Business Area Manager - Certification

Kettering, Northamptonshire | -40,000 - -50,000 DOE | Full-Time, Permanent

Are you an experienced Certification, Conformity Assessment, Testing or Regulated Industry Manager looking for your next leadership opportunity?

We''re recruiting for a Business Area Manager - Certification on behalf of an established, internationally operating technical organisation based in Northamptonshire.

This is a senior leadership position combining people management, operational performance, commercial responsibility, customer relationships and regulatory compliance within a specialist certification environment.

The Role

You''ll take overall responsibility for a specialist certification business area, leading teams to deliver against customer expectations, commercial targets, quality standards and regulatory requirements.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Leading, motivating and developing specialist certification teams
• Managing departmental performance against budgets, KPIs and strategic objectives
• Taking ownership of financial performance, forecasting, budgets and reporting
• Driving continuous improvement, operational efficiency and service delivery
• Developing team capability through coaching, performance management and succession planning
• Managing resources and workloads to meet customer and business requirements
• Building strong relationships with key customers, industry stakeholders and trade associations
• Identifying new business opportunities and supporting commercial growth
• Working closely with Testing, Sales and other internal departments
• Maintaining high standards of customer service and responsiveness
• Overseeing compliance with ISO/IEC 17065 and relevant accreditation requirements
• Supporting quality management systems, audits and corrective/preventative actions
• Representing the organisation at presentations, webinars, exhibitions, technical events and industry forums
• Supporting the introduction of new certification schemes, services and market opportunities
• Undertaking regular UK and Ireland travel, alongside occasional international travel

About You

We''re looking for an experienced leader who can combine technical understanding with strong commercial and people-management skills.

You''ll ideally have:

• Proven experience leading and developing high-performing teams
• Strong operational management experience, including KPIs, service targets and budgets
• A technical background within certification, conformity assessment, testing or another regulated environment
• The ability to understand and interpret technical standards and regulatory requirements
• Experience managing budgets, forecasts and financial performance
• Strong customer relationship and business development skills
• Excellent communication, presentation and stakeholder management skills
• Experience driving continuous improvement and operational change
• Strong organisational, decision-making and problem-solving skills
• A customer-focused and commercially aware approach
• Confidence dealing with senior customers and industry stakeholders
• Strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Teams

Desirable Experience

Experience in any of the following would be advantageous:