Regional Manager – South West
Custom Heat Limited
Based in St Austell, Cornwall · Covering Somerset, Devon & Cornwall
Full-time, permanent
£55,000–£65,000 base depending on experience, plus a performance bonus taking realistic on-target earnings to £75,000–£85,000, along with a company vehicle and benefits package
About us
Founded in Rugby in 1980 by Robin and Hilary Smith, Custom Heat has grown from a small family business rooted in old-fashioned craftsmanship into one of the Midlands' most trusted names in heating and cooling. Now led by third-generation directors Lincoln and Terri-Anne Smith, the business has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past 15 years, growing from a close-knit team of seven to a workforce of over 80 people, with a Head Office in Rugby and regional offices spanning the Midlands and South West.
Custom Heat has built its reputation on genuine expertise, transparent pricing and a no-nonsense approach to customer service. But this is a business with its eyes firmly on what comes next. The ambition at Custom Heat is clear: to become the definitive heating and cooling brand; the instinctive first choice for customers across the Midlands, the South West and beyond, for generations to come. What makes that ambition credible is the unique position the business occupies: the professionalism and consistency of a national brand, delivered with the personal accountability and care that only a family-run company can genuinely offer.
Underpinning all of it is a forward-thinking, technology-led approach to how the business operates and markets itself, and that is exactly where this role sits.
The role
We’re growing in the South West, and we're looking for one person to own it — to treat the region as if it's theirs, because in every way that matters, it will be. This won't suit everyone, and that's deliberate. It's not for someone waiting to be told what to do. We're not handing over a script — we're handing over a region and backing you to figure out how to win it. If you need the path mapped out before you'll move, this won't be the one. It's not for someone counting down to 5pm. We're not asking anyone to live at work, but growing a region from a standing start takes someone who's genuinely invested in the outcome, not just the hours. The person who cracks the South West will be the one who wants to crack it. It's not for someone who wants to stay behind a desk. You'll be out — with customers, engineers, merchants and partners — and on the road regularly, including time at our Rugby HQ. If being in the van, on site and in the room energises you, you're already half of what we need.
What it is for: an ambitious operator who wants to build something real, carries the weight of it personally, and grows as fast as the business does. If that's you, we should talk.
What you’ll be doing
This is a build role, so it spans more than a typical management remit. In any given week you'll move between leading people, winning work and running a tight operation — and you'll own all of it.
Build and lead the team
- Recruit, onboard and develop the engineers who'll carry our name across the region
- Mentor apprentices and raise the bar on competence — not just whether a job's done, but how well it's done
- Set the standard for workmanship and customer care, and hold the team to it
Grow the region
- Build Custom Heat's reputation and customer base across Somerset, Devon and Cornwall
- Forge the commercial relationships — local partners, specifiers, repeat customers — that turn a new patch into a stronghold
- Grow our care plan base, building the long-term customer relationships the business is built on
Own the standard
- Take personal ownership of quality, safety and compliance — Gas Safe, Building Regulations and our Worcester Bosch accreditation, with no shortcuts
- Carry out survey, complete accurate quotations, win work and complete certification to a standard you'd put your name to (because you will)
Run the operation
- Manage the unit day to day — your base, your stock, your standards
- Build strong merchant relationships that keep the team supplied and the margins healthy
- Stay close to Head Office on team capacity, job progress and the numbers that show the region's winning
Settling you in
Getting you started properly matters to us. You'll spend much of your first six weeks based at our head office in Rugby — learning how we work, meeting the wider team and getting under the skin of our standards before you build them into the South West. We cover travel and accommodation throughout.
This isn't a box-ticking induction. It's where you'll absorb what makes Custom Heat different, so that when you're back on your patch you're building from genuine understanding rather than guesswork. Beyond those first weeks you'll be primarily across Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, with regular trips back to HQ to stay close to the wider business.
What we’re looking for
You must have, before applying:
- Current or Previous Gas Safe registration
- An NVQ Level 2 (or above) in Plumbing & Heating, or a recognised apprenticeship route
- ACS qualifications — minimum CCN1, CPA1, CENWAT and HTR1
- A full UK driving licence
- At least 5 years’ independent installation experience fitting gas and/or oil boilers and full heating systems
- Management or supervisory experience.
Desirable (but we can help you gain these):
- G3 Unvented, OFTEC, LPG, F-Gas or renewable/heat pump qualifications
- Experience with Worcester Bosch products, or across oil and gas systems
- Experience working in the South West
You’ll also need to be proactive, a strong communicator, calm under pressure, and good with both your team and customers.
What we offer
- A company vehicle, power tools, uniform and a work phone (iPhone or Android) — all provided
- Private healthcare with AXA
- EV car scheme
- Pension
- Holiday buy-back scheme
- Your birthday off
- An additional “tools down” day
- Gym discounts
- Mobile allowance scheme
- Ongoing training and development
- Company events and milestone rewards
Hours
40 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 8am–5pm. Overtime and weekends are optional.
How to apply
Via "apply" on Indeed or alternatively, send your CV and a short note about why this role appeals to you to [email protected]
Custom Heat Ltd is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion.
Pay: £55,000.00-£65,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Additional leave
- Company car
- Company events
- Company pension
- Free parking
- Health & wellbeing programme
- On-site parking
- Private medical insurance
Application question(s):
- Do you have an NVQ Level 2 (or above) in Plumbing & Heating, or a recognised apprenticeship route?
Experience:
- Boiler Installation: 5 years (preferred)
- Management or Supervisory: 1 year (preferred)
Licence/Certification:
- CCN1 Domestic Gas Safety (preferred)
- Full UK Driving Licence (required)
Work Location: In person
