Operations Manager
Department: Operations
Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time
Location: Inverness
Description
Contract: Permanent
Location: Inverness
Salary: Competitive, dependent on experience
About Us
MSS (Materials Site Services) has been providing specialist materials testing services since 1995, offering expert UKAS accredited laboratory and on-site testing of concrete, bituminous materials and soils, as well as comprehensive on-site sampling services. We operate across Scotland, the North and the Midlands, working with a diverse range of sectors including construction, infrastructure, and development projects.
Our high quality and responsive services have been trusted by contractors, consultants, designers and local councils, Transport Scotland and National Highways, GE technical engineering companies and structural developers for nearly three decades. We maintain a supportive and professional working environment where everyone can thrive, with a strong reputation for technical excellence, reliability, and exceptional client service.
Part of the Celnor Group
Celnor Group is a UK-based environmental services group operating across the Testing, Inspection, Certification and Compliance (TICC) landscape. With a growing portfolio of specialist businesses, Celnor provides essential services that protect people, property and the environment.
While each business retains its own identity, culture and technical specialism, all are supported by a central group function that invests in people, systems and long-term sustainable growth.
About the Role
We are seeking an experienced and driven Operations Manager to lead the day-to-day running of our materials testing operation from our Inverness base. This is a hands-on leadership role at the heart of our delivery capability – ensuring our laboratory and field testing teams operate safely, efficiently and to the highest quality standards.
As Operations Manager, you will take ownership of everything from resource planning and scheduling to accreditation compliance and continuous improvement. You will lead supervisors and technicians, drive operational performance, and work closely with our commercial team to ensure we consistently exceed client expectations.
This is a fantastic opportunity for a technically credible operations professional to join a well-established business with ambitious growth plans, backed by the wider Celnor Group.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead daily operations across laboratory and field-testing teams, ensuring work is planned, assigned and executed efficiently
- Own resource planning including staffing, shift patterns, vehicle and equipment allocation, and capacity management
- Ensure all testing is performed in accordance with relevant standards and client specifications, with technically valid and traceable results
- Maintain and improve the Quality Management System (QMS), including document control, internal audits, corrective actions and continuous improvement
- Support and maintain UKAS/ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation requirements and coordinate external audits and assessor visits
- Drive Health, Safety and Environmental compliance including risk assessments, method statements, incident investigation and behavioural safety
- Manage equipment calibration and maintenance programmes, ensuring instruments are fit for purpose and records are current
- Oversee sample logistics and chain-of-custody processes including receipt, labelling, storage and disposal
- Monitor operational KPIs such as turnaround time, right-first-time rates, utilisation and non-conformances, and implement improvement actions
- Develop, coach and appraise team members; manage recruitment, onboarding, training and competence assessments
- Coordinate with commercial and client-facing teams to plan workloads, prioritise urgent requests and communicate schedules and any issues
- Ensure accurate job costing inputs and operational reporting; identify efficiencies and cost-saving opportunities while protecting quality and safety
- Manage supplier relationships for equipment, calibration services, PPE and consumables
- Support technical problem-solving including out-of-spec investigations, root cause analysis and implementation of corrective actions
Skills, Knowledge, and Expertise
Essential Requirements:
- Proven operations management experience within a materials testing, construction materials, geotechnical, civil engineering laboratory, or similar technical services environment
- Strong working knowledge of laboratory and field testing operations, sampling practices and relevant test standards
- Demonstrable experience operating within a formal quality system such as ISO 9001, and ideally ISO/IEC 17025 or UKAS-accredited environments
- Experience leading teams of supervisors, technicians and support staff, including performance management and competency development
- Sound understanding of HSE requirements for laboratory and site activities including RAMS, COSHH, PPE and incident reporting
- Good commercial awareness including planning, utilisation, cost control and service delivery
- Educated to HNC/HND/Degree level in a relevant discipline such as Civil Engineering, Materials Science, Geology or Construction, or equivalent practical experience
- Full UK driving licence
Desirable:
- Experience within a UKAS-accredited testing environment
- Familiarity with Lean or continuous improvement methodologies
- Knowledge of the Highlands region and its construction or infrastructure market
- Established network within the construction, civil engineering or infrastructure sectors in Scotland
Join Us
You’ll be joining a business where your contribution matters and where professionalism, integrity and teamwork are genuinely valued. As part of the wider Celnor Group, you’ll benefit from group-wide investment, shared expertise and opportunities to develop your career as the organisation continues to grow.
Salary and Benefits
- Competitive salary dependent on experience
- A key leadership role within MSS Highlands operations
- Supportive team environment with backing from the wider Celnor Group
- Opportunity to shape and drive operational excellence within a business with ambitious growth plans
- Work within a company with nearly three decades of industry expertise and UKAS accreditation
This is an excellent opportunity for a technically credible, quality-focused operations professional who thrives on leading teams and delivering results. If you have the experience, drive and commitment to uphold the standards MSS is known for, we want to hear from you.
MSS is committed to providing equal opportunities and values diversity in the workplace.
To apply, please submit your CV and a covering letter explaining why you’re the right fit for this role.
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Important Information
Celnor Group and its businesses manage recruitment directly. We do not require agency support for this role and will only engage with recruitment partners from our preferred supplier list where necessary.
We may use technology, including AI-enabled tools, to support parts of the recruitment process. AI is not used for candidate screening, scoring or hiring decisions. All hiring decisions are made by people, for people. Our recruitment systems are ISO 42001 accredited, reflecting our commitment to ethical, transparent and responsible use of technology.
