Private & Confidential
CanDo Laundry Services is looking for an organised and hands-on Operations Manager to support the day-to-day running of our Kenfig Industrial Estate site.
This role will help lead production and transport operations, ensuring that laundry is processed, prepared, and delivered safely, efficiently, and in line with customer requirements. You will support production planning, route coordination, team performance, health and safety, cost control, and continuous improvement across the site.
We are looking for someone with experience in production, logistics, transport, manufacturing, laundry, distribution, or another fast-paced operational environment. You do not need to have every qualification already, but you should have strong operational understanding, good people skills, the ability to stay calm under pressure, and the confidence to support supervisors, drivers, and production teams.
This is a practical, site-based role that would suit someone who enjoys solving day-to-day operational issues, improving processes, and helping teams work together effectively.
CanDo Laundry Services is an equal opportunities employer.
Remote work is not available.
Job Description
Job Title: Operations Manager
Department: Operations
Reports to: General Manager
Location: Kenfig Industrial Estate
Employment Type: Full-time, Permanent
Rate of Pay: £34k-35k per annum
Role Purpose
The Operations Manager is responsible for leading and coordinating the day-to-day production and transport operations at the Kenfig Industrial Estate site, ensuring that work is completed safely, efficiently, consistently, and in line with customer and business requirements.
The role is responsible for supporting service delivery, production output, labour planning, route coordination, operational standards, health and safety compliance, and continuous improvement across the site.
The Operations Manager will work closely with the General Manager and act as Deputy to the General Manager in their absence, supporting the smooth running of the site and helping to maintain strong standards across production, transport, people management, and customer service.
Key Responsibilities
Operational Leadership
- Lead the day-to-day operational activity across production and transport.
- Ensure production output is aligned with transport scheduling and customer requirements.
- Support daily planning across production, dispatch, and delivery activity.
- Maintain operational flow between departments and help remove bottlenecks.
- Monitor service delivery and support performance against operational targets.
- Respond to day-to-day operational issues in a calm, practical, and timely manner.
- Act as Deputy to the General Manager when required.
- Escalate significant operational, service, staffing, safety, or financial concerns appropriately.
Production Management
- Plan, coordinate, and support the production process to meet customer and business needs.
- Ensure correct volumes are processed in line with quality, cost, and service standards.
- Monitor production performance, including productivity, rewash levels, labour efficiency, and cost-related measures.
- Support the use of lean working practices, waste reduction, and continuous improvement.
- Support Planned Preventative Maintenance activity and liaise with maintenance support where required.
- Monitor housekeeping, hygiene, and workplace standards across the production floor.
- Ensure production activities are carried out safely and in line with Company procedures.
- Support the creation and management of staff rotas in line with volume demands.
- Support supervisors and team leaders in managing daily production activity.
Transport and Fleet Management
- Support the planning and coordination of delivery and collection routes.
- Ensure transport activity is aligned with production output and customer requirements.
- Monitor delivery and collection performance and respond to route issues where required.
- Support driver scheduling, attendance, timekeeping, and working standards.
- Ensure transport records, route information, and relevant paperwork are accurate and maintained.
- Support the management of vehicle servicing, repairs, inspections, and fleet availability.
- Escalate vehicle defects, accidents, delays, customer issues, or transport compliance concerns appropriately.
- Monitor transport costs, fuel efficiency, route performance, and fleet downtime where required.
- Act as an escalation point for customer transport-related issues.
People Leadership
- Lead, support, and develop production and transport teams.
- Promote a positive, professional, and accountable working culture.
- Support supervisors and team leaders in managing day-to-day people issues.
- Identify skills gaps and support training and development plans.
- Carry out or support performance reviews, one-to-ones, return-to-work meetings, welfare discussions, and team briefings.
- Manage absence, annual leave, conduct, performance, and disciplinary matters in line with Company procedures and with HR support where required.
- Encourage effective communication, teamwork, and consistency across departments and shifts.
- Support succession planning and development of supervisors and team leaders.
Compliance, Health and Safety
- Ensure operations are carried out in line with Company policies, procedures, and safe systems of work.
- Promote and maintain high standards of health and safety across production, transport, and site operations.
- Ensure health and safety concerns, hazards, near misses, accidents, and incidents are reported and escalated appropriately.
- Support compliance with transport, environmental, quality, and operational requirements.
- Maintain audit readiness and accurate operational records.
- Support the implementation of standard operating procedures and competency assurance systems.
- Ensure employees are aware of and follow site rules, PPE requirements, and safe working practices.
Financial and Commercial Awareness
- Support the General Manager in achieving site budget and cost targets.
- Monitor labour usage, overtime, utilities, fuel spend, vehicle costs, and other operational costs.
- Use operational data to identify efficiency improvements and cost-saving opportunities.
- Support improvements to productivity, cost per item, vehicle utilisation, and labour efficiency.
- Contribute to operational planning, budgeting, and forecasting where required.
- Balance service requirements with cost control and operational efficiency.
