First Mile is a leading UK sustainability services provider and certified B Corp, delivering waste management and recycling solutions to more than 40,000 business customers nationwide. Operating across retail, hospitality, commercial offices and mixed-use estates, the business combines technology-enabled services with established recycling infrastructure to drive high recycling rates, transparent reporting and measurable environmental impact.

Backed by Warren Equity Partners, First Mile has ambitious plans for both organic and acquisitive growth and is actively pursuing opportunities to strengthen its market position through strategic acquisitions — including the recent addition of Greenzone Facilities Management to the Group. It's an exciting, fast-moving environment where our people play a central role in supporting growth, integration and delivering an exceptional service to our customers.

About the Role

As a Spare Operations Support Executive (OSE) – AM, you will play a key role in supporting the smooth running of First Mile’s daily collection and delivery operation.

This is a flexible operational support role designed to provide additional resilience across the AM Operations team. When not providing rota cover, you will normally work Monday to Friday, supporting the wider operation and carrying out OSE responsibilities.

When covering another OSE, you will temporarily move onto the relevant 4 days on / 2 days off rota for the duration of the cover.

The role will also provide cover for the Senior Operations Supervisor from time to time. You will therefore need a strong understanding of the wider operation and be comfortable taking additional responsibility for overseeing the shift, supporting the team and making operational decisions when required.

Requirements

Key Responsibilities

• Support the daily dispatch operation, ensuring drivers, vehicles, loaders and rounds are correctly allocated.

• Monitor collection and delivery rounds throughout the shift and respond to operational issues as they arise.

• Maintain accurate operational information in Salesforce and other operational systems.

• Investigate and reallocate missed collections, urgent collections, extras and new service requirements.

• Communicate regularly with drivers regarding routes, priority collections, access issues, vehicle changes and other operational requirements.

• Monitor priority customers and collections to help ensure important services are completed.

• Support daily planning and scheduling, including driver and loader allocation, absences and operational changes.

• Work closely with Customer Service, Account Management, Transport and other departments to resolve service issues.

• Record driver and collection issues clearly and accurately and ensure relevant information is communicated to the appropriate teams.

• Support fleet management, including vehicle allocation, availability, defects and operational changes.

• Maintain effective communication throughout the shift using Salesforce, Connected, Detrack, Teams and other operational systems and communication channels.

• Provide clear handovers and ensure outstanding operational issues are communicated and followed through.

• Provide flexible cover across the AM OSE team during holidays, absence and other periods where additional operational support is required.

Senior Operations Supervisor Cover

As part of the role, you will also be expected to provide cover for the Senior Operations Supervisor from time to time.

When providing Senior Operations Supervisor cover, additional responsibilities will include:

• Overseeing the AM operation and ensuring the shift runs effectively.

• Reviewing driver, vehicle and route allocations and making operational changes where required.

• Providing guidance and operational support to OSEs and other colleagues during the shift.

• Monitoring operational performance and identifying issues requiring immediate action.

• Making appropriate operational decisions and escalating significant issues when required.

• Ensuring priority operational issues are managed and followed through.

• Maintaining effective communication between Operations and other departments.

• Ensuring outstanding issues, incidents and actions are clearly communicated and handed over.

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for someone who is:

• Highly organised and comfortable managing multiple priorities.
• Confident working in a fast-paced operational environment.
• Able to adapt quickly when operational requirements change.
• Confident communicating with drivers and able to build strong working relationships with the driving team.
• Calm under pressure and able to find practical solutions to operational problems.
• Comfortable taking ownership and making operational decisions.
• Able to step up and take additional responsibility when covering the Senior Operations Supervisor.
• Confident using technology and able to learn new systems quickly.
• Accurate when recording and communicating operational information.
• Comfortable working independently while also supporting the wider team.
• A strong communicator who can work effectively across different departments.
• Flexible regarding working days, shift patterns and start times, as flexibility is a fundamental requirement of the spare position.

Shift & Working Pattern

This position is specifically designed to provide flexible operational cover across the

AM operation.

When not providing rota cover, the normal working pattern will be Monday to Friday.

When providing OSE rota cover, you will temporarily move from the normal Monday-to-Friday working pattern onto the relevant 4 days on / 2 days off rota for the duration of the cover.

Start times will typically fall between 5:00am and 8:00am, depending on the shift being covered and operational requirements.

The role will also periodically provide cover for the Senior Operations Supervisor, which may require working the hours associated with that shift.

Due to the nature of the position, flexibility across working days, shift patterns and start times is an essential requirement of the role.

What Success Looks Like

A successful Spare OSE provides the Operations team with dependable and flexible cover while maintaining a consistently high standard of operational support.

You will be capable of moving between normal weekday support, OSE rota cover and occasional Senior Operations Supervisor cover while maintaining a strong understanding of operational priorities.

Whether supporting the day-to-day operation, covering an OSE rota or stepping up to provide Senior Operations Supervisor cover, you will help ensure that drivers are supported, resources are correctly allocated, operational issues are resolved quickly, systems remain accurate and customers receive the expected level of service.

Benefits

• Enhanced maternity/paternity scheme
• Regular company parties and events
• Employee recognition at our monthly town hall event
• Company pension

• 25 days holiday (plus bank holidays) as well as an extra day for each complete year of service.
• A monthly allowance to spend on you. If you want a gym membership, loads of cookies, to pamper yourself or to pay for a flight it is totally up to you.
• But most importantly, a fun, positive, collaborate workplace in which you can learn, working for a rapidly growing, multi award-winning business in a sector that has never been more important.

We are an equal opportunities employer. What this means to us is that we value diversity and understand the significant benefits of having a diverse workforce, so we welcome all to apply.