Chelmsford, England, United Kingdom
An accomplished Head of Operations/Service with 18 years operational & people management experience including 11 years working in a senior leadership role within the passenger transport industry in both the regulated & de-regulated market & public sector. Positioned to deliver excellence in leadership through a wide range of people & operational activities & leading on the development and delivery of business strategy. Ensuring the control & organization of multi-site operations as cost-effectively & professionally as possible, providing focus on cost performance through tight cost management & reduction. Driving improvements through developing and embedding operational excellence framework and leading on continuous improvement activity. Maximizing customer service delivery & contributing to the delivery of financial & qualitative targets. Extensive multi-site management experience with accountability for all aspects of operational performance including a fleet size of over 300 vehicles, a headcount of over 750 employees & over 70 routes at 4 main depot sites within a geographically dispersed region. Led a team of highly skilled individuals to support delivery of strategic aims in a public sector setting. Experienced in leading people through change, challenging working practices & demonstrating good project management skills & the tenacity to make change happen by championing & embedding initiatives that improve work processes, aid organisational development & delivering transformational change. An influential and inspiring leader with significant experience in strategic development and implementation, all aspects of people & performance management, with a good understanding of HR processes & providing guidance to the management team when support is required. Proficient in leading strategic development and executing plans. Significant experience in dealing with complex employee relations matters & ensuring positive relationships are maintained between all departments. Considerable experience leading & participating in the management of trade union relationships, including negotiation with trade unions on behalf of our employees. Vast experience leading on health & safety management, ensuring arrangements and regulations are complied with. Educated to Masters level, I have demonstrated continued professional and academic development gaining a 2:1 MSc in Leadership & Management in July 2018 & I have also achieved a 2:1 BA honours in International Business, supplemented by a further Advanced Diploma in Management Studies (level 7).
I currently work as Head of Operational Strategy, Performance and Compliance working within the Customer Services function of Essex County Council. I am a member of the Customer Senior Leadership Team with accountability for the leadership, direction and performance of the Operational Strategy, Performance & Compliance Hub. This includes accountability for the development and execution of the Business Change and Technology Plan and developing the wider Strategy for Customer. The role is also accountable for the management of Customer, Corporate and Statutory Complaints and Local Government Ombudsman co-ordination. My core responsibilities include: Operational Strategy: Produce and implement the Operational Strategy, Performance & Compliance Business and Technology Plan. Engage with key stakeholders for effective and timely execution. Support other Customer Heads of Service in developing operational strategy. Lead Business & Technology Project Management & Delivery. Provide leadership and direction for Continuous Improvement Initiatives. Facilitate service and customer experience improvements across all 'Customer Journeys.' Oversee resource and demand planning across Customer. Customer Insight, Performance & Reporting: Produce reporting on all Customer operational performance, quality, compliance, and providing insight to inform operational strategy and service improvement across Customer. Provide leadership for a unified view of Customer Performance and provide Customer Insight. Develop Dashboards and Reports. Customer, Corporate and Statutory Complaints: Manage and oversee Customer, Corporate, and Statutory Complaints. Coordinate Local Government Ombudsman activities. Act as ECC’s Formal Corporate Complaints process owner. Quality and Compliance: Oversee the Customer compliance. Work with Customer Heads of Service to take remedial action. Develop and monitor action plans. Oversee the audit and reporting Compliance process.
Accountable for all aspects of operational performance in the Operating Company.Reporting directly to the MD, the role leads the strategic direction of the Operating Company & fulfilment of all legal responsibilities, working as part of the senior leadership team. The role involves coaching & development of managers to help them to get the best out of their teams. Aligning the teams with the organisation's vision & values, the role requires translating business strategy into clear action plans. Leading people through change, challenging working practices & demonstrating good project management skills & the tenacity to make change happen by championing & embedding initiatives that improve the way we work. Customer focused & driven to provide our customers with an even better service. Commercially aware & the ability to analyse information and make sound decisions to maximise business and financial performance. The importance of being an influential and inspiring leader with a good understanding of HR processes and employee engagement. Having the agility and resilience to balance costs and operational needs whilst looking after the teams, making sure everyone is productive and feels valued. Leading the Service Performance Team and leveraging technology to effectively manage service performance, fostering excellent working relationships between drivers and the Service Performance Team. Responsible for leading the Training & Recruitment team, ensuring training & recruitment processes are managed efficiently as possible and resources are maximised. Supporting the development and implementation of a comprehensive external stakeholder engagement plan, enhancing the company's reputation & gaining support from the local business and political community. Participation & proactive management of trade union relationships, including negotiation with trade unions on behalf of our operations employees. Ensuring positive relationships are maintained between all departments.
Organise & control the operations of the depots in the division as cost-effectively & professionally as possible, whilst maximising customer service, contributing positively to the financial & qualitative targets of GNE as a whole. Ensure there are adequate vehicle & manpower resources to meet the daily requirements of service delivery to customers. Oversee performance of the Depot Managers in the division & ensure reliability of services. Monitor the financial & operating performance of the division & liaise with the commercial department to establish continuous improvement in the performance of the service network. Actively pursue strong & regular liaison with all other internal functions. Liaise with local trade union representatives & participate in formal consultation & negotiation where appropriate. Work closely with the Recruitment Co-ordinator & training department to maximize recruitment and retention to meet agreed establishment levels. Ensure all depot staff work to & within all policies & follow agreed procedures at all times. Responsible for the conducting of disciplinary & grievance hearings in accordance with set procedures & that all staff act within current employment law & company procedures. Carry out annual appraisals upon all staff & identify any training needs. Take steps to reduce accidents & ensure conformance to the H&S management & legislation. Ensure compliance with road traffic (driving hours), working time, employment, competition act as appropriate by all staff within the division. Control depot costs including overtime, sickness, accidents & traffic expenditure whilst attempting to maximize profitability. Involvement in the construction of budgets & help to build & implement strategies, to effect financial improvement to the business. Represent the company at meetings with external stakeholders. Submit precise period management reports & attend divisional, operations & senior management meetings & contribute at such meetings.
Successfully completed the 18-month Go-Ahead Graduate Management Training Programme, receiving positive feedback from each transport sector. Worked as an Assistant Operating Manager in a large depot for a 3 year period & jointly managed 640 staff. Promoted to Operating Manager in May 2010 until present, working at small to medium sized location for 1 year before returning to the largest depot in the Company. Demonstrated the ability to manage all depot activities and shown the flexibility to adapt well within a new team environment & manage efficiently at different locations Continued to develop people skills through staff management including discipline and dealing sympathetically with personal or domestic issues. Ability to organise & prioritise workload focusing on key performance areas. Ability to make decisions based on fact-finds, disciplinary hearings, appeals or other day-to-day management issues. Ensuring internal audits are completed regularly, providing guidance to staff on results of external audits. Making sure that Company health & safety procedures are complied with. Ability to follow Company procedures and manage the disciplinary process in a structured, meticulous way. Ability to think strategically & make important operational decisions. Able to work in a Unionised environment and build relationships with Representatives. Awareness of budget targets & able to prepare for & deliver performance reviews. Assisted with staff development & supported Supervisors acting in a management capacity. Identified staff for development in administrative roles & trained them up to become multi functional across all aspects of administrative and supervisory roles. Efficient staff utilisation & focus on achieving budget targets & KPI’s. Conforming to Health & Safety procedures by implementing safe systems of work and communicating safety issues to staff through instruction, guidance, cascading information and proactive surveillance/supervision.