Operations Manager, Public Transport

About the Opportunity Our client is a well-established New Zealand public transport operator providing essential services to communities every day. An opportunity has become available for an experienced Operations Manager to lead the day-to-day performance of a busy depot. You'll be responsible for ensuring services run safely, efficiently and reliably while leading a team of drivers, cleaners and yard staff. This is a hands-on operational leadership role where no two days are the same. Success comes from strong planning, calm decision-making, genuine people leadership and a commitment to delivering outstanding customer service. About the Role Reporting to the Area Manager, you'll oversee the daily operation of the depot and provide leadership to a team of frontline employees. You'll coordinate people, vehicles and resources to ensure services operate safely and on time while responding to the changing demands that come with running a customer-facing transport operation. Alongside the day-to-day operation, you'll coach your team, manage performance, support recruitment and training, monitor operational KPIs and foster a culture where safety and accountability come first. Key Responsibilities Lead, coach and support drivers, cleaners and yard staff. Manage daily rosters and operational resources. Respond to operational issues and service disruptions. Promote a positive safety culture and lead incident response. Monitor operational performance and depot KPIs. Develop employees through coaching, feedback and training. Build strong working relationships with customers and internal teams. Ensure compliance with company policies and regulatory requirements. Drive continuous improvement across depot operations. About You You're an experienced frontline leader who enjoys working with people and thrives in a fast-moving operational environment. You'll bring: Experience leading blue-collar or frontline operational teams. Strong organisational and planning skills. The ability to make sound decisions under pressure. A genuine commitment to Health & Safety. Excellent communication and relationship-building skills. Experience improving operational performance and team engagement. A practical, hands-on leadership style. High attention to detail and strong personal accountability. Experience within public transport would be highly regarded. We also welcome applications from leaders who have developed their careers in logistics, freight, distribution, courier, warehousing, manufacturing or other operational environments where safety, scheduling, customer service and people leadership are central to success. Why Apply? This is an opportunity to join a stable, well-established organisation providing an essential public service. You'll lead a close-knit operational team, have genuine influence over depot performance and play an important role in delivering reliable services to the local community. #J-18808-Ljbffr