Mobile Cleaning Team Manager

The Mobile Cleaning Team Manager leads Distinct’s mobile specialist cleaning operation - deep cleans, carpet and hard floor cleaning, window cleaning and ad hoc one-off works - across a client base that includes some of the most demanding luxury retail brands in the UK.

The role combines field leadership with office-based planning. The postholder manages a team of eight, including two supervisors, plans and schedules their work, checks quality on site, quotes and closes out the commercial paperwork, controls materials spend against budget, and is the client’s point of contact for everything the mobile team delivers.

This is a hands-on management role. The right person is organised under pressure, confident dealing directly with clients on site, commercially sharp, and rigorous about safety and paperwork in equal measure., Lead and develop the team

• Manage eight team members: two supervisors and six mobile cleaning operatives, including carpet and window cleaning specialists.
• Delegate clearly to the supervisors, hold regular one-to-ones and develop their ability to lead crews and run jobs independently.
• Induct and train new operatives and provide ongoing coaching in specialist cleaning techniques.
• Plan and publish rotas, manage absence and leave, and arrange cover for scheduled work.
• Carry out one-to-ones and performance reviews, addressing conduct or performance concerns early with support from the Operations Manager and Head of People.
• Provide hands-on support on site when demand is high or a job needs extra help.

Plan and deliver mobile works

• Schedule contracted periodic and reactive works across multiple sites, allocating people, equipment and time efficiently.
• Respond to last-minute client requests and adjust the schedule while protecting work already agreed.
• Coordinate client requests and workbills so every job has a clear owner and nothing is duplicated or missed.
• Monitor live jobs and resolve access, equipment and staffing issues as they arise.
• Keep the shared mobile schedule up to date.
• Visit sites, check completed works and maintain records of inspections, incidents and job outcomes.
• Make sure teams have the right materials, machinery and consumables before deployment. Report equipment faults and vehicle defects promptly.
• Take ownership when a job falls short, arrange any return visit and identify how to prevent the issue recurring.

Coordinate subcontractors and clients

• Brief and coordinate subcontractors for services such as pest control, waste, specialist floor work and access.
• Confirm attendance, access arrangements and a named site contact before each subcontractor visit.
• Check subcontractor work before it is signed off or charged on, and report missed or abortive visits and their costs to the Operations Manager.
• Act as the main contact for mobile team service requests, site queries and feedback.
• Confirm the scope of work with clients, manage expectations and resolve concerns professionally.
• Follow up after completion, provide before-and-after photographs where required, and confirm completion in writing.
• Tell clients promptly about delays, access problems or changes.

Manage quotations, workbills and costs

• Survey, price and issue accurate quotations that protect the margin on each job.
• Check that a purchase order is in place before chargeable work begins where the client requires one. Escalate any outstanding PO.
• Raise detailed workbills for completed jobs, recording the client, date, site, areas worked, operatives, hours and cost.
• Mark workbills complete promptly so invoicing is not delayed, and ensure every completed job has a workbill.
• Identify additional chargeable work on site and pass opportunities to the Operations Manager.
• Monitor materials, chemicals, consumables and equipment spend against the agreed budget, reporting any variance.
• Reduce waste and over-ordering, and check that dilution rates and machine settings are used correctly.
• Work with the Purchasing Supervisor to find savings through product choice, pack sizes, pricing and consolidated orders without reducing service standards.
• Plan work to avoid unnecessary mileage, overtime and abortive visits.

Maintain safety, site access and accurate records

• Produce and review risk assessments and method statements (RAMS), and ensure COSHH assessments are in place for chemicals used.
• Plan and supervise working at height using suitable access equipment. Check relevant training and inspections for ladders, towers and harnesses.
• Ensure PPE is issued, worn and maintained, and that teams follow each site’s health and safety requirements.
• Report accidents, near misses and incidents under company procedures.
• Track passes and clearances required for sites, including Heathrow, Harrods and other client or landlord schemes. Arrange renewals, vetting, inductions and security clearance before operatives are deployed.
• Book and confirm access and security arrangements for out-of-hours and overnight works.
• Use Joblogic for scheduling, job allocation, completion and workbills, and support its rollout to the mobile team.
• Maintain accurate schedules, timesheets, job outcomes, materials records and site inspection records. Submit regular reports to the Operations Manager and ensure timesheets reach payroll accurately and on time., The role has a six-month probation period and a one-month notice period. Annual leave, pension and sick pay arrangements apply.

Applicants must have the right to work in the UK and provide evidence of it. Appointment is subject to satisfactory references and any client-required vetting or background checks.

Distinct Group is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and make reasonable adjustments during recruitment and employment.

This advert describes the main duties of the role. Duties may reasonably change over time in line with business needs, following discussion with the postholder.

• Proven experience managing operational teams, ideally in mobile or specialist cleaning.
• Knowledge of carpet and hard floor cleaning techniques and window cleaning operations.
• Experience scheduling daily work across multiple sites.
• Experience quoting and pricing works and completing the related commercial paperwork.
• Direct client-facing experience and strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Experience working to a budget and controlling materials and consumables spend.
• Working knowledge of health and safety in cleaning or facilities services, including working at height and COSHH.
• Full UK driving licence.
• BICS CPSS (Cleaning Professional’s Skills Suite) or an equivalent recognised cleaning qualification.
• IOSH Managing Safely, or willingness to complete it within six months of appointment.
• Proficiency in MS Office and confidence using job scheduling software. Joblogic or a comparable CMS/CAFM system is a strong advantage.
• Willingness to undergo any site vetting and security clearance required by our clients.

1. Desirable * Formal carpet and hard floor cleaning training, such as NCCA or equivalent. * IPAF, PASMA or equivalent access equipment certification. * NEBOSH General Certificate or an equivalent health and safety qualification. * BICS Licensed Assessor or Trainer status. * Experience in luxury retail, hospitality or other high-standard environments., * Mobile Manager: 2 years (required) * Carpet cleaning: 1 year (preferred) * Window cleaning: 1 year (preferred)

Licence/Certification:

• Driving Licence (required)

• Company events
• Company pension
• Cycle to work scheme
• Health & wellbeing programme
• Referral programme

This role is based in both the office and the field, with regular travel between sites. Hours are flexible, Monday to Friday, according to business needs. Specialist works often take place outside trading hours, so early mornings, late evenings and occasional weekends, particularly Saturdays, may be required. Out-of-hours work is taken as time off in lieu. Occasional hands-on cleaning support is also part of the role.

You will check that vehicles and equipment are fit for use and report defects, while servicing, MOT, insurance, PAT testing and fleet administration are managed elsewhere in the business.

1. How performance is measured

Targets are reviewed quarterly and include:

• At least 90% of mobile jobs completed in full on the first visit.
• No more than two jobs per month requiring rework at our cost because of quality or missed scope.
• At least 90% of jobs arriving within the agreed access window.
• 95% of quotations issued within two working days of the request.
• 100% of completed workbills closed by the Friday of the week in which the work took place.
• No chargeable jobs delivered without a PO where the client requires one.
• Materials, consumables and chemicals spend kept at or under the agreed budget.
• Zero RIDDOR-reportable incidents and RAMS in place for every working-at-height job.