Service Manager-VIVO - Built Estate in England

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

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.

Location: RAF Shawbury – on site role

Position: Permanent, Full time

Salary: £38,000 – £42,000

Are you a driven and experienced leader who thrives in a fast‑paced operational environment? Do you enjoy solving problems, leading teams, and building strong customer relationships while delivering safe, efficient and high‑quality services? We are looking for an outstanding Operations Manager to oversee the day‑to‑day delivery of estate and operational services, ensuring performance targets are achieved, customer expectations are exceeded, and teams are empowered to perform at their very best.

This is a varied and rewarding leadership role where no two days are the same. You will play a vital role in supporting customers, managing operational priorities, developing people, and ensuring the smooth delivery of services across a complex and dynamic environment.

As Operations Manager, you will be responsible for supporting the successful delivery of estate management and maintenance services, ensuring operations run safely, efficiently and in line with contractual standards. You will act as a key point of contact for customers and stakeholders, providing practical and effective solutions to operational requirements while ensuring issues are resolved quickly and professionally.

Building strong working relationships with Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), Heads of Establishment, end users, and internal teams will be central to your success. You will support customers with the development of new work requirements, including Additional Works project submissions, while assisting in the resolution of complaints in a timely and customer‑focused manner. You will also work closely with Helpdesk teams, providing professional and technical guidance where required.

A core part of the role will involve leading and coordinating the day‑to‑day activities of the site team. You will provide supervision, coaching and performance support to ensure teams consistently achieve agreed service levels, deliver value for money, and maintain high standards of workmanship. You will monitor safe working practices across site operations, ensuring Skilled Persons and operatives comply with JSP 375 and all relevant health and safety procedures. You will actively promote a positive safety culture where teams take ownership, accountability and pride in their performance.

You will also be responsible for driving operational performance through effective planning, prioritisation, problem solving and decision making, ensuring all activities are delivered efficiently and to the highest standard.

About You

We are seeking a confident and capable manager with strong operational leadership experience within construction, property maintenance, estates management or a related environment. You will have demonstrable experience supervising teams, managing operational delivery and leading people to achieve KPIs and service excellence. You will be comfortable planning, directing and controlling multiple activities while balancing changing priorities and operational demands.

You will have experience managing safe systems of work and a strong understanding of health, safety and compliance responsibilities within a site‑based environment. A HNC or equivalent qualification in Building/Civil Engineering, Electrical/Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline is desirable, although equivalent practical experience will also be considered. A management‑level health and safety qualification such as SMSTS is also highly valued.

Strong communication skills, sound judgement and the ability to resolve problems quickly and effectively will be essential for success in this role. The ability to obtain and maintain SC Clearance will be a condition of your employment.

What We Offer

• 6% employee matched pension contribution
• 25 days annual leave
• Single private medical cover
• Life assurance 2x annual salary
• 1x professional subscription per year

Equal Opportunities

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.