UK Head Of Operations

UK Head of Operations
London HQ

About the Role

The UK Head of Operations is responsible for leading the UK and Ireland (UK&I) operations across our business and education verticals, working closely with the business and education teams in sales and customer success. This role is responsible for building long term partnerships with operator partners to support Zeelo’s service delivery and will be the ultimate escalation point for all operational issues that are raised by clients and operators

Working closely with the UK Head of Operator Partnerships you will be responsible for defining and leading the operator partner strategy across the UK to ensure a consistent delivery of all services and to ensure they meet the Zeelo service levels. The Head of UK Operations will build and foster strong relationships with our operator partners, ensuring a pipeline of quality partners to support business growth. This role will drive a culture of quality and assurance which is auditable and adheres to Zeelo standard operating processes / procedures that ensure compliance activities are fully and accurately documented as required.

This role reports into the Operations Director and will join the UK Senior Leadership Team.

What we want you to know about Zeelo:

• Zeelo is a TransitTech company powering bus operators, employers and schools to provide highly efficient, sustainable and affordable transport programs
• Our mission is to connect the world to work and education through affordable and sustainable transportation
• We are in the business of providing both SaaS and managed commuter solutions to employers (office-based and shift-based), schools (private schools and universities) and bus/shuttle operators
• We routinely procure bus operator partners to provide ground transportation
• We have developed a best-in-class technology platform that connects organizations with riders and operator partners consisting of a route optimization platform, mobile apps and operations management system.
• We’re 7 years old, backed by over $35 million of venture capital from ETF Partners, InMotion Ventures (Jaguar Land Rover), and Dynamo.VC.
• We’re a team of 100+ across 3 continents (Europe, North America & Africa), 4 offices (London, Barcelona, Boston & Durban) and are live in 3 markets (UK, U.S. & South Africa.)
• We encourage a culture where people move together, smart and fast. Learn more here.

What you’ll do

• Ensure the delivery of all services to the Zeelo service level and standard - redefine what the Zeelo service looks like with Zeelo’s clients in mind.
  • Creating and implementing new processes and systems to ensure that Zeelo drivers and vehicles provide the required service standards, leading the operations team to manage the services and operator partners.
  • Accountable for operational objectives and key results, ensuring the team are fully aware and working towards these to improve service delivery through their management of operator partners and drivers.
• Build and foster strong relationships with our operator partners, ensuring a pipeline of quality providers to support the business growth.
  • Using metric and compliance data to establish high level performance data across our operator partners, making decisions on removal of operator partners due to poor performance or poor compliance.
  • Ensure the Operations team members engage with operator partners using regular meetings, including performance management and business reviews.
  • Lead the operator engagement to understand key industry topics and how these trends will affect Zeelo
• Drive the right commercial model to build longer term and profitable relationships with Zeelo’s chosen partners.
  • Completing periodic reviews of payment models for penalties and rewards for operator partners on a national scale.
  • Provide training and support to the operations team to provide focus on revenue and margin improvement on each service route and with each operator partner.
  • Work closely with sales and customer success to drive consistent optimisations that improve the UK P&L
• Put in place reporting to ensure accountability of the delivery of services from operator partners.
  • Scope out and provide the blueprint for our internal reporting metrics, ensuring clarity and accuracy of data to manage services.
  • Overseeing reporting for individual regions through weekly internal performance review meetings with Senior Operations and Operations Managers.
• Establish the automated processes that will allow the business to scale in an efficient way, by leading the product definition and influencing the R&D teams to deliver the roadmap.
  • Liaising and leading product implementations that improve our operating system including third party technology integrations.
  • Ensure operations team are utilising new technology developments, through monitoring improvement and reduction of resource requirements, including the delegation of delivery to Senior Operations and Operations Managers.
• Represent Zeelo at trade fairs and events to keep up to date with the industry changes that will impact on the Zeelo business.
  • Liaise with current and potential operator partners as well as strategic industry technology partners and EV partners. Including leading on industry body webinars to attract new partners.
  • Lead the Operations team at the events by setting clear targets around new operator sign-up and focus on finding new technologies and businesses which could be potential global business partners.

Personal Specification:

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

• 5 years working in the coach / bus industry

• CPC qualification (nice to have)

• Genuine customer focused approach

• Strategic thinker but also hands-on approach

• Commercial experience

• Able to communicate well and build strong relationships with external stakeholders and internal customers

• Good understanding of training and compliance and best practice

• Ability to translate operational process into tech / product to drive efficiencies

• Analytical and organised with problem-solving skills

• Proven business leadership experience, and ability to manage all stakeholders

• Proven implementation of business solutions

• Experience with process implementation and management