Operations Manager - Courier Division

About this role

We have a fantastic opportunity for an Operations Manager to join our Courier team based in Northwest London, NW10 6RJ.

The Operations Manager is responsible for leading the day-to-day operational and commercial delivery of EMED Group courier services, ensuring safe, effective, compliant and high-quality transport solutions for NHS and wider healthcare customers.

The Operations Manager will provide visible leadership across courier operations, driving performance against customer service levels, contractual requirements, financial targets, compliance standards and operational key performance indicators.

The role is fundamental to delivering a reliable, responsive and customer-focused courier service through effective route planning, resource deployment, account management, colleague engagement, continuous improvement and strong control of operational and commercial activity.

Role Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day operational delivery of courier services, ensuring collections, deliveries and service commitments are completed safely, effectively and in line with customer requirements.
• Ensure operational plans, route schedules and deployment decisions support efficient vehicle utilisation, route density, colleague productivity and achievement of agreed service levels.
• Oversee daily briefings, debriefs, service updates and operational handovers, ensuring information is recorded accurately and acted upon.
• Participate in on-call arrangements, out-of-hours support and service escalation processes where required by the operation.
• Oversee, review and improve courier routes to ensure efficient route density, timely collections and deliveries, effective use of vehicles and achievement of contractual performance standards.
• Promote a performance culture where colleagues understand expectations, take accountability for delivery and are recognised for good practice.
• Identify and implement continuous improvement initiatives using a lean-thinking approach to improve customer value, efficiency, quality and operational resilience.
• Ensure colleagues receive clear objectives, regular feedback, meaningful performance and development reviews, and appropriate training for their role.
• Promote colleague engagement, inclusion, wellbeing, teamwork and a positive site culture, role modelling EMED values and professional standards.
• Oversee and maintain effective customer account management, ensuring service issues, queries, additional collection requests and ad hoc requirements are resolved promptly and professionally. Develop and maintain strong working relationships with customers, local healthcare partners, internal commercial teams and other operational stakeholders.
• Represent EMED Group positively in customer meetings, service reviews and operational discussions, protecting and promoting the reputation of the organisation.
• Work within approved business plan budgets, monitoring expenditure, minimising unnecessary operational costs and supporting delivery of financial targets.
• Oversee payroll, billing support, service records and invoice query resolution, working with Finance and Billing colleagues to support timely and accurate payment.

To be considered as an Operations Manager you will need

• Experience in a management-level operational role, ideally within courier, healthcare logistics, transport, ambulance services or another regulated service environment.
• Proven experience of managing route-based operations, workforce deployment, vehicle utilisation and customer service delivery against agreed performance standards.
• Strong understanding of KPI-led operational management, with the ability to analyse performance data, identify risks and implement practical improvement plans.
• Experience of managing budgets, payroll activity, operational costs, billing queries or financial controls within a service delivery environment.
• Experience of managing and influencing colleagues, managers, customers and stakeholders at different levels, including in complex or time-critical environments.
• Ability to build strong, effective relationships with customers, healthcare partners, colleagues and internal support functions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present information clearly, professionally and confidently.
• Experience of managing employee relations matters in line with policies and procedures, including absence, conduct, capability and performance concerns.
• Highly organised, proactive and resilient, with strong problem-solving skills and the ability to prioritise competing operational, customer and commercial demands.
• Knowledge of health and safety, vehicle compliance, incident reporting, information governance and operational compliance requirements relevant to courier or transport operations.
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and confidence using operational systems and reports.
• Ability to work flexibly in line with service requirements, including maintaining operational visibility across agreed locations and participating in on-call arrangements where required.
• Previous healthcare courier or healthcare logistics experience is preferred but not essential.

What you can expect

• Life assurance and company sick pay after two years’ service.
• 24/7 GP consultation, prescription support and access to a second medical opinion.
• Health cash-plan benefits, mental-health support and physiotherapy consultations.
• Employee Assistance Programme, legal advice and financial guidance.
• Pension scheme, Blue Light Card, uniform and seasonal flu vaccination.
• Long-service, colleague-recognition and Refer-a-Friend reward schemes.

About EMED Group

EMED Group enables access to vital health and social care services across the UK. This role sits within our Specialist Care division, supporting the delivery and continued development of critical-care and specialist retrieval services in partnership with the NHS.

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where colleagues are treated fairly, supported to develop and empowered to provide excellent care.