Operations Manager - (ENG-L7.150) at Zutari

About this role

• Support the Operations Director (or similar) in improving business unit performance, profitability, and operational effectiveness through analysis, insight, process improvement, and performance management.
• The role provides operational and commercial visibility across the unit, projects, clients, and portfolios, and works closely with senior management to inform decisions, and support actions that enhance overall unit performance, delivery effectiveness, and continuous improvement across the unit.
• This role offers strong development potential for a candidate seeking to build capability in operations leadership, business performance, commercial analysis, and continuous improvement within a multidisciplinary consulting engineering business.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Performance and Business Insight

• Analyse utilisation performance across teams, disciplines, and offices to identify trends, constraints, and improvement opportunities.
• Analyse project performance against financial, operational, and delivery targets.
• Evaluate the unit and project profitability, health indicators, and key performance drivers to support improved decision-making and corrective action.
• Identify performance variances, underlying causes, and patterns across the business unit, and support follow-through on agreed actions.
• Develop and maintain operational dashboards and business performance reporting that provide clear, decision-useful insight to leadership.
• Support the preparation of analysis, reports and management information for leadership forums and executive reviews.
• Work closely with senior management to interpret performance trends, identify priority issues, and support interventions that improve operational and commercial performance.

Client, Portfolio and Commercial Performance Analysis

• Analyse client, project, bid, and portfolio performance to identify profitability trends, risk areas, growth opportunities, and strategic priorities.
• Support improved visibility of portfolio mix, client contribution, backlog quality, and commercial performance across the business unit.
• Contribute to analysis of revenue, margin, backlog, overheads, working capital, cash flow, and other key performance indicators.
• Assist with annual budgeting, forecasting, and planning through accurate performance analysis and reporting.

Business Process Improvement and Operational Excellence

• Identify opportunities to improve business processes, operational workflows, reporting quality, and performance visibility across the unit.
• Contribute to initiatives that improve profitability, efficiency, utilisation, governance, and delivery consistency.
• Support initiatives relating to the standardisation of documentation such as proposals, capabilities, reports, and project deliverables.  
• Support automation, digitalisation, and continuous improvement initiatives that strengthen operational decision-making and reduce inefficiencies.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of practical actions that enhance profitability, utilisation, delivery performance, and operational effectiveness across the unit.

Resource Planning and Workforce Performance

• Analyse resource allocation, utilisation, and workforce trends to identify capacity constraints, productivity opportunities, and skills gaps.
• Track recruitment requirements and resource gaps and support workforce planning discussions with leadership teams.
• Contribute to improved alignment between workload, capability, and resource planning across the unit.

Governance, Quality and Delivery Performance

• Support visibility and compliance across project governance, quality management, internal procedures, and operational requirements.
• Carry out project reviews and track project reviews, audit findings, and corrective actions to strengthen delivery discipline and risk management.
• Monitor project planning and scheduling information within Vantagepoint (ERP system) to support better performance management.
• Maintain reliable operational records, performance documentation, and governance reporting.

Minimum Requirements

• Relevant tertiary degree, Industrial Engineering would be preferred.

Candidates with Civil, Electrical, Mechanical Engineering or other suitable qualifications will be considered where supported by postgraduate or additional qualifications in:

• Engineering Management
• Operations Management
• Business Management
• Management Accounting
• Business Performance
• Project Management
• Professional registration, or progress toward registration with a recognised professional body will is preferred.
• Minimum 7 to 10 years relevant experience in a consulting engineering, professional services, project-based, or operational performance environment.
• Experience in analysing business performance, project performance, utilisation, resource planning, financial indicators, or operational processes will be advantageous.
• Experience in identifying and supporting operational or commercial improvement initiatives will be advantageous.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Power BI, or similar reporting and dashboard tools, is required.
• Experience with Vantagepoint or similar ERP project-based consulting engineering systems will be advantageous