Group Operations Director

Group Operations Director

Construction / Consultancy

North West | £120k - £140k +/-

An ambitious, entrepreneurial multi-entity construction and technical services group is seeking a commercially astute Group Operations Director to help lead the next stage of its growth journey.

This is a pivotal appointment within a founder-led business that has built an outstanding reputation delivering projects across public sector, residential and commercial environments, primarily in the North West but nationally as needed.

The business has experienced significant growth over the last decade and as it enjoys it's best revenue period to date (TO sub £30m), they are now entering a new phase focused on operational maturity, scalability, governance and leadership evolution. As such, they are looking to appoint an experienced Group Operations Director from within the construction and consultancy sector, bringing a strong understanding of operational best practice and the opportunities and challenges associated with scaling a growing SME.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Reporting directly to the founder, this role will take ownership of operational performance across the group, providing leadership and oversight to the Business Unit leaders whilst working with each to help shape and refine divisional strategy. The successful individual will drive accountability against those plans, elevate operational standards and bring greater consistency, structure and cohesion to the way the organisation operates and delivers for its clients.

This is not a role for someone who wants to sit above the detail or have a purely internal view. You must maintain close visibility across all projects, engage directly with clients and proactively identify delivery risks, commercial challenges and opportunities for improvement.

The successful individual will combine strategic capability with hands-on operational leadership, helping to:

• Drive operational performance across all business units
• Improve governance, reporting and accountability
• Strengthen commercial and project risk management
• Support and challenge divisional leaders
• Embed scalable systems, processes and operational cadence
• Improve visibility around project delivery, margin and cashflow
• Lead operational meetings, reporting and performance reviews
• Act as the escalation point for operational and client issues
• Reduce founder dependency on day-to-day operations

THE PERSON

We’re looking for an experienced operational leader who understands how growing SMEs work and knows how to professionalise a business without over-corporatising it.

This person will bring:

• Strong operational leadership experience within construction, contracting, engineering or technical services environments
• Commercially strong with excellent project and operational risk awareness
• Experience scaling teams, structures and operational processes
• Strong leadership capability with the ability to challenge and influence senior stakeholders
• Credibility with operational teams and clients alike
• A pragmatic, sleeves-rolled-up approach
• Experience implementing operational cadence, governance and reporting structures
• The ability to thrive in entrepreneurial, fast-paced environments

The culture is energetic, ambitious and collaborative, and this role requires someone visible, present and genuinely invested in helping the business evolve.

This is an exceptional opportunity to join a business with significant momentum, a clear sense of identity, strong market positioning and genuine long-term growth potential.