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Senior Site Operations Manager, Galway

Our client is seeking an experienced Senior Site Operations Manager (construction & facilities) to lead their long-established on-site maintenance and project delivery team at a major regulated manufacturing facility in Galway. This is a senior client-facing role that combines site leadership, operational planning, people management, stakeholder coordination, and commercial awareness. The successful candidate will lead an experienced team delivering maintenance works, small projects, equipment relocations, clean room modifications and capital works within a live manufacturing environment. This is not a conventional construction site management role. Success will depend on the
individual’s ability to manage people, build client confidence, coordinate multiple work streams and provide practical solutions in a fast-moving operational setting. This is not a standard foreman or traditional construction site supervisor position. The ideal candidate will combine operational or construction experience with strong client management, leadership and commercial skills. Technical experience is important, as is the ability to lead an established and experienced site team. Candidates from construction, facilities management, engineering services, pharmaceutical, medical-device, manufacturing or other live operational environments may be considered where they demonstrate the required leadership and client-facing capability.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate day-to-day site operations.
• Manage and support site supervisors, sub-supervisors and operational personnel.
• Act as the primary day-to-day contact with the client’s Facilities, Engineering and Operations teams.
• Plan and coordinate maintenance works, equipment relocations, shutdown activities, clean room works and minor capital projects.
• Allocate labour, materials and resources across multiple concurrent work streams.
• Ensure works are properly planned, sequenced and communicated before commencing.
• Anticipate operational difficulties and resolve issues before they affect delivery.
• Develop practical solutions to client requirements while protecting the programme, safety and commercial objectives.
• Review scopes of work and assist with labour, material and programme assessments.
• Ensure appropriate allowances are made for access, permits, coordination, disruption, waiting time and work within a live manufacturing environment.
• Maintain high standards of safety, quality, housekeeping and professionalism.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with client personnel at all levels.
• Support junior engineers and client representatives in developing workable solutions.
• Provide clear and realistic commitments regarding programme, resources and delivery.
• Ensure the site team remains responsive without becoming overcommitted.
• Report regularly to senior management.

Essential Experience and Capabilities

• Significant experience managing site-based construction, maintenance or facilities operations.
• Proven experience leading experienced multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong client-facing and stakeholder-management skills.
• Excellent planning, organisation and coordination abilities.
• The ability to make timely and sound decisions.
• Strong commercial awareness.
• Experience assessing labour, materials, programme and delivery risks.
• The ability to manage multiple small and medium-sized work streams simultaneously.
• Strong delegation and people-management skills.
• Clear, concise and confident communication.
• A practical and solution-focused approach.
• The ability to remain calm and credible under pressure.

Desirable Experience

• Experience in one or more of the following would be advantageous:
• Medical device, pharmaceutical or regulated manufacturing facilities.
• Live operational or production environments.
• Clean rooms or controlled environments.
• Facilities management or maintenance operations.
• Equipment relocation and installation.
• Shutdown and production-sensitive works.
• Permit-to-work systems.
• Mechanical, electrical or construction coordination.
• Small-works estimating and commercial management.

Personal Profile
The successful candidate will be:

• Approachable and confident.
• Decisive without being confrontational.
• Comfortable dealing with senior client personnel.
• Capable of reading situations and adapting their communication style.
• Commercially aware without being overly rigid.
• Proactive rather than reactive.
• Able to simplify complex issues and communicate the key points quickly.
• Comfortable delegating to experienced supervisors and tradespeople.
• Honest and realistic regarding timescales and delivery.
• Focused on providing solutions rather than identifying obstacles.
• Capable of building long-term trust and credibility.

What you need to do now

If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us now.

If this job isn't quite right for you, but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion about your career.