Operations Manager

Role Purpose

The Operations Manager is responsible for managing day-to-day operations, including scheduling, logistics, and operational support for consultants and internal teams. This role ensures smooth delivery of services, efficient resource utilisation, and high-quality client experiences. Additionally, the role provides operational insight to formulate business strategy and drives continuous improvement across processes.

Key Responsibilities

Operations

·       Schedule consultant engagements and manage diaries

·       Liaise with clients and internal teams to coordinate delivery

·       Oversee travel arrangements, hotel bookings, and course materials

·       Support virtual training setup and ensure technical readiness

·       Prepare risk assessments and maintain operational documentation

·       Manage end-to-end delivery of consulting and training services

·       Drive efficiency and improve customer experience

·       Develop, refine, and ensure compliance with operational processes to maximise efficiency and consistency

·       Monitor and optimise consultant utilisation to achieve client-facing delivery targets

·       Implement and enforce fatigue management standards to safeguard consultant wellbeing and service quality

·       Determine operational requirements and be responsible for scheduling resources and logistics to achieve success within time and cost

constraints

·       Monitor and track operational activity to ensure preparation, planning and execution is completed in a cost-effective manner

·       Delegate and allocate responsibilities effectively and efficiently to manage operational end-to-end delivery

·       Set and maintain operational guidelines and policies and ensure these are being followed

·       Create opportunities to challenge existing practices and experiment with ideas to find best solutions to improve customer experience, operational efficiency and deliver value

·       Effectively manage shortfalls, complaints, findings and observations (NCR or QDR).

·       Manage multiple tasks and projects, determining priorities as appropriate; with the flexibility to adapt and adjust to unforeseen circumstances

Financial Management

·       Validate supplier invoices and prepare financial schedules

·       Provide operational and commercial oversight to ensure profitable delivery and ongoing achievement of utilisation performance

·       Authorise Associate Consultant expenditure, maintaining within budget

People

·       Lead and support the Operations Admin Team

·       Recruit, coach, and manage team members

·       Ensure office coverage and smooth running of training logistics

·       Build and lead operations team effectively, inspiring others to achieve the required outcomes and goals

·       Identify and maintain the appropriate balance of resources necessary to efficiently deliver business objectives

·       Promote diversity and encourage inclusivity

·       Motivate team to drive high performance

·       Celebrate individual and team success

·       Exercise full management authority, including recruitment, appraisals, pay proposals, termination and other personnel actions

Suppliers

·       Coordinate Associate Consultant engagements

·       Manage supplier relationships and assess value for money

·       Own relationships with companies supplying the Operations Department

·       Assess in line with ISO value for money on supplier service

Reporting & Improvement

·       Provide operational reports and insights

·       Identify and implement process improvements

·       Provide operational insight to Operations Director

Candidate Requirements

Essential Skills and Attributes

·       Strong organisational and communication skills

·       Ability to lead, manage, inspire and performance-manage a team

·       Knowledge of how to build and operate a training operation in a commercial environment

·       Ability to make independent, well thought through decisions

·       Capability to improve efficiency and quality of support systems and processes

·       Ability to take initiative and drive change

·       Able to develop relationships with individuals at all levels throughout the business

·       Capacity to read situations, understand environments and respond accordingly

·       Capable of prioritising between revenue generating actions and time-consuming tasks with low yield impact

·       Well-developed interpersonal, adaptive influencing and supervisory management skills

·       Mentality of client service and taking responsibility beyond direct duties

·       High level of motivation, determination and commitment

Experience & Qualifications

·       Experience in the aviation or travel industry

·       Proficiency in Microsoft Office and scheduling tools

·       Proven team management and problem-solving abilities

·       Strong leadership and decision-making capabilities

·       Experience in training and consulting operations

·       Demonstrable ability to effectively lead both local and remote teams

·       Experience of training and consulting resource management within an entrepreneurial business