Operations Manager

We’re seeking a enthusiastic and organised Operations Manager to join our current team at Pulhams.

We’re Pulhams — a long-established, family-focused bus and coach operator based in Bourton-on-the-Water in the heart of the Cotswolds. With a heritage dating back to 1880, we’re proud to be a business that has grown for more than 140 years while still keeping a warm, community-driven feel.

Today, we operate 160 buses and coaches from multiple sites, across a wide variety of work, including local bus routes, home-to-school services, private hire, educational trips, and UK and European tours.

It’s an exciting time to join us. We’re expanding, modernising, and developing new services while staying true to the family values that have shaped who we are. Joining Pulhams means becoming part of a friendly, ambitious team that takes pride in serving our communities and delivering a first-class travel experience.

General oversight of the operational performance and efficiency of the business, ensuring that all departments are working collectively on a daily basis.
Line management of Service Delivery Manager and Senior Allocations Supervisor roles to ensure that work is checked to be covered accurately and efficiently, with optimal notice for driver colleagues, and delivered to a high standard.
Act as a Transport Manager on the Pulhams Coaches Operator’s licence.
Ensure that our customers receive the best possible standard of service in terms of reliability, punctuality and professionalism at all times.
Monitor compliance on local bus and home to school services, liaising with the Commercial team, to maximise tracking performance, and addressing punctuality concerns.
Support the development and roll out of new operational systems, such as allocations platforms, and lead on training and deployment for operational colleagues.
Complete all required daily, period and annual reports & KPI’s within agreed timescales.
Conduct and carry out fact finding meetings, colleague interviews and disciplinary meetings, as well as return to work interviews following absence, as necessary.
Ensure correct processes and practices are in place to achieve optimum performance, productivity, efficiency and profitability of the business.
Ensure legal compliance across all areas of the business including driver hours compliance and DVSA reporting of incidents.
Improve the customer experience by ensuring the correct driving and customer service standards are maintained, addressing issues encountered where required.
Lead of employee engagement, implementing new ways of building relationships with frontline colleagues and fostering a positive, collaborative workforce.
Work with new and existing stakeholders and ensure service and delivery is of the highest nature to become supplier of choice.
Management of direct reports to ensure workload and type is appropriate for the roles.
Set challenging targets for, and ensure close management of direct reports. This would include effective resource planning, training, succession and talent planning.
Ensure regular team meetings are held, providing relevant information and clear departmental messages in a positive manner.
Address poor performance and poor attitudes, in an appropriate and timely manner.
Mentoring and coaching of team to maintain, to adjust and improve performance where required.
Provide strategic vision with a drive to grow the business and able to present a coherent business case.
Implement and ensure compliance with all relevant policies and procedures, with ability to explain any breaches and ensuring lessons are learnt from any breach.
Able to understand each individual reporting line of the budget and able to explain any deviation from target with suggestions as to rectification.
Ensure colleague holidays are in line with agreed set limits to prevent coverage issues and that spare driving colleagues are fully utilised when not required to drive.
Pro-active approach to improving employee engagement and the way with communicate with employees.
Assist with handling any emergency which may arise, including following procedures in the event of fire.
Carry out duties safely and in accordance with all company policies & procedures and to comply with Company Health & Safety Policy and Risk Assessments.
To generally promote the company and uphold the company’s reputation, enhancing the company’s image through appearance and behaviour.

Essential requirements:

Full manual or automatic car licence
Computer literate
GCSE’s (or equivalent) in English and Maths
PCV licence

Desirable:

Experience of supervising staff
Experience in allocation processes

Skills and Attributes:

A highly organised individual with a proactive and positive attitude to work
A willingness to learn and work flexibly to the needs of the business
Enthusiastic, conscientious and hardworking
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Able to remain calm under pressure

Two free bus travel passes valid across our operators.
Pension scheme, lifestyle benefits, and Employee Assistance Programme.
20 days’ holiday plus Bank Holidays.
Career development opportunities within Oxford Bus Group and the wider Go-Ahead Group.

Ready to hop aboard and join the Pulhams family? Send an email to jake.edwards@oxfordbus.co.uk with your CV and Cover Letter.