercial outcomes.
This role oversees operations covering field operations, technical operations, fleet, training and development, planning coupled with operational budget ownership. It also plays a critical role in:
- Technology adoption (telemetry, cashless, automation)
- Continuous improvement and process optimisation
- Strategic operational transformation
- Training, Development and leading team engagement
- Supporting finance with budget preparation, budget execution
Role Purpose
The Service Director is accountable for leading the end-to-end performance of UK field service and operational execution, ensuring:
- Maximum machine uptime and availability
- High-quality, efficient field service delivery
- Strong SLA compliance and customer satisfaction
- Cost-efficient, data-driven operational execution
- Continuous improvement in productivity and service quality
- Strong alignment between operational delivery and commercial outcomes
- Ownership of the operational budgets covering Fleet, FTE, Inventory controls, setting and leading required KPI’s
- Key stakeholder with Clients, UK Exec, Selecta Group, Selecta C Suite and other country SD’s
This role is central to transforming Selecta UK into a high-performance, technology-enabled unattended retail operation, delivering scalable service excellence and improved profitability.
Your Key Duties & Responsibilities
- Operational Leadership & Service Strategy Execution
- Lead all UK field operations across vending, coffee, smart retail, and unattended solutions
- Deliver operational KPIs including uptime, SLA compliance, response times, and service quality
- Drive execution discipline through structured daily, weekly, and monthly operational cadence
- Build a high-performance, accountable, KPI-driven operational culture
- Ensure alignment between field execution and commercial priorities
- Translate service strategy into consistent operational delivery across all regions
- Comply with all legislation covering H&S, O Licence and People
- Service Excellence & Technical Performance
- Own machine uptime, first-time fix rate, engineer productivity, and service responsiveness
- Improve preventative maintenance strategies and reduce reactive service demand
- Standardise technical processes across equipment types and vending platforms
- Drive engineering capability, performance standards, and technical excellence
- Ensure readiness for smart vending, coffee systems, and unattended retail innovation
- Collaborate with Procurement & Supply Chain Director on parts & F&B availability, supplier performance, and cost optimisation
- Field Operations, Routing & Logistics Efficiency
- Optimise all routing, dispatch, and field service scheduling
- O Licence compliance – Ensure legal compliance inline with the company’s operator’s licence
- Improve FTE utilisation, labour productivity, and service density
- Reduce cost per service call, travel time, and operational inefficiencies
- Drive telemetry-led servicing and predictive maintenance models
- Transition operations toward automated, data-driven planning and execution
- Improve depot-level execution consistency and operational flow
- Cost Control & Commercial Performance
- Deliver operational contribution to gross margin and EBITDA improvement
- Reduce cost-to-serve through productivity, efficiency, and waste reduction
- Improve refill compliance and execution standards at point of sale
- Support financial performance through disciplined operational execution
- Partner with Finance, Commercial, HR and the Procurement & Supply Chain Director to deliver cost efficiency and margin improvement
- Eliminate operational waste, inefficiency, and avoidable service costs
- Customer Experience, SLAs & Retention
- Ensure delivery against all customer SLAs and contractual obligations
- Drive high levels of customer satisfaction and retention across key accounts
- Own operational escalation management and service recovery plans
- Ensure fast resolution of service issues across all regions
- Support onboarding and mobilisation of new contracts with Commercial teams
- Maintain strong relationships with strategic customers through service excellence
- Health, Safety & Compliance (in partnership with H&S function)
- Ensure full compliance with HSE, food safety, and regulatory standards
- Work closely with the dedicated Health & Safety team to embed safe working practices
- Support operational risk management and incident reduction programmes
- Maintain audit readiness across depots, vehicles, and field operations
- Promote a strong safety-first culture across all operational teams
- Ensure safety is embedded into operational planning and daily execution
- Transformation, Technology & Continuous Improvement
- Lead operational transformation across digital tools, telemetry, and automation
- Improve real-time visibility of performance through dashboards and KPI reporting
- Drive adoption of smart vending, cashless payment systems, and remote diagnostics
- Simplify operational processes to improve scalability and reduce complexity
- Embed continuous improvement across field, depot, and operational teams
- Enable transition toward predictive, data-led service models
Key Performance Indicators
Performance in this role is measured against a balanced scorecard of service, productivity, commercial, execution and safety KPIs:
- Service & Availability – Machine uptime %, SLA compliance %, First-time fix rate, On-time service delivery %
- Productivity – Route productivity, Engineer utilisation %, Labour productivity
- Commercial – Gross margin improvement, Operational EBITDA delivery, Customer retention %
- Execution – Refill compliance, Planogram execution, Waste & stock loss reduction
- Safety & Compliance – Health & Safety incident reduction, Audit pass rates, Regulatory compliance
What You Bring / Requirements
- Senior operational leadership experience in vending, unattended retail, FMCG, food service, logistics, or facilities management
- Proven track record leading large, geographically dispersed field service or operational teams
- Strong experience delivering operational transformation, efficiency gains, and measurable performance improvement
- Hands‑on management of operational budgets, cost-to-serve, and productivity at scale
- Strong SLA-driven service delivery and customer retention background
- Experience in PE-backed or performance-driven environments (preferred)
- Familiarity with vending, coffee systems, or automated retail technologies (preferred)
Core Skills & Leadership Capability
- Large-scale operational leadership with strong execution discipline
- Commercial and financial acumen with clear linkage between operations and P&L outcomes
- Data-driven decision-making using KPIs, dashboards, and operational analytics
- Continuous improvement mindset with proven delivery of measurable results
- Strong change leadership and ability to drive cultural transformation
- Strong people leadership capability, including workforce planning, performance management, and capability development of large field-based teams
- High-impact stakeholder management across Commercial, Finance, HR, Procurement & Supply Chain.
