Job Description

Head of Operations – London

Location: London
Salary: Competitive + Benefits

The Opportunity

We are looking for a strong operational leader who can successfully manage a complex, fast-moving and safety-critical environment.

An excellent opportunity has arisen for aHead of Operations to take a senior leadership role within a well-established passenger vessel operation in London.

This is a high-impact position with responsibility for operational performance across the fleet, leading operational teams and ensuring the highest standards of safety, compliance, service delivery and efficiency.

The successful candidate will lead and develop a sizeable operational workforce, including managers, operational support staff and vessel crew, while working closely with senior leadership and other departments across the organisation.

This role would suit an accomplished maritime or transport operations professional who combines strong people leadership with commercial awareness, regulatory knowledge and a continuous-improvement mindset.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Lead the delivery and continuous development of the operational strategy in line with wider business objectives.
• Oversee day-to-day operations across the vessel fleet, ensuring safe, reliable and efficient service delivery.
• Lead operational planning, scheduling and resource allocation.
• Develop and monitor operational KPIs, performance data and management reporting to identify trends and drive improvements.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, productivity and service standards.
• Provide senior-level on-call operational support when required for time-critical or business-critical decisions.
• Work collaboratively across departments to ensure operational priorities are effectively delivered.

Safety, Compliance & Risk

• Ensure operations are conducted in accordance with relevant MCA, Port of London Authority (PLA), Health & Safety and maritime regulatory requirements.
• Maintain and continuously improve compliance with the organisation’s Safety Management System (SMS).
• Oversee vessel safety checks, certification, licensing, audits and operational assurance.
• Ensure appropriate procedures, risk assessments and controls are maintained across the operation.
• Champion a proactive safety-first culture, ensuring training, drills and operational standards are consistently maintained.
• Drive continuous improvement in safety, compliance and operational resilience.

People Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach and develop Operations Managers and operational support teams.
• Provide overall leadership for vessel crew and apprentices.
• Oversee workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding, training and development.
• Establish clear objectives and KPIs and ensure effective performance management across operational teams.
• Develop succession planning and talent pipelines to strengthen operational capability.
• Build a positive, accountable and customer-focused working culture.
• Support effective employee relations within a unionised environment.

Financial & Resource Management

• Manage operational budgets and maintain effective cost control.
• Identify and deliver sustainable operational efficiencies.
• Optimise fleet utilisation, crew deployment, scheduling and operational resources.
• Balance commercial requirements with operational, safety and customer-service priorities.
• Support business planning and investment decisions through accurate operational insight and reporting.

Stakeholder Management

• Develop strong working relationships with regulatory authorities, industry bodies and trade unions.
• Work closely with senior management and other departments to ensure effective communication and collaboration.
• Represent operational interests within senior management discussions and business planning.
• Promote a professional, solutions-focused approach to internal and external stakeholder relationships.

About You

We are looking for a strong operational leader who can successfully manage a complex, fast-moving and safety-critical environment.

We are open to candidates at different stages of their leadership career. You may already be operating at Head of Operations level or in a comparable senior leadership position, or you may be an experienced Operations Manager, Marine Operations Manager, Fleet Operations Manager or similar who is ready to take the next step into a Head of Operations role.

For candidates looking to step up, we are particularly interested in individuals who can demonstrate the leadership capability, operational experience and ambition to take on broader responsibility and develop into this senior position.

You should ideally have:

• A minimum of 5 years’ operations management experience, preferably within maritime, passenger transport, ports, marine operations or another safety-critical transport environment.
• Proven experience leading and developing operational teams, including managers and supervisors.
• The ability and confidence to operate at senior-management level and take ownership of a significant operational function.
• Strong people-management skills with experience developing high-performing teams.
• Experience working within a unionised environment and managing employee relations.
• Strong understanding of operational planning, resource management and performance improvement.
• Experience managing budgets and delivering cost efficiencies.
• A strong understanding of Health & Safety, risk management and regulatory compliance.
• Excellent communication, leadership, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Good IT capability, including Microsoft Office and operational management/reporting systems.

Most importantly, we are looking for leadership potential as well as experience. If you have a strong maritime or operational background and feel ready to take the next step in your career, we would be very interested in hearing from you.

Desirable

• Previous experience within passenger vessels, marine operations or commercial maritime operations.
• Knowledge of MCA and Port of London Authority (PLA) requirements.
• Understanding of maritime Safety Management Systems.
• Boatmaster’s Licence (BML) or equivalent maritime qualification.

The Person

This is a senior operational leadership position requiring someone who is visible, decisive and highly organised, with the ability to balance people, safety, customer service and commercial priorities.

You will be comfortable leading from the front while also taking a strategic view of the operation, using performance data and operational insight to identify improvements and deliver change.

Above all, you will have the leadership capability to create an environment where safety, accountability, teamwork and operational excellence are embedded throughout the organisation.

Equal Opportunities

We are committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from suitably qualified candidates from all backgrounds.

All applications will be considered objectively against the skills, experience and requirements of the position.

Applicants must be eligible to live and work in the UK