Operations Manager

We have a fantastic opportunity for an Incident Response Operations Manager to join our Area 12 Motorways & Trunk Roads team.

Working as part of our Operations team, you will provide visible, proactive leadership across our Incident Response Team (IRT) and Network Control Centre (NCC) services, ensuring the safe, efficient and customer-focused delivery of incident response activities across the strategic road network.

You will be accountable for operational performance, health and safety compliance, workforce leadership, service readiness, client and stakeholder confidence and continuous improvement.

Working closely with Maintenance and Response teams and National Highways, you will strengthen collaboration, improve workforce engagement and accountability, streamline administration and use performance data to deliver a resilient, responsive and cost-effective service.

The role reports to the Principal Operations Manager / Network Manager and will typically have responsibility for approximately 30 direct and indirect reports.

What will the role offer?

The salary is competitive (please enquire for further details).

The standard hours of work are 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday (days), with flexibility to support operational requirements.

We offer a range of flexible working practices, including hybrid, part-time and flexible working patterns. With our network of offices across the UK, we are open to discussing working options that match your needs, with the flexibility to change how you work as your life evolves.

What you will be doing

• Lead the day-to-day delivery of the IRT and NCC services, ensuring operational plans are clearly communicated, appropriately resourced and consistently delivered.
• Ensure incidents and immediate defect-mitigation activities are managed safely and professionally, in accordance with contractual, operational and customer service requirements.
• Lead the IRT team in delivering incident response and immediate defect mitigation within the required 24-hour timeframe.
• Maintain operational readiness across people, vehicles, plant, specialist equipment, communications and supporting resources.
• Monitor and improve key performance measures including attend-and-assess times, incident clearance, service quality, data accuracy and operational resilience.
• Provide visible leadership and effective escalation support during major incidents, severe weather, network disruption and periods of increased operational demand.
• Oversee the effective management of the NCC desk, ensuring clear ownership and accurate incident timelines are maintained.
• Represent the service at National Highways incident debriefs and review meetings, ensuring actions and lessons learned are captured and progressed.
• Own and manage the NCC desk rota, ensuring appropriate staffing, competence, shift coverage and resilience across all operational periods, including nights, weekends, annual leave, sickness and periods of increased demand.
• Use historic delivery data, trends and operational insight to support resource planning, strategic decision-making and service improvement.
• Own Airwave radio compliance and ensure communication systems are used effectively and in accordance with requirements.
• Work with the Principal Operations Manager to support annual business objectives, delivery plans and budgets.
• Plan and manage annual work schedules to maintain effective coverage, operational resilience and efficient use of resources.
• Maintain compliance with health and safety, legal, regulatory and company requirements, taking prompt action where required standards are not met.
• Undertake periodic site visits and safety tours, including nights and weekends, providing visible leadership and operational assurance.
• Translate client KPIs into clear team priorities and lead delivery against agreed performance targets.
• Identify opportunities to simplify processes, improve quality and increase service efficiency.
• Manage supply chain and subcontractor relationships, ensuring work is planned, coordinated and delivered safely and to the required standard.
• Lead and develop direct reports through effective performance management, regular communication and wellbeing support.
• Build strong working relationships with National Highways Traffic Officers, inspection teams and other operational stakeholders.
• Support National Highways with safety inspections of All Lane Running sections of the network, where required.
• Ensure toolbox talks and safety briefings are communicated clearly and promptly, with appropriate records maintained.
• Foster an inclusive, engaged and accountable team culture founded on fairness, learning and proportionate decision-making.

We want to hear from you if you have

• Proven operational leadership experience within highways maintenance, incident response, traffic management, emergency response or another comparable safety-critical environment.
• Demonstrable experience of leading frontline teams within a time-sensitive, customer-focused service.
• Sound knowledge of health and safety legislation, operational risk management and compliance-led service delivery.
• Strong planning, resource management and performance-management skills.
• The ability to make sound, proportionate decisions and provide calm, visible leadership in high-pressure or emergency situations.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder-management and client-relationship skills.
• Experience using operational data and performance information to identify trends, manage risk and improve service delivery.

It would be desirable if you have

• SMSTS or an equivalent supervisory safety qualification.
• National Highways Passport.
• An incident-management qualification or substantial incident-management experience.
• Relevant traffic-management qualifications, including applicable National Highways Sector Scheme competence.
• IOSH Managing Safely, NEBOSH or an equivalent health and safety qualification.
• A recognised leadership, management or operational-management qualification.

What we can offer

Our benefits are designed to help you thrive at work and in your home life. You will have the flexibility to choose benefits and development opportunities that are best for you.

Some of our benefits include:

• Exceptional personal development, training and progression plans
• Competitive salary and compensation
• Generous pension scheme, with extra contributions from Amey
• 24 days annual leave, plus bank holidays
• Flexible benefits scheme
• Save with Amey discounts
• Family friendly policies
• Membership of our Affinity Networks
• Two Social Impact Days each year

About Amey

Who we are: Amey is a global, integrated infrastructure consultancy and operations partner. We design, deliver, protect and maintain critical assets and systems.

What we do: We advise, design, finance, deliver and enhance civic, transport and defence systems. By combining strategic intelligence, engineering, infrastructure finance and operational expertise, we create secure, resilient, compliant and high-value outcomes across the lifecycles of new and legacy assets.

To find out more, visit ame