Opus People Solutions Ltd
Head of Service - Facilities Management, Catering & Grounds
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Head of Service - Facilities Management, Catering & Grounds
Vertas Nottinghamshire Limited
Salary: Competitive + Benefits
Location: Nottinghamshire - candidates within a commutable distance preferred
Lead a £40m operation. Inspire 1,600 colleagues. Make an impact across Nottinghamshire.
Some leadership roles are about managing services. This one is about leading services that genuinely matter.
Vertas Nottinghamshire Limited (VNL) is looking for an accomplished and values-driven Head of Service to take strategic and operational leadership of one of its largest and most complex service portfolios.
With responsibility for approximately 1,600 colleagues and £40 million of annual turnover, this is a substantial senior leadership opportunity spanning catering, cleaning, grounds maintenance, and Meals at Home services across Nottinghamshire.
From providing high-quality school meals and maintaining safe learning environments to supporting vulnerable residents and caring for public spaces, the services you lead will have a visible impact on thousands of people every day.
The opportunity
Reporting to the Associate Director, you will take responsibility for the performance, development, and future direction of a large, geographically dispersed operation.
You will provide leadership across multiple service streams, ensuring strong operational delivery while maintaining a clear focus on commercial performance, customer experience, people, and continuous improvement.
This is a role for someone comfortable operating at both strategic and operational level. You will be expected to understand the detail of a complex service environment while also setting direction, developing your senior leadership team, and identifying opportunities for innovation, efficiency, and growth.
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Working closely with colleagues across Vertas, Nottinghamshire County Council, and key stakeholders, you will play an influential role in shaping how these essential services evolve.
What will you be leading?
- Educational catering across approximately 180 schools
- Cleaning services across hundreds of sites
- Around 350 grounds maintenance contracts
- Meals at Home and Meals on Wheels provision
- A central food production facility
- Customer-focused operational support services
- A large, geographically dispersed workforce of approximately 1,600 colleagues
What will success look like?
- You will create a clear vision for the service and bring people with you.
- You will build trusted relationships across the organization and its partnerships, maintain strong operational and financial performance, and continue raising standards for customers.
- You will empower senior managers and operational teams, strengthen employee engagement, and embed a culture where people take ownership, collaborate, and continually look for ways to improve.
- Just as importantly, you will ensure that commercial decisions continue to deliver positive outcomes for the communities VNL serves.
Who are we looking for?
We are interested in speaking with experienced senior operational leaders who have successfully led large, complex, and multi-disciplinary service environments.
- Significant senior leadership experience within facilities management, catering, outsourcing, or operational service delivery
- Experience leading large and geographically dispersed workforces
- Strong commercial acumen and accountability for substantial budgets and financial performance
- Experience managing several operational service streams simultaneously
- Evidence of successfully delivering transformation, continuous improvement, and organizational change
- Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building capability
- The credibility to influence at senior level while remaining visible and connected to operational teams
- A leadership style that develops people, creates accountability, and builds high-performing teams
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A background in catering would be particularly attractive, especially for candidates who have progressed into broader facilities management, integrated services, or multi-site operational leadership.
However, sector background alone will not determine success.
We are looking for someone who can lead at scale, understand the commercial realities of a complex operation, and, above all, keep people, customers, and performance at the heart of their leadership.
Why Vertas Nottinghamshire Limited?
VNL is a successful partnership between Vertas and Nottinghamshire County Council, combining the purpose and values of public service with the innovation, agility, and commercial focus of the private sector.
It is an organization where senior leaders are expected to be visible, approachable, and authentic - and where collaboration, accountability, and finding solutions matter.
For the right person, this is an opportunity to do far more than inherit an established operation.
It is a chance to shape its future, develop its people, strengthen its performance, and lead services that make a tangible difference across Nottinghamshire every single day.
Apply Now!
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