RBS Scaffold Ltd is looking for an experienced and commercially minded Scaffolding Business Manager to take responsibility for building, managing and growing our scaffolding operation across South Wales.
This is not a traditional office-based management role.
We are looking for someone who knows scaffolding, can win work, can price and organise jobs, can manage a team and is still prepared to get on the tools when required.
You will have a significant level of responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the scaffolding division, from finding and securing new customers through to surveying, pricing, organising and delivering the work.
The role is particularly suited to an experienced scaffolder who wants to take the next step and have a genuine opportunity to build and run a scaffolding operation, rather than simply supervise someone else's work.
The Company Directors and existing office team will handle the back-office functions including invoicing, banking, payroll, accounts and credit control, allowing you to concentrate on winning work, running the operation and making it profitable.
What You'll Be Responsible For Business Development & Winning Work
A major part of this role is generating new business.
You will be expected to actively develop work from:
- Domestic customers
- Builders and tradespeople
- Main contractors
- Developers
- Commercial customers
- Housing associations
- Public sector organisations
- Existing industry contacts
You will build relationships, attend site visits and customer meetings, respond to enquiries, prepare quotations and convert opportunities into profitable work.
You will also be expected to develop repeat business and identify opportunities for additional work from existing customers.
Surveying, Estimating & Pricing
You will be responsible for surveying potential scaffolding works and determining the requirements of each job.
This will include:
- Attending sites
- Assessing access requirements
- Determining scaffolding requirements
- Calculating labour and material requirements
- Considering transport and equipment requirements
- Preparing quotations
- Maintaining appropriate profit margins
- Identifying potential operational issues before work starts
- Identifying variations and additional chargeable works
- Monitoring job profitability
You will need to understand not only how to scaffold a job, but whether the job has been priced correctly and can be delivered profitably.
Operational Management
Once work has been secured, you will take responsibility for organising and managing it through to completion.
This will include:
- Organising scaffold teams and labour
- Scheduling work
- Organising vehicles, materials and equipment
- Coordinating deliveries and collections
- Liaising with customers, contractors and site managers
- Managing multiple jobs and competing priorities
- Resolving operational problems
- Ensuring projects are completed within agreed timescales
- Making efficient use of labour, equipment and resources
You will have responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the scaffolding division and will be expected to make sensible operational decisions without needing constant direction from the Directors.
Hands-On Scaffolding
This is a hands-on management role.
You will still be expected to undertake scaffolding work where required, work alongside scaffold operatives, supervise teams and provide practical guidance.
You will be expected to lead by example and be capable of stepping onto site and getting the work done when necessary, particularly during busy periods, staff shortages or where additional practical support is required.
Team Management
You will organise and allocate work to scaffold operatives and provide day-to-day leadership.
This includes:
- Organising teams
- Allocating work
- Monitoring standards
- Providing direction and practical support
- Managing day-to-day issues
- Ensuring teams arrive properly equipped and prepared
- Identifying training and development needs
- Maintaining good communication across the workforce
Customer Management
You will be a key point of contact for customers throughout the project.
You will be expected to:
- Build strong customer relationships
- Communicate effectively with customers
- Keep customers updated
- Deal with issues and complaints professionally
- Maintain high standards of customer service
- Generate repeat business and referrals
Job Records & Communication With The Office
Although the Company's office will handle invoicing, banking and financial administration, you will be responsible for making sure the office has the information it needs to do its job properly.
This includes providing:
- Customer and site details
- Agreed quotation
- Start and completion dates
- Details of works undertaken
- Photographs before, during and after works where appropriate
- Details of scaffolding erected
- Variations and additional works
- Relevant materials or equipment information
- Customer sign-off where required
- Completed job information
Good administration is important to the role. We need someone who can run a job properly and then communicate what happened clearly to the office, without the office having to repeatedly chase basic information.
Commercial Responsibility
You will have a direct influence on the commercial performance of the scaffolding division.
