Head of Bristol Operations
| Posting date: | 19 January 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £57,515 to £68,597 per year |
| Additional salary information: | Recruitment and Retention Allowance - £5,289 p/a |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 02 February 2026 |
| Location: | Bristol |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 444110/1 |
Summary
Do you have an inherent ability to influence and guide people to achieve their best?
Can you confidently forge professional and reliable relations, adopting core values and an ethos to ensure quality is at the heart of your work?
Have you got the passion and drive to make a real difference to millions of lives?
We are looking for a trailblazer to join our Agency; to ensure a safer, cleaner future through excellence. If you are an aspirational leader seeking a new and exciting opportunity to make a real difference in the automotive industry, and to the lives of many, this role is for you. Do not just take our word for it, here is Andrew Neil, to tell you more. Please also refer to our candidate pack and role profile for more information.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/rJEHDgel84Y?si=dTnjJTz3VH41cWw4
About Us
Our work is focused on improving vehicle safety and environmental protection by providing robust testing and certification to national and internationally recognised standards. We are a part of the Department of Transport as the designated UK Vehicle Type Approval Authority. With more than 40 years’ experience, we have become one of the largest and well-respected approval bodies around. This position has been built on a reputation for technical expertise and quality, which is at the heart of everything we do, and what you could be a part of.
Based in the Vehicle Certification Agency’s Bristol Headquarters, you will be an integral part of our International Operations directorate, ensuring effective delivery and transparent leadership. Managing staff, contractors and supporting regional partners and our offices in the UK and overseas; you will uphold our global policies to achieve a quality service and strong customer satisfaction.
With a coherent technical background and significant experience of delivering services within a heavily regulated industry setting or settings, your skills will enable a smooth and exemplary running of our operational activities. An approachable manner and effective communication, both written and verbal, is essential for this role, working closely with a diverse range of people, internal and external to the VCA.
With offices and customers situated across the world, you will have the unique opportunity to travel overseas, working with leading industry experts and manufacturers on the vehicles of tomorrow. As the automotive industry continues to evolve at pace, you will be at the forefront of these developments, learning new skills and inspiring your teams to focus on their professional growth.
We are passionate about supporting colleagues both mentally and physically; by offering a range of benefits and policies to ensure you can achieve a work-life balance. You will be a valued member of an organisation who cares about you, by giving the support you need to reach your full potential.
Your main duties will include but will not be limited to:
- Leadership - Leading the Bristol operation with enthusiasm, integrity, and decisiveness the post holder will deliver a high quality, efficient service that meets Departmental and Manufacturers expectations.
- Financial Planning - Supporting the Chief Operating Officer with financial planning with particular emphasis on financial reporting, budgetary planning, and forecasting.
- Management and resource planning - Resource planning and deployment aimed at maximizing efficiency and utilization whilst securing the necessary flexibility to support demand at peak periods.
- Continuous improvement - The post holder will champion continuous improvement within their operation to demonstrate it is delivering an efficient service by eliminating waste, improving quality and consistency and empowering staff to take ownership of problems.
- Quality - Leading the Bristol operation team to deliver services at the level expected from a world class type Approval Agency. Fully support the wider agency ISO 17020 accreditation process.
- Communications - Supervise the communications and exchanges of information between the Bristol office and wider VCA operations globally.
For further information on the role, please read the attached role profile and candidate pack. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.
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