Head of Operational Delivery in Salisbury

VIVO provides facilities management and accommodation maintenance for the UK military and its partners. VIVO embodies both experience and innovation.

What we do: We put our Customers and Families First. They are the driving force behind everything we do. We drive forward improvements for them to ensure the service they receive, whether reactive repairs or a major project, is completed safely and on time. In order to achieve this, we have 4 core values: open, caring, agile and collaborative. These are at the heart of everything we do.

VIVO maintains and improves critical defence infrastructure across the UK, helping ensure the environments that support our Armed Forces remain safe, compliant and operationally effective. We are seeking an exceptional operational leader to join our DSTL contract in Salisbury as Head of Operational Delivery. This is a highly visible, site‑based leadership role responsible for stabilising operational performance, driving service improvement and creating a culture of accountability, ownership and delivery excellence across a complex engineering and maintenance environment.

This role will suit someone who thrives on solving operational challenges, leading large teams through change and delivering measurable improvements in performance, customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.

The Opportunity: Reporting directly to the Operations Director, you will take ownership of operational performance across the DSTL estate, leading the recovery and continuous improvement of planned and reactive maintenance services. Working closely with customers, operational teams and supply chain partners, you will bring structure, discipline and clear accountability to service delivery, ensuring the contract delivers against its operational, financial and compliance objectives.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading the recovery and improvement of operational service delivery across engineering and maintenance activities.
• Reducing maintenance backlogs and improving productivity, responsiveness and service performance.
• Embedding robust planning, governance and performance management processes.
• Providing leadership across engineering, maintenance and operational teams to ensure safe, compliant and effective delivery.
• Driving improvements in health, safety, compliance and operational assurance standards.
• Taking ownership of operational budgets, financial performance and cost control.
• Strengthening relationships with DSTL stakeholders through visible leadership and consistent delivery.
• Improving subcontractor and supply chain performance through effective governance and accountability.
• Developing a high‑performing culture focused on ownership, continuous improvement and operational excellence.
• Supporting wider transformation, performance recovery and service improvement initiatives across the contract.

About You: We're looking for a credible and resilient operational leader with a proven track record of improving performance within complex service delivery environments. You will bring:

• Significant leadership experience within engineering, maintenance, facilities management or operational service delivery environments.
• Demonstrable success leading operational turnaround, stabilisation or performance improvement programmes.
• Experience improving productivity, reducing backlogs and enhancing customer outcomes.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including budget ownership and cost control.
• Experience leading large operational teams and managing specialist subcontractors and supply chain partners.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence customers, suppliers and senior leaders.
• A data‑driven approach to performance improvement and decision making.
• Excellent communication, leadership and people development capability.
• Experience within Defence, Government, Infrastructure or other highly regulated environments.
• Knowledge of SFG20 maintenance standards and asset maintenance frameworks.
• Qualifications or experience in Lean, Six Sigma, Operational Excellence or Continuous Improvement methodologies.
• Professional membership or leadership qualifications relevant to engineering, facilities management or operational leadership.

The Leadership Style We Value: You’ll be a visible, authentic and hands‑on leader who:

• Creates clarity, structure and accountability.
• Leads through credibility, action and delivery.
• Builds trust through consistency and results.
• Challenges constructively and drives positive change.
• Develops high‑performing teams and future leaders.
• Maintains an unwavering focus on safety, customer outcomes and operational excellence.

Why Join VIVO? This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in one of the UK's most important defence infrastructure environments. You’ll have the autonomy to shape operational performance, lead meaningful change and deliver lasting improvements across a strategically significant contract, while working alongside talented colleagues committed to excellence, innovation and service delivery.

At VIVO, we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. Therefore, we will make reasonable adjustments at interview through to employment for our candidates and strongly encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool. We are open to discussions around flexibility and flexible working and operate a hybrid work structure in many of our business areas. We are proudly a Disability Confident Leader. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview.