Country Operations Manager

Job Introduction
Lead, shape, and grow Serco’s presence in the European space market.

**The Opportunity**

Serco has built a strong reputation in France as a trusted partner in space, defence, and transportation, delivering engineering, technical, and management services to some of Europe’s most critical missions. With an established track record supporting the European Space Agency (ESA) and other key institutions, we are now seeking a senior leader to take our French operations to the next level.

As Country Operations Manager, you will hold full leadership responsibility for our French Space business. This is a unique opportunity to shape Serco’s strategy in one of Europe’s most important space markets, balancing operational excellence, commercial growth, and strategic influence.

**Why This Role Matters**

France is at the heart of Europe’s space industry. This role ensures Serco not only remains a reliable partner but also grows influence and market share in this competitive sector.

You will drive country-level operations, ensuring financial performance, regulatory compliance, and customer excellence.

Working closely with the Sector Managing Director and European leadership team, you will play a pivotal role in expanding Serco’s partnerships, winning new business, and driving innovation.

Main Responsibilities
**Winning Good Business**:

- To contribute as a member of the sector leadership team and support with the implementation of agreed strategies and plans for their sector in Europe.
- To put in place robust plans for successful delivery of the existing contracts in country, aligned to the wider strategies for Europe, as well as driving organic growth and new business in their sector.
- To engage in the development of a network of senior relationships with customers, partners and stakeholders, working closely with the country BD team.
- To delight the customer(s) with high quality service in line with our contractual requirements.

**A Place People are Proud to Work**:

- To provide leadership to the sector country team such that all employees are fully engaged with and adopt business strategy/plans and values so that the plans are successfully delivered, and our people behave internally and in the communities in which we operate in accordance with the Governing Principles.
- To recruit, professionally manage and develop outstanding Contract Managers who ensure the contracts are staffed with talented, motivated people who play to their strengths to meet the business needs and who are motivated to improve the business.
- To ensure that the contracts are optimally structured, managed and populated.
- Ensure compliance and adherence to appropriate local, as well as Serco policies, practices, equipment and working conditions to ensure that the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees is actively managed and ensure that Corporate Responsibility is effectively delivered.

**Executing Brilliantly**:

- Work with other country sector leads in their sector in Europe to identify and deliver cross-selling opportunities that benefit Serco as a whole and that enhance the Space capabilities by sharing best practice.
- Implement and adhere to Serco’s agreed common processes and systems to maximise value for Serco and the customer.
- To ensure the contracts’ customers receive ethical delivery, effective service, and great value and against all KPIs and SLAs.
- Ensure the business delivers a level of service and value that enhances the Serco brand and fosters the development of long-term partnering relationships.

**Profitable & Sustainable**:

- To ensure effective financial management is in place to achieve revenue, profit and cash targets and to meet division/Serco and legal requirements.
- Full P&L responsibility for their country.
- To undertake initiatives to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their operation.

**Knowledge**:

- Well-developed knowledge across all business functions (e.g. finance, business development, HR and communications).

**Skills**:

- Good demonstrable skills in transformational leadership with a track record of delivering change in complex and demanding environments.
- Good leadership qualities with evidence of building and maintaining strong relationships with internal and external customers and key business stakeholders.
- Strong analytical skills with ability to assimilate information quickly and communicate key messages simply and effectively to the business to aid decision making.
- Strongly values led individual with excellent judgement and decision-making skills.
- Self-aware yet highly resilient individual capable of challenging and being challenged.
- Ability to work under pressure and within a matrix organizational model

**Experience**:

- Experience of developing positive relationships with senior stakeholders
- Experience of leading and motivating teams.
- Experience of managing and improving the financial performance of the business
- Experience of work