Support Services Director

OCU has a new opportunity for a Support Services Director to join us in the transformation and growth across the business the Support Services Director plays a pivotal leadership role in ensuring the organisation operates smoothly efficiently and strategically across all non-core operational functions. This role exists to enable excellence ensuring teams have the infrastructure resources systems and environment they need to perform at their best.

With responsibility spanning facilities property call centres security IT enabled operations customer service the Support Services Director ensures the organisations foundations are robust responsive and aligned to strategic goals. By fostering strong collaboration and clear accountability this role allows operational and frontline teams to focus on delivering outstanding outcomes without being hindered by operational challenges.

Key Areas of Responsibility

Leadership Management & Coordination

Provide strategic and operational leadership across multiple support functions ensuring alignment compliance and efficiency including:

• Property Management

• Facilities Management

• Site Security

• National Operating Centre (NOC)

Ensure all departments operate smoothly efficiently and in full compliance with internal policies contractual obligations and regulatory requirements.

Customer Service Excellence

• Develop implement and continuously improve customer service protocols across all service channels.

• Ensure consistent high-quality customer experiences supported by clear processes training and performance monitoring.

• Use customer insight and data to drive service innovation and improvement.

People & Performance Management

• Lead the recruitment development and performance management of support services staff.

• Build a high-performing motivated and customer-focused team culture.

• Ensure teams understand and meet contractual and client performance measures intervening early where performance falls below expectations.

• Implement recovery plans to address underperformance and restore service levels.

Financial & Contract Management

• Develop and administer departmental budgets ensuring effective resource allocation and cost efficiency.

• Negotiate manage and monitor contracts with external suppliers and service providers to ensure value for money and service excellence.

Data Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Implement and maintain comprehensive data reporting systems to track operational and customer service performance.

• Analyse performance metrics to identify trends risks and improvement opportunities.

• Ensure reporting meets client requirements contractual obligations and agreed deadlines.

Interdepartmental Collaboration

• Act as a key partner to other department heads ensuring support services are embedded within organisational planning and strategy.

• Facilitate collaboration that removes barriers improves workflows and enhances organisational effectiveness.

Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity

• Lead the development and coordination of disaster incident recovery and business continuity plans.

• Ensure preparedness across support services to minimise disruption during emergencies and critical incidents.

What Success Looks Like

• Support functions operate seamlessly proactively and cost-effectively.

• Teams feel supported clear on expectations and empowered to perform.

• Customers experience consistent high-quality service.

• The organisations infrastructure systems and services actively enable strategic growth.

• OCU values are clearly demonstrated in leadership behaviour and decision-making.

The successful candidate will bring a strong and demonstrable background in leading complex support functions within a large asset-intensive organisation ideally within the utilities infrastructure engineering or similarly regulated environment.

Essential Experience

• Proven experience at a senior leadership level managing and overseeing multiple support operational service functions within a large geographically dispersed organisation.

• Extensive experience overseeing property and facilities management across operational depots offices and critical infrastructure sites including compliance with health safety and environmental standards.

• Strong experience in site security and critical infrastructure protection including access control risk assessment and incident response coordination.

• Demonstrated leadership of customer service operations / call centres

Within a regulated or essential services environment including the development of customer service frameworks and performance management against contractual or regulatory measures.

• Experience overseeing or working closely with a National Operating Centre (NOC) or equivalent 24/7 operational control function supporting incident management escalation and service restoration activities.

• Proven track record in marketing communications and stakeholder engagement including internal communications customer notifications and issue or incident-related messaging in high-profile environments.

• Experience leading business continuity disaster recovery and emergency response planning within safety-critical or 24/7 operational environments.

Driven by values powered by inclusion.

At OCU our values guide everything we do: integrity collaboration respect innovation and one company united. They shape how we work with our clients communities and each other. We believe that inclusion is more than a principle its the foundation of our success. By embracing equity and ensuring that every individual has the opportunity to thrive we create a workplace where diverse perspectives are valued and everyone feels they belong.

Together we build stronger teams deliver better outcomes and grow in ways that reflect the communities we serve. If you want to be part of a culture where values matter and inclusion is at the heart of everything we do apply now and help us shape the future together.

If you are invited to progress in the recruitment process will you require any reasonable adjustments to support you Please let us know so we can ensure the process is accessible and fair for you. Any information you share will be treated confidentially and will only be used to support you during the recruitment process.