- Hands‑on operational credibility combined with strategic thinking
- Strong customer focus with accountability for service quality and retention
- Structured problem-solving and calm decision-making in high-pressure environments
Leadership Expectations
- Visible, hands‑on leader across depots, field teams, and customer sites
- Drives pace, accountability, and consistent operational discipline
- Builds a high-performance culture anchored in KPIs, standards, and execution cadence
- Balances strategic transformation with strong day-to-day operational delivery
- Owns field team performance culture, ensuring clear expectations, coaching, and accountability across all levels of the operation
- Works in close partnership with Procurement, Commercial, Finance, HR, and Health & Safety
- Leads through clarity, structure, and consistent performance management
What’s in it for you?
- 25 days of annual leave plus bank holidays
- Life assurance equivalent to 4x your yearly salary
- Five weeks of occupational paid sick leave for added security
- Free parking at our Head Office and other depot locations
- Unlimited coffee and tea to keep you refreshed
- Clear career progression paths with development opportunities
- Strong leadership support to help you thrive
- Employee recognition scheme to celebrate your contributions
- Mental health and wellbeing support, including access to mental health first aiders
- Health Cash Plan
- Very attractive bonus scheme for those who exceed targets
At Selecta, we are committed to equal opportunities, diversity, and inclusion, embracing our differences to achieve our common goal. We are united in our principle of making people feel great, and we are grounded by our purpose to create more moments of joy for everyone through our ways of working. We welcome applications from all individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws. If you require any adjustments or accommodations during the recruitment process, please let us know.
Service Director UKI employer: Selecta
Selecta is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment where innovation meets operational excellence. With a strong focus on employee growth, we provide clear career progression paths, robust leadership support, and a culture that celebrates diversity and inclusion. Located in the UK, our team enjoys attractive benefits such as generous annual leave, health cash plans, and an enticing bonus scheme, all while contributing to a mission that brings joy to millions every day.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Service Director UKI
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, attend events, and connect with potential colleagues on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching Selecta's values and recent developments. Tailor your answers to show how your experience aligns with their mission of delivering service excellence and operational efficiency.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your pitch! Be ready to explain how your leadership style and operational expertise can drive Selecta’s transformation into a high-performance, technology-enabled operation. Confidence is key!
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in being part of the Selecta team.
We think you need these skills to ace Service Director UKI
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight how your experience aligns with the Service Director role. We want to see how you can drive operational excellence and customer satisfaction, so don’t hold back on showcasing relevant achievements!
Showcase Your Leadership Skills:As a Service Director, you'll be leading a large team, so it's crucial to demonstrate your leadership capabilities. Share examples of how you've successfully managed teams, improved performance, and driven cultural transformation in previous roles.
Be Data-Driven:Since this role is all about optimising operations and improving service quality, make sure to include any experience you have with data analysis and KPIs. We love candidates who can make informed decisions based on solid metrics!
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to submit your application through our website for the best chance of being noticed. It’s the easiest way for us to keep track of your application and ensure it gets into the right hands!
How to prepare for a job interview at Selecta
✨Know Your Stuff
Before the interview, dive deep into Selecta's operations and services. Understand their vending solutions, coffee services, and how they leverage technology for customer satisfaction. This knowledge will help you demonstrate your genuine interest and align your experience with their needs.
✨Showcase Leadership Skills
As a Service Director, you'll need to lead a large team. Prepare examples of how you've successfully managed teams in the past, focusing on performance improvement and operational excellence. Highlight your ability to drive change and foster a high-performance culture.
✨Be Data-Driven
Selecta values data-led decision-making. Be ready to discuss how you've used KPIs and analytics to improve service delivery and operational efficiency. Share specific metrics or results from your previous roles that showcase your impact on productivity and customer satisfaction.
✨Engage with Their Vision
Familiarise yourself with Selecta's transformation goals and their focus on technology adoption. During the interview, express your enthusiasm for their vision and how you can contribute to their journey towards becoming a high-performance, technology-enabled operation.