You will be expected to:
- Generate profitable work
- Price accurately
- Protect margins
- Control avoidable costs
- Use labour efficiently
- Use materials efficiently
- Minimise wasted journeys
- Identify additional chargeable work
- Maximise repeat business
- Make commercially sensible decisions
The role therefore requires someone who understands that turnover alone is not enough — the work needs to be profitable.
Health & Safety
You will be expected to maintain high standards of health and safety across the operation.
This includes:
- Ensuring work is carried out safely
- Following Company procedures
- Ensuring employees and subcontractors work safely
- Identifying unsafe practices
- Reporting accidents, incidents and near misses
- Ensuring appropriate site documentation is completed
- Complying with relevant legislation and industry guidance
The Opportunity
This is an opportunity to take a significant level of ownership over a developing scaffolding operation.
We are looking for someone who wants to build something, not simply manage an established department.
The successful candidate will have the opportunity to develop the customer base, generate work, build relationships, establish efficient systems and grow the operation over time.
As the business grows, the performance targets and expectations will develop with it.
Profit Share
The role includes a significant profit-sharing opportunity.
You will receive a 10% standard profit share in accordance with the Company's profit-share arrangements.
In addition, you can earn a further 5% performance profit share, giving a potential 15% total profit share.
The additional 5% is linked to five separate areas of performance:
- Turnover / revenue
- Qualifying profitability
- New job acquisition
- Operational efficiency and administration
- Stock, equipment and asset management
Each area can provide an additional 1%, allowing the full 5% performance uplift to be earned independently.
Performance criteria are reviewed annually as the business grows, meaning the incentive is designed to reward genuine growth and improvement rather than simply maintaining an existing operation.
What We're Looking ForEssential
You will need:
- Extensive experience within the scaffolding industry
- Strong practical scaffolding experience
- The ability to undertake scaffolding work yourself
- Experience managing or supervising scaffold operatives
- Experience managing scaffolding projects
- The ability to survey and price scaffolding works
- Proven ability to generate new business
- Strong customer relationship skills
- Commercial awareness
- Strong organisational skills
- A full UK driving licence
These are important requirements because this is not a role for someone who only has management experience — you need to understand scaffolding from the ground up and be capable of delivering the work yourself.
Desirable
The following would be advantageous:
- CISRS Advanced Scaffolder
- CISRS Scaffold Inspection qualification
- SMSTS or SSSTS
- An established network of construction industry contacts
- Previous experience managing a scaffolding business, division or depot
What We Can Offer
- Permanent full-time position
- Salary negotiable depending on experience
- 10% standard profit share
- Opportunity to earn up to 15% total profit share
- Company mobile phone
- Access to Company scaffolding equipment and vehicles for operational duties
- Company van following successful completion of the 6-month probationary period, subject to the Company's vehicle policy
- Significant responsibility and autonomy
- Opportunity to help build and grow a developing scaffolding operation
- Direct involvement in the commercial success of the business
The Company will retain responsibility for banking, invoicing, payroll, accounts, credit control and general financial administration, allowing the Business Manager to focus on the operational and commercial side of the division.
Who This Role Will Suit
This role could be an excellent opportunity for an experienced:
- Scaffolding Supervisor
- Contracts Manager
- Scaffolding Manager
- Advanced Scaffolder
- Scaffolding Foreman
- Scaffold Depot Manager
- Experienced Scaffolder with strong commercial experience
- Self-employed scaffolder looking to move into a management/business role
We are particularly interested in someone who already has construction industry contacts and the confidence to go out and win work.
You don't need to have previously run an entire scaffolding company, but you do need the experience, initiative and commercial ability to take ownership of the operation and help grow it.
Important
This is a role with genuine responsibility.
You will not simply be given a list of jobs and asked to organise them. We are looking for someone who will actively find the work, win the work, price the work, organise the work, undertake the work where required and make sure the work is profitable.
If you are an experienced scaffolder who wants the opportunity to have a direct financial interest in the success of a growing scaffolding operation, we would like to hear from you.
Pay: From £12.71 per hour
Benefits:
- Company car
- Company pension
Experience:
- Scaffolding: 5 years (required)
Licence/Certification:
- Driving Licence (required)
Location:
- Swansea, Swansea (preferred)
Work Location: In person
