Area Director - South

Lead Growth. Inspire People. Deliver Operational Excellence.

At Biffa, we're building a more sustainable future by helping businesses manage resources more efficiently. We're looking for an exceptional Area Director to lead one of our largest operational areas, delivering commercial success, operational excellence and outstanding customer outcomes.

This is a significant leadership opportunity with full accountability for a major business area, leading multiple regions, hundreds of colleagues and a substantial P&L. You'll play a pivotal role in shaping strategy, accelerating growth, embedding a high-performance culture and ensuring safety remains at the heart of everything we do.

The Opportunity

As Area Director, you'll have end-to-end responsibility for the commercial and operational performance of your Area, leading multiple regions and a large, diverse workforce while delivering ambitious financial, operational and customer objectives.

Reporting to the Operations Director, you'll combine strategic thinking with visible, hands-on leadership to drive profitable growth through both organic opportunities and acquisitions. You'll continuously improve operational efficiency, enhance customer experience, develop high-performing teams and foster a culture where safety, collaboration and continuous improvement are at the heart of everything you do.

What You'll Be Doing

As Area Director you will:

• Own the Area P&L, delivering revenue, profit and budget targets.
• Develop and execute the commercial strategy to accelerate profitable growth.
• Lead Regional General Managers to deliver outstanding operational, financial and commercial performance.
• Champion a genuine Safety Always culture, ensuring the highest standards of health, safety and environmental compliance.
• Drive operational excellence by embedding best practice, improving efficiency and optimising assets across multiple operational sites.
• Partner with Sales, Customer Service and Account Management teams to deliver exceptional customer experiences.
• Lead pricing strategy across the Area, ensuring sustainable commercial growth.
• Identify acquisition opportunities, support business case development and successfully integrate newly acquired businesses.
• Develop high-performing teams through coaching, engagement, succession planning and talent development.
• Build strong relationships with customers, colleagues and industry stakeholders to influence strategy and deliver results.
• Ensure effective deployment of people, assets and capital investment to maximise operational performance and customer service.

What We're Looking For

We're seeking an experienced senior leader who combines commercial acumen with operational excellence and a passion for leading people.

You'll bring:

• Significant senior leadership experience leading large, multi-site operational businesses.
• Proven success managing a complex business with full P&L accountability.
• A strong background in either operations or commercial leadership, with experience across both disciplines.
• Demonstrable success delivering profitable revenue and profit growth.
• Experience leading logistics, transport, industrial, manufacturing or other operationally intensive businesses.
• The ability to develop and execute strategic business plans.
• Experience leading organisational change and driving continuous improvement.
• Strong financial, analytical and commercial decision-making skills.
• Outstanding leadership, influencing and stakeholder management capabilities.
• A collaborative leadership style with the ability to inspire and develop high-performing teams.

Why Biffa?

This is an opportunity to make a real impact within one of the UK's leading environmental services businesses.

You'll have the chance to:

• Lead one of our largest and most strategically important operational areas.
• Shape commercial strategy and influence business decisions at senior leadership level.
• Drive business growth through operational excellence, innovation and acquisitions.
• Build, develop and inspire high-performing leadership teams.
• Play a key role in delivering a more sustainable future for our customers, colleagues and communities.

If you're an ambitious, commercially minded leader who thrives in complex operational environments and is passionate about developing people, delivering results and leading change, we'd love to hear from you.

Biffa – we’re changing the way people think about waste

At Biffa, we love working with waste. Whether we’re turning it into sustainable power, finding new ways to recycle it or simply keeping it off the streets, we believe every day is an opportunity to improve the lives of millions. It’s a view that’s shared by our 11,000+ people around the country, who trust us to provide them with a career that’s always rewarding, often challenging, but never dull.

We believe different ideas, perspective and backgrounds are key to developing a creative and effective working environment which is why you’ll find us championing diversity and equality at every turn.