Area Manager

Who we are

VIVO provides facilities management and accommodation maintenance for the UK military and its partners. VIVO embodies both experience and innovation.

What we do

We put our Customers and Families First. They are the driving force behind everything we do. We drive forward improvements for them to ensure the service they receive, whether reactive repairs or a major project, is completed safely and on time. In order to achieve this, we have 4 core values: open, caring, agile and collaborative. These are at the heart of everything we do.

Location: Colchester, to cover East Anglia. Home based with regular travel and client meetings on site 2 x per week

Permanent, Full time

Salary: £50,000-£55,000 + Company car/Car Allowance

Are you an experienced operations leader looking to take the next step in your career? VIVO is seeking a dynamic and driven Area Manager to lead our service delivery across the Reserve Forces and Cadets Association (RFCA) estate in East Anglia. If you're motivated by operational excellence, great people leadership, and creating strong relationships with customers, this could be your next big opportunity.

The Role

In this role, you'll take ownership of delivering high-quality maintenance services across the RFCA portfolio, including planned, reactive, and grounds maintenance. You'll work closely with our client and partners to ensure we're meeting all performance targets and KPIs, all while driving a culture of continuous improvement, compliance, and customer satisfaction.

You'll be responsible for ensuring statutory compliance across the estate, managing risk, and building capability to deliver capital works and projects in line with the RFCA's evolving needs. Supporting the wider strategy of VIVO, you'll help shape operational improvements, align delivery to commercial targets, and play a key role in the growth and sustainability of our contract performance.

This is a highly visible leadership role, so you'll work closely with stakeholders at all levels—from internal teams and supply chain partners to RFCA and Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) representatives. You'll be expected to foster a collaborative environment and ensure our customer service is second to none, through consistent engagement and high operational standards.

Leading a dedicated operational team, you'll be responsible for mentoring, developing, and motivating staff to achieve strategic objectives while supporting wellbeing and promoting a diverse and inclusive work environment. You'll also ensure all practices, processes, and policies align with both VIVO and contract requirements.

You will be expected to be on site at our Chelmsford office at least 2 days per week, with work from home available the remaining days.

What You'll Bring

To be successful here, you'll bring a proven background in operational leadership within facilities or estates maintenance environments. You should have strong analytical and communication skills, be confident in your ability to influence at all levels, and show a track record of delivering change and building effective partnerships. Experience in budget management, performance reporting, and problem-solving in a fast-paced, complex setting will be key.

This role would suit someone with hands-on experience who’s now ready to take a broader leadership role, or someone already working at this level who wants to make a real impact in a purpose-driven organisation. Your ability to lead, adapt, and deliver results will be critical to your success, as well as a firm understanding of technical (trades/engineering) knowledge and maintenance and preferably technical qualifications.

The role requires regular travel across East Anglia, so flexibility and a valid driving licence are essential. You must also be a UK national with the ability to obtain Security Clearance (SC).

If you're looking for a meaningful role with autonomy, accountability, and the opportunity to grow, VIVO offers the environment and support to help you thrive. Join us and help shape the future of estate management for the Armed Forces community.

What We Offer

• 25 days annual leave


• 6% employee matched pension contribution


• Company car/car allowance


• Private medical cover for self and partner


• Life assurance 2x annual salary

VIVO Defence Services

The role you have applied for is with VIVO Defence Services, a joint venture between Serco and EQUANS. By applying for this role, please be aware that information contained within your CV may be shared between VIVO Defence Services, Serco and EQUANS during the recruitment process.

At VIVO, we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. Therefore, we will make reasonable adjustments at interview through to employment for our candidates and strongly encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool.

We are open to discussions around flexibility and flexible working and operate a hybrid work structure in many of our business areas. We are proudly a Disability Confident Leader. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview.