Operations Manager

Position: Operations Manager

Location: Birmingham depot (on-site)

Salary Range: £48,000 – £53,000 (guide, depending on experience)

Contract: Full-time, permanent

An established business in the industrial products / recycled materials sector is looking for a hands-on Operations Manager to take day-to-day ownership of its Birmingham depot – a busy outdoor yard and processing site serving local and group customers.

This is not a desk-only planning role. You’ll be out in the yard as much as in the office, leading a mixed team of drivers, yard/production staff and administrators (around 25 people), and acting as the General Manager’s right hand on site.

The company has a strong track record of developing people internally, and this post gives you a clear line of sight into wider depot or general management over time.

The opportunity

As Operations Manager you will

Take the lead on the day-to-day running of the depot – material in, material processed, and material out.

Coordinate collections, drivers and vehicle movements so that inbound and outbound flows hit plan.

Work closely with the yard/production supervisor to keep the operation moving, especially when things don’t go to plan.

Be a visible presence on site – walking the yard, checking loads, equipment and housekeeping, not just steering from behind a screen.

Deputise for the General Manager during holidays or absence, including handling local commercial decisions within agreed parameters.

The site has a very mixed workforce – a core of long-serving employees and newer starters – so this needs someone who can both respect experience and challenge constructively where standards slip.

What you’ll be responsible for

Operational leadership

Own the daily plan for the site: what’s being collected, what’s being tipped and processed, and what’s being loaded out.

Allocate resource across drivers, yard staff and admin to make sure the right people are in the right place at the right time.

Keep close control of yard layout, stock locations and loading bays to avoid bottlenecks.

Transport & yard coordination

Work with the transport function to sequence collections and deliveries around processing capacity and customer requirements.

React to delays, breakdowns or no-shows – re-prioritising drivers and loads to protect service and cost.

People management

Lead a multi-discipline team with a wide range of service lengths and backgrounds.

Set clear expectations, provide regular feedback and deal promptly with performance or conduct issues.

Build a culture where people are comfortable in a tough, industrial environment but also understand standards and procedures.

Safety, compliance & standards

Maintain a strong health & safety culture across the depot – traffic management, housekeeping, equipment use, PPE.

Ensure operating procedures are understood and followed, and that the site is always “audit-ready”.

Support environmental and waste-related compliance requirements applicable to the depot.

Commercial awareness

When deputising for the GM, handle day-to-day commercial conversations – for example, basic pricing discussions with local customers within agreed frameworks.

Keep an eye on cost drivers on site (overtime, vehicle utilisation, waste, rework) and support initiatives to improve performance.

What we’re looking for

To fit well in this role, you will need

Proven experience in operational leadership in a relevant environment – e.g. recycling, waste management, MRF/transfer station, or heavy industrial / manufacturing with yard-based operations.

A track record of being physically present in the operation, not just managing via spreadsheets and email.

Experience managing mixed teams – drivers, yard/production staff and administrators – ideally 15–30 people.

Strong health & safety mindset and experience maintaining standards in non-glamorous, industrial settings.

Confidence to stand in for your manager, make sensible decisions, and represent the site to internal stakeholders and local customers.

Solid organisational skills – comfortable juggling collections, processing and outbound loads without losing sight of the detail.

Clear, straightforward communication style; able to gain respect from long-serving staff as well as bring newer people with you.

A continuous improvement mindset – spotting small operational gains and following them through.

Background in distribution/warehouse-only environments can be considered if you can clearly demonstrate success in tough, outdoor/yard-based operations rather than purely indoor DCs.

Why this role?

Take genuine ownership of a live, complex depot operation, not just part of the process.

Join a business with a strong internal progression track record across depots and wider group roles.

Work closely with an experienced General Manager and senior team who understand the sector and value hands-on operators.

Have the scope to shape culture and standards at a key site for the business.

If you’re an operations leader who thrives in real-world industrial environments and wants the chance to run a busy depot end-to-end, we’d like to hear from you.