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Assistant Service Centre Manager
Think you can handle the organised chaos of keeping a major rail service fed, stocked, and running like clockwork? We can, and we'd love you to be part of the team!!
We're looking for an Assistant Service Centre Manager to work alongside our Service Centre Manager on the LNER contract. This is proper operational leadership – indirectly managing teams of up to 100 people, solving problems on the fly, and making sure the service centre delivers exactly what's needed, when it's needed.
What you'll be doing:
You're the right hand to the Service Centre Manager, which means you're involved in everything. Safety and food compliance? Non-negotiable. Performance against SLAs? You're all over it. Staff morale and development? That's where you excel.
You'll be leading Operational Duty Managers and team leaders, creating an environment where people actually want to do great work. When processes aren't working, you'll spot the bottlenecks, figure out what's broken, and fix it. Continuous improvement isn't just a buzzword here – it's how we operate.
Expect to get stuck into operations analysis, drive standardisation across service centres, run site audits, and work directly with senior customer stakeholders who expect excellence. You'll also take your turn as the 'On Call Manager' at weekends, overseeing the operation when it matters most.
This isn't a desk job. You'll be visible, hands-on, and trusted to make decisions that keep things moving.
What we need from you:
Significant team leader / management experience – ideally 5+ years leading teams in high-pressure, resource-heavy environments. You've perhaps worked in unionised settings, you understand continuous improvement methodologies, and you know how to balance operational demands with people development.
An IOSH certificate (or similar) is essential because safety comes first, always.
You're confident with MS Office, sharp with numbers, and excellent at communicating with everyone from frontline staff to senior customer reps. Most importantly, you're someone who thrives when there's a lot going on and takes pride in getting it right.
Why this role?
You'll have real responsibility, real impact, and the chance to shape how a major rail service operates every single day. If you're ready to lead, problem-solve, and deliver at pace, this is it.
