Job title: General Manager, The Big Lemon (Brighton & Hove)
Closing date for applications: 12 Noon, Friday 20 December 2024
Overview
The Big Lemon CIC is a social enterprise launched in Brighton in 2007 to provide the local community with affordable, environmentally sustainable bus and coach services that are a joy for passengers to use. Originally running buses on used cooking oil from local restaurants, we launched two electric buses in 2017 powered by solar panels on the roof of the bus depot.
Our values are Community, Sustainability and Innovation and our vision is that by 2030 every community in the UK has access to affordable public transport, using zero-emissions vehicles powered by renewable energy and owned by the community.
In 2020 we launched our coach company Brighton Horizon Coaches, and in 2021 we bought Seaford & District Motor Services. We now have operations in Brighton, Ringmer, Hailsham and Bristol.
Our growth strategy is to create a network of locally operated, independent businesses focused on developing services for their community within The Big Lemon’s framework, in line with our values and working towards the realisation of our vision for 2030.
In support of this we are creating separate operating companies for our bus operations in the South East (“The Big Lemon South East”) and the South West (“The Big Lemon Bristol & West”) to work alongside our Brighton & Hove operation. Each operating company will be operationally independent, working within The Big Lemon framework.
We are now recruiting a General Manager to lead our team in Brighton and develop our business in Brighton & Hove.
Reports to: CEO and Board of Directors
- Job location: Brighton BN2 5TJ
- Starting Salary: £40,000
- Contract length: Permanent, with 3-month probation period.
Working requirements:
The GM does not have fixed hours of work; they use their judgment to direct their resources to the areas of greatest need and greatest opportunity. When their team needs them, they are available. When they need time and space to attend to their own needs, they prioritise it. The key to doing this successfully is to put in place the systems and structures to guide, direct and support the team’s daily activities to give them time and space to focus on long term strategy and organisational health.
Benefits:
- competitive salary and company pension
- 28 days holiday per annum
- membership of the Transport Benevolent Fund, with associated benefits
- the chance to work in a friendly small-business environment whilst developing your career and contributing to a bold vision of a better future for transport in the UK.
Role Description:
The General Manager (GM) is the operational leader of the organisation. The GM is responsible for the health, safety and wellbeing of the team, the quality of service provision, customer satisfaction and commercial success of the organisation. The GM’s main role is to develop and motivate their team to achieve their personal and organisational goals.
- Healthy Leader
- a. Eat well, rest well
- b. Prioritise your personal development
- c. Give yourself the tools you need to excel
- d. Set a good example for your team to follow
- Healthy Team
- Recruit well, train well, treat well
- Put in place systems to facilitate good communication
- Deal with issues at their earliest stage
- Focus on personal development
- Be fair and consistent
- Happy staff = happy customers
- Healthy Fleet
- Safe, well maintained and compliant vehicles
- Supported by robust systems and good record-keeping
- Well presented, clean and tidy
- Happy Customers
- Clear, up to date information available on a range of channels
- Apologise when things go wrong, take steps to put it right
- Involve customers, passengers and the community in decision-making
- Greet them with a smile, offer help where needed
- Healthy Finances
- Comprehensive and timely record-keeping
- Collect income on time; pay suppliers on time
- Ensure compliance with regulations
- Manage risk and always plan for a rainy day
What kind of person are we looking for?
Someone who shares our Values
- to empowerour team to be the best they can be, give our passengers the freedom that comes with a reliable, affordable bus service and make a positive impacton our community
- to be the ‘greenest’ we can be
- to be creative and innovative in everything we do
Someone with the following Skills – or the willingness to learn:
- good leadership and people skills
- a good listener and communicator
- entrepreneurial; ability to see, and grasp, opportunities
- a strategic thinker; a good problem solver; solutions-focussed
- good organisational and planning skills
- good grasp of basic business accounting
- good computer literacy, especially Microsoft programs, Google Apps and cloud-based systems such as WordPress and Xero
- good social media skills
- an eye for detail as well as the bigger picture
- able to represent the organisation at all levels
Someone with relevant Experience, including some but not necessarily all of the below:
- leadership and management experience, preferably in a transport business, a social enterprise or other purpose-driven organisation
- experience in a customer-focussed environment
- experience measuring impact and effectiveness against key performance indicators
- change management experience
- experience in compliance, preferably in the transport industry
- experience in health and safety and risk assessment
- business-planning and budget-setting experience
Someone with a great Attitude
- positive, energetic, fun
- team player, good work ethic
- flexible & fair
- willing to take risks and make mistakes
To apply for the role:
If this sounds like you, please send your CV with a covering letter outlining why you are applying for this role and what you will bring to the team, to tom@thebiglemon.com