Head of Operations - Northern Region

Head of Operations - Northern Region

"Multi-site leadership across two operational centres. Home-based collections, facility transfers, sensitive handling and field logistics"

65,000 to 75,000 plus benefits

Based between sites in the North West and East Midlands

For Operators Who Want Their Leadership To Matter - Every Single Day.

Leading people and services that matter deeply to families. Supporting teams who enter private homes and sensitive environments at life's most delicate moments, where empathy, dignity and operational excellence must work together.

About the Role

This is a rare and meaningful senior operational leadership opportunity.

You will take ownership of a highly sensitive, multi-site field service operating at critical moments in people's lives. One site is well established in the North West; a second site in the East Midlands has been acquired and will be mobilised during 2026. You will be responsible for stabilising and elevating the existing operation while preparing the second for full integration into a unified Northern regional model.

This role exists because the scale, complexity and emotional weight of the service have outgrown a manager-only structure. What is required now is a senior operational leader with the authority, judgement and confidence to take decisions locally, reduce dependency on distant escalation, and create consistency across sites.

The service includes urgent and planned home-based collections, facility transfers from hospitals, hospices, care homes and mortuaries, controlled handling within specialist environments, and the preparation and delivery of ashes. Teams enter private homes daily, supporting families in highly emotional circumstances, requiring the utmost professionalism, compassion and respect.

Operationally, you will oversee field crews operating in private-ambulance-style vehicles, scheduling and workforce planning, rota accuracy, fleet readiness, safety, compliance, MI, service recovery and the mobilisation of the new site.

This is a 24/7 essential service. The role demands calm, grounded leadership and the operational discipline to run a time-critical operation where mistakes carry human, reputational and organisational consequences.

You will act as the senior operational authority for the Northern region - a visible leader who provides clarity, structure and reassurance to teams, and confidence to the wider organisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead operational teams across two sites, ensuring professional behaviour and compassionate service.
• Oversee home collections, facility transfers and sensitive handling processes.
• Manage controlled environments, including mortuary-adjacent processes.
• Lead resource planning, scheduling and workforce deployment for a shift-based workforce.
• Maintain fleet readiness, safety checks, cleanliness and compliance documentation.
• Analyse MI, forecasting and operational trends to improve OTIF, cost-to-serve and service stability.
• Respond to real-time operational challenges, ensuring calm, decisive and structured service recovery.
• Mobilise the new East Midlands site and embed consistent standards across both operations.
• Act as the primary escalation point for complex operational decisions in the Northern region.
• Support and coach managers and team leaders handling emotionally challenging work, providing clarity, structure and confidence.

About You

This role suits a senior operational leader, not a first-time step-up.

You may come from any of the following backgrounds:

• ambulance operations
• NEPTS / patient transport
• clinical home delivery (oxygen, mobility, medical devices)
• funeral or end-of-life transfer operations
• mortuary operations
• pathology or specimen transport
• hospice or community care logistics
• other time-critical, people-centred field operations

You are someone who:

• leads dispersed, shift-based field teams with authority and empathy
• makes confident decisions without needing constant escalation
• stays calm and credible when plans change or pressure spikes
• understands the responsibility that comes with entering private homes
• holds teams to professional standards without losing humanity
• has strong scheduling, rota planning and resource modelling capability
• understands fleet safety, compliance and operational readiness
• can interpret MI and spot operational risk early
• has led through change, growth or site mobilisation
• is emotionally mature and resilient
• wants to do work with meaning, impact and human value

A Realistic Day in This Role

• Supporting a team member after a particularly difficult home collection.
• Making a rapid decision to reroute crews following an urgent hospital transfer request.
• Working with scheduling to resolve a rota gap caused by sickness or demand spikes.
• Checking standards and wellbeing within controlled handling environments.
• Reviewing fleet readiness and addressing vehicle availability issues.
• Leading a morning operational briefing at one site and a mobilisation meeting at the other.
• Managing a service recovery incident with calm authority and clear communication.

This Role Is Not for You If

• You are uncomfortable working around mortuary or end-of-life processes.
• You prefer office-only leadership roles with limited field exposure.
• Your experience is limited to warehouse, depot or parcel logistics.
• You avoid difficult conversations or performance management.
• You are uncomfortable supporting teams through emotionally challenging work.
• You require constant escalation or direction to make operational decisions.

Why This Role Matters

You will lead teams who deliver an essential service with compassion, dignity and respect. Your leadership will directly shape the experience of families at some of the most sensitive moments of their lives.

This is not just an operations role.

It is leadership where judgement, humanity and accountability truly matter.

Location

Multi-site responsibility across the North West and East Midlands.

Ideal locations include:

Cheshire, South Manchester, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire and the South Yorkshire/Sheffield corridor.

Salary and Benefits

• 65,000 to 75,000
• Benefits package
• Clear progression toward a wider regional leadership remit

How to Apply

To express interest, please apply via this advertisement. All enquiries are handled discreetly.