Operations Manager - Environmental Health in West Midlands

A local authority is seeking an experienced Operations Manager to establish and lead a six-month Local Investigations Team pilot while providing operational oversight across pest control and animal welfare services.

The role requires a hands-on manager who can introduce clear referral, triage and prioritisation processes, improve case ownership and performance management, and ensure complex investigations are progressed effectively across multiple council services.

Key responsibilities include:

• Establishing the Local Investigations Team, its operating processes and performance framework.
• Managing frontline investigations, enforcement activity, workloads and case quality.
• Improving referral routes, prioritisation, escalation and cross-service working.
• Reviewing the pest-control operating model, productivity, costs and service options.
• Supporting the development and performance of operational managers and technical officers.
• Providing effective oversight of animal-welfare licensing and enforcement activity.
• Producing clear performance reports, options appraisals and recommendations for senior management.

Applicants should have substantial operational management experience within a local-authority environmental health, public protection, regulatory services, community safety or environmental enforcement function. Evidence of establishing or improving an investigations service, managing technical teams and introducing effective case-management and performance arrangements is essential.

Direct experience of pest control, animal welfare, service reviews, business cases or commissioning would be particularly valuable. This is an operational delivery role requiring confident decision-making, visible leadership and the ability to work across professional and organisational boundaries.