Continuous Improvement
- Identify opportunities to improve operational performance, reduce waste, and standardise best practice.
- Support structured continuous improvement projects across production and transport.
- Improve communication, workflow, productivity, and service reliability.
- Support digital systems, reporting improvements, and better use of operational data.
- Encourage feedback and practical improvement ideas from supervisors, team leaders, and employees.
- Help embed consistent standards across the site.
Deputising Responsibilities
In the absence of the General Manager, the Operations Manager may be required to:
- Hold day-to-day operational responsibility for the site.
- Support production, transport, health and safety, and people-related matters.
- Make practical operational decisions to support service continuity.
- Communicate key updates to relevant managers, departments, and senior stakeholders.
- Escalate strategic, financial, customer, staffing, or serious safety risks appropriately.
Person Specification
Essential
- Previous experience in a supervisory, team leader, junior management, or operational management role.
- Experience working in production, logistics, transport, manufacturing, laundry, distribution, or another fast-paced operational environment.
- Experience supporting the day-to-day running of a team, shift, department, or operational area.
- Good understanding of planning, scheduling, productivity, quality, or service delivery targets.
- Experience supporting people management processes such as absence, performance, training, return-to-work meetings, welfare matters, or team briefings.
- Strong organisational and planning skills.
- Confident communicator with the ability to give clear instructions.
- Able to monitor daily activity and follow up on issues.
- Able to remain calm and practical when dealing with operational pressure, delays, changes, or problems.
- Good attention to detail and ability to maintain accurate records.
- Reliable, accountable, and able to work in a busy operational environment.
- Basic IT skills, including email, spreadsheets, and operational records.
- Professional and fair approach when dealing with employees, managers, customers, and colleagues.
Desirable
- Previous experience managing or supporting both production and transport operations.
- Experience in commercial laundry, linen, workwear, logistics, service delivery, manufacturing, or distribution.
- Experience supervising drivers or coordinating routes.
- Knowledge of multi-drop delivery and collection operations.
- Experience with KPIs such as OTIF, PPOH, labour productivity, rewash percentage, cost per item, transport cost per mile, fuel efficiency, or fleet downtime.
- Experience supporting budget control, labour planning, overtime control, or operational cost management.
- IOSH, NEBOSH, or other health and safety training.
- ILM or equivalent leadership qualification.
- Transport compliance training or CPC awareness.
- Full UK driving licence.
Skills and Behaviours
- Organised and methodical.
- Practical and hands-on.
- Clear and professional communicator.
- Calm under pressure.
- Fair and consistent.
- Reliable and accountable.
- Strong problem-solving skills.
- Customer-focused.
- Safety-conscious.
- Data-aware and able to use information to support decisions.
- Able to lead change and support continuous improvement.
- Able to build positive working relationships across departments.
- Resilient and able to manage competing operational priorities.
- Willing to learn and develop within the role.
Key Working Relationships
- General Manager
- Production Manager / Production Supervisors / Team Leaders
- Transport Supervisor
- Drivers
- Production employees
- Customer Services team
- Maintenance / Fleet support
- HR, where required
- Finance, where required
- Customers and customer site contacts, where required
- Senior management, where required
Performance Measures
Performance in this role may be assessed against:
- Safe, efficient, and consistent running of production and transport operations.
- OTIF delivery performance.
- Production productivity, including PPOH and labour efficiency.
- Rewash percentage and quality performance.
- Cost per item and operational cost control.
- Transport cost per mile and fuel efficiency.
- Fleet downtime and vehicle availability.
- Accuracy and timeliness of operational and transport records.
- Health and safety standards, incidents, and compliance.
- Customer service complaints and service issue resolution.
- Attendance, timekeeping, and performance standards across teams.
- Effective communication and teamwork across departments.
- Delivery of continuous improvement activity.
General Duties
- Carry out reasonable duties as requested by the General Manager or senior management.
- Support the wider site operation as required by business needs.
- Attend meetings, training, briefings, and reviews as required.
- Maintain good standards of conduct, communication, and professionalism.
- Report issues that may affect safety, service, quality, cost, production, transport, or customer satisfaction.
- Support the implementation of Company policies, procedures, and operational standards.
- Maintain confidentiality and handle employee, customer, and business information appropriately.
Company Expectations
All employees are expected to:
- Work safely and follow all Company procedures.
- Treat colleagues, customers, managers, and visitors with respect.
- Attend work reliably and on time.
- Maintain good standards of conduct and communication.
- Take responsibility for the quality of their work.
- Support the Company’s commitment to quality, teamwork, accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Comply with Company policies and procedures, including those relating to health and safety, conduct, confidentiality, data protection, equality, and attendance.
Pay: £34,000.00-£35,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Health & wellbeing programme
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Port Talbot SA13 2PE: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Application question(s):
- Are you at least 18 years of age?
Education:
- GCSE or equivalent (preferred)
Experience:
- Production: 3 years (required)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
