About this role
Location: Basildon area, South Essex (office-based, five days a week) Salary: Up to £90,000 depending on experience Package: Performance-related bonus, share options for the right person, pension scheme and 22 days' holiday plus bank holidays Hours: 40 hours a week, full time, permanent
The Opportunity Pursuit is partnering with a well-established specialist services business in the building compliance and property services sector. It delivers assessment, installation, maintenance, remedial and certification work for residential, commercial and property-sector clients across London, Essex and the South East.
The business has a strong reputation, a loyal client base and real momentum. It now needs an experienced commercial and operational leader to turn that momentum into structured, profitable and scalable growth. This is a senior, high-impact appointment. You'll report directly to an entrepreneurial Board and take full day-to-day responsibility for how the business performs, grows and runs.
The Board sets the vision. You'll make it happen.
The Role You'll lead the business across sales, operations, finance, people and systems. You'll turn the Board's objectives into clear plans, measurable targets and visible results. The aim is to build a business that is well managed, commercially disciplined and able to run without the directors' routine involvement.
Key Responsibilities
Commercial growth and sales
Own revenue targets and build a disciplined, measurable sales pipelineImprove conversion at every stage, from enquiry through quotation to orderGrow repeat and recurring business with existing clientsOpen up new clients, sectors and routes to market, and reduce reliance on a small number of clients or one-off projectsMake sure major opportunities are actively managed and followed through Profitability and financial performance
Take responsibility for gross margin, EBITDA and performance against budgetMake sure work is priced correctly and expected margins are understood before work is committedImprove visibility of job-by-job profitability, and use it to shape pricing and operational decisionsIdentify and fix margin leakage, overspend and reworkControl overheads, and make sure any new spending or headcount is commercially justifiedWork closely with the finance function so that decisions rest on reliable numbers Operations and delivery
Keep clear oversight of live jobs, workload, capacity and prioritiesMake sure work is planned, resourced and scheduled well, and delivered to standard, on programme and within budgetSpot project risks, delays and variations early, and act on themUse performance data to improve efficiency, productivity and service People and leadership
Put in place a clear organisational structure with defined roles, responsibilities and reporting linesSet objectives and KPIs, run regular performance reviews, and deal with underperformance fairly and promptlyEstablish a consistent management rhythm of team meetings, one-to-ones and reportingBuild management capability so responsibility can be delegated as the business growsCreate a culture of accountability, clear communication and delivery Systems, suppliers and compliance
Introduce the systems and processes needed to support growth, backed by sound business cases and well-managed implementationBuild a reliable, competitive and well-assessed base of suppliers and subcontractorsMaintain all accreditations, certifications, insurances and approvalsUphold high standards of health and safety, quality, data protection and regulatory complianceMake sure marketing activity supports the commercial strategy and delivers measurable returnBoard reporting and planning- Give the Board accurate, timely management information on revenue, margin, EBITDA, cash, debtors, pipeline, order book and job profitabilityBring the Board solutions and recommendations, not just problemsHelp build the annual business plan and budget, and drive delivery against it throughout the year
About You
This role will suit you if:
You have held a senior operational, general management or director-level role in a growing SME, with real responsibility for both commercial and operational performanceYou have a proven track record of growing revenue and improving profitability, and you can point to specific resultsYou are fully comfortable with P&Ls, budgets, gross margin, EBITDA, cash flow and KPIs, and you use numbers to make decisionsYou have brought structure, process and accountability to a business that previously ran on the energy of its foundersYou can think strategically and still roll your sleeves up when the operation needs youYou have built and led teams, and you are confident handling performance issues head-onYou communicate with credibility at Board level and work well alongside entrepreneurial ownersYou come from construction, property services, building compliance, facilities management or another operational, project-based service business. This is a real advantage, though not essential This role is probably not for you if your experience is mainly in large corporate environments with extensive support functions, if you prefer a purely strategic role away from day-to-day operations, or if you haven't yet held full accountability for commercial results.
Please note: Applicants must have the right to work in the UK. We are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.
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