Operations Manager in Newport

Location: Newport

Salary: £40,000-£60,000 DOE

Direct Reports: 7 Operational Team Members (Administrators, Sales Progression, Customer Support, Bookkeeper)

Sector: Property / Auction Services

Are you a natural system-builder who thrives on turning individual knowledge into a predictable, scalable engine? Can you lead a team of 7 professionals to look at an operational bottleneck not as a daily frustration, but as an optimisation project waiting to happen? Are you ready to take the operational reins of a growing property auction business and build the framework that allows it to double its event capacity?

Role Purpose: The Operations Manager will spearhead the operational evolution of the business. The core mandate is to transition the company from a model reliant on individual knowledge to a scalable, process-driven engine. Working hand-in-hand with the Sales Manager, you will build the systems, compliance structures, and team capabilities required to scale annual auction capacity from 10 to 15–20 events, all while maintaining an exceptional customer experience.

The Mission: Turn operational excellence into a competitive advantage. Build a business that is structured to scale, highly predictable, and entirely customer-focused.

Key Responsibilities

• Operational Leadership & People Development
  • Lead & Motivate: Manage a direct team of 7 operational professionals, fostering a culture of accountability, professionalism, and continuous improvement.
  • Performance Management: Conduct regular 1-to-1s, set clear performance objectives, and manage workloads to ensure optimal resource allocation.
  • Upskilling & Training: Design and execute structured induction programs, cross-training frameworks, and skills matrices to eliminate single points of dependency.
• Process Optimisation & Systemisation
  • SOP Creation: Architect and document Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) across all core functions (e.g., AML compliance, client onboarding, legal pack management, sales progression, and financial admin).
  • Automation & Efficiency: Identify bottlenecks, eliminate redundant administrative tasks, and implement smart workflow or CRM automation where appropriate.
• Customer Experience & Quality Control
  • Service Standards: Define, monitor, and elevate customer service benchmarks across the entire end-to-end auction lifecycle.
  • Root-Cause Analysis: Personally handle escalated issues and analyse complaint trends to implement permanent operational fixes.
• Growth, Capacity Planning & Finance
  • Scaling Strategy: Conduct capacity analyses and workflow redesigns to determine the commercial feasibility of increasing the annual auction calendar.
  • Financial Control: Partner with the Bookkeeper and MD to manage operational budgets, control overheads, and improve overall profitability.
  • Compliance & Risk: Ensure rigid compliance with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations, data protection laws, and internal financial controls.

Personal Attributes

• A natural system-builder who thrives on creating order, structure, and consistency.
• Uses metrics, evidence, and clear KPIs to guide operational strategies.
• Comfortable questioning the status quo to find better, faster, and smarter ways of working.
• Maintains a calm, authoritative demeanour under pressure and balances high-level strategy with hands-on execution.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Customer satisfaction scores, turnaround times, and a measurable reduction in complaints.
• SLA achievement rates, error reduction, workflow efficiency, and case completion times.
• Training completion rates, cross-training coverage matrix, and staff retention.
• Volume of formalized SOPs implemented and verified team compliance.
• Operational readiness for increased auction frequency without service degradation.

Success in the First 12 Months:

• Successfully reduced the Managing Director’s involvement in day-to-day operational bottlenecks, freeing them to focus on strategic growth.
• Built and deployed a comprehensive library of documented SOPs used consistently across the entire support team.
• Delivered a rigorous operational capacity plan detailing the exact staffing, technology, and workflow adjustments required to scale from 10 to up to 20 auctions per year.
• Created a highly collaborative, cross-trained operational department with a clear, seamless communication pipeline bridging Sales and Operations.

If you are interested and have the relevant experience, please apply with an up-to-date copy of your CV.

As champions of diversity and inclusion in the workplace, THOMAS Professional commit to reviewing applications we receive with complete fairness and equality. At THOMAS Professional, we are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the application or interview process, please let us know, and we’ll be happy to accommodate your needs.

THOMAS Professional is acting as an agency on behalf of the client for this position. THOMAS Professional is proud to be a corporate member of the REC, the recruitment industry's leading professional body.