Operations Manager

Company Background

CityCo is the city centre management company for Manchester and Salford. We strive to make the city centre a better place to work, visit and live.

We connect businesses with each other, and public agencies, to drive forward initiatives that support an improved, thriving and aspirational city experience. We seek to support economic growth and ensure the city is competing on national and international scale.

As a membership organisation, CityCo represents companies across sectors, scale and location; giving businesses a voice, ensuring they can operate effectively and expand activities. We operate at a strategic level with city decision-makers and on a tactical level, providing solutions and delivering on the ground. Increasingly we work with businesses to help develop their own solutions to the issues affecting them.

We provide operational and security services, facilitate working groups and provide advice where it’s needed. We work to make the city centre more sustainable and support companies that want to contribute more than just economically. We work to bring life to our public spaces, developing and promoting the unique characteristics of our city villages, connecting people, improving the environment and running quality events that attract interest and build our reputation as a place where great things happen.

CityCo also manages Manchester’s first Business Improvement District (BID) - Heart of Manchester. With its mandate renewed for a second five-year term starting in April 2018, it represents over 400 retail and F&B businesses in the city centre’s core.

Job Purpose and Responsibilities

The city centre is an ever-changing environment; the Operations Manager’s role is to ensure that businesses are able to thrive in that environment. Leading a team of two, the Ops Manager will respond to the needs of business, creatively finding solutions to the issues that face them. S/he will be a creative thinker, able to quickly assimilate the latest information on major campaigns and initiatives put in place by our public-sector partners, to represent the needs of business, working with stakeholders to resolve and find sustainable solutions.

The post works across both CityCo members and the Business Improvement District. The role also requires longer term negotiation and guardianship of local stakeholder agreements concerning the city centre environment. It requires an ability to present to varied and senior audiences, to gain trust and to balance long-term planning with immediate needs of our members.

Duties

1. To respond to members operational issues which may affect their ability to do business and to actively monitor results

2. To lead on building relationships with members and proactively dealing with issues affecting their business

3. To lead on briefings, training and presentations around the issues that affect business (e.g. counter-terrorism awareness, rough sleeping, commercial waste)

4. To lead the operations team, ensuring the workload of staff members is appropriate, and to work closely with other members of the management team to share information and develop new plans

5. To directly account manage members with an operational bias, manage membership renewals and seek out new members

6. To work closely with public sector partners to deliver the best results for members and stakeholders

7. To support the BID manager in delivering the business plan, attending meetings and delivering updates as required

8. To deliver operational projects from CityCo’s annual business plan. Project delivery will include logistics, budgets and communications

9. To work closely with Cityco’s marketing team, ensuring maximum positive exposure for projects

10. To research and source contractors as required

11. To develop new and sustainable revenue streams

12. To attend meetings and forums as appropriate to operational issues and projects

13. To keep up to date records in the CRM systems

14. To represent both companies at a senior level and to act as an ambassador for the city centre

15. To deliver timely accurate reports on operational issues, budgets and progress against the business plan

16. To provide support as required for CityCo and BID events.

Essential Core Competencies

1. Planning and communication skills, including research and development

2. Ability to communicate complex issues and projects clearly

3. Understanding of databases

4. Ability to work in very close detail and with excellent accuracy

5. Ability to complete projects and ensure satisfactory outcomes for clients

6. Knowledge of the businesses operating in Manchester city centre and/or Salford

7. Understanding of the working of the public sector (city councils and/or Police)

8. Excellent communication and presentation skills

9. Budgetary management skills

10. IT literate, including understanding of social media and mapping tools

11. Ability to work on a number of projects concurrently

Desirable Core Competencies

1. Understanding of public private partnerships

2. Understanding of Business Improvement Districts

3. Detailed knowledge of operational needs of businesses in the property, retail, night-time or hotel economies

4. Creative problem-solving skills

5. Professional appearance

6. Prior knowledge and experience in one or more of the policy areas in which we work.

To Apply

To apply please email a CV and Covering Letter to Alexandra King: info@cityco.com by 5pm, Friday 20 April.

Please state clearly in the subject line which job you are applying for.

Successful candidates for interview will be notified by Friday 27 April.

Interviews will be held in Manchester week commencing 7 May.

General Information

The requirements of the business are such that a high degree of flexibility is necessary and therefore evening and weekend work will be required.

To comply with changes in the Legislation covering the activities of Heart of Manchester BID and CityCo it is required that all staff undertakes training as directed by their line manager or the Chief Executive. It is also essential that all staff carry out their duties in a safe manner in accordance with the current Health & Safety at work legislation.

The role will be based at the main CityCo office in central Manchester with the expectation that many of the activities will take place at the workplaces of members.

Annual leave entitlement of 26 days, plus bank holidays.

This post is subject to a six-month probationary period.

Equal Opportunities

CityCo is an equal opportunities employer. For copies of our equal opportunities policies please visit www.cityco.com

Personal information given as a part of the application process is necessary for recruitment of this post and will be held only for the statutory periods. It will not be used for any other purpose. Full GDPR compliance information is available on our website.