An office management role with genuine responsibility
P&P Lifts is an established independent lift company operating across Devon and Cornwall. We are now looking for an experienced Office Services Manager to take responsibility for the day to day running of our office and the people within it.
We are looking someone with proven management experience who is comfortable taking ownership, making decisions, setting expectations and ensuring that work is followed through.
You will report to the Director and work alongside our Operations Manager and H&S Manager as part of the management structure of the business.
Your role will be to make sure the office works well; that people know what is expected of them, priorities are clear, customers are communicated with, administrative processes support the operational teams and problems are dealt with at the appropriate level.
Duties
- Setting priorities and allocating workloads
- Monitoring progress and ensuring action are completed
- Managing performance, standards and day to day staff issues
- Holding one to one meetings and supporting staff development
- Encouraging clear, professional communication across the team
- Managing routine issues confidently without unnecessary escalation
- Supporting recruitment, induction and onboarding of office staff
You will also take responsibility for the effectiveness of our office systems and administrative processes, including:
- Overseeing the administration supporting lift servicing, call outs, repairs and project works
- working closely with the Operations Manager to support engineer scheduling and operational priorities
- Ensuring customers receive timely and professional communication
- Maintaining visibility of outstanding actions and ensuring they are followed through
- Ensuring key functions have appropriate handover and cover arrangements
- Maintaining consistency in the use of company systems and procedures
The technical and operational delivery of engineering and project works will remain with the relevant operational managers. Your responsibility will be to ensure the office and administrative support around that work is effective, organised and reliable.
The successful candidate will already know how to manage people.
You will be able to distinguish between an issue that needs your involvement and one that a member of the team should be expected to resolve themselves. You will be comfortable having straightforward conversations when standards are not being met and equally comfortable recognising and developing people who are performing well.
You will not need constant direction. Once priorities and expectations are clear, we will expect you to take ownership of your area of the business.
You will need to be organised and methodical, but also able to operate in a working environment where priorities sometimes change quickly.
A typical day may involve engineers needing information, customers requiring updates, schedules changing and members of the office team needing decisions. Being able to retain perspective and establish what genuinely requires attention is therefore important.
We are looking for candidates with:
- Proven experience managing an office, administrative or operational support team
- Genuine line-management responsibility for staff
- Experience managing performance, workload and competing priorities
- Experience within an operational, scheduling or service-based environment
- The confidence to make day-to-day management decisions
- Strong organisational and communication skills
- A practical and considered approach to problem solving
- Experience implementing and maintaining procedures and standards
- Good attention to detail
- Strong general IT and business-system skills
Experience within engineering, construction, facilities management, transport, logistics or field service would be particularly relevant.
Experience of engineer scheduling, ISO-accredited businesses, HR administration, project administration or developing operational procedures would be advantageous.
About P&P Lifts
P&P Lifts has been operating since 1989 and provides lift maintenance, repairs, refurbishments, platform lift installations and 24-hour emergency call-out services throughout Devon and Cornwall.
We are an independent business with a close working management team and a broad customer base ranging from private customers and local businesses through to care organisations, local authorities and multi-site organisations.
We have grown substantially over the years and are continuing to develop the systems and management structure needed to support the business properly.
This role is an important part of that development.
We are looking for someone who wants to run the office function, not simply work within it.
The successful person will have the opportunity to shape how the office operates, strengthen our processes and become the custodian of the standards we expect throughout the administrative side of the business.
To apply, please send your CV together with a brief covering note outlining your 'people-management' experience and the type of operational environment in which you have worked.
Pay: From £32,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Free parking
- Health & wellbeing programme
Experience:
- people management: 2 years (required)
Work Location: In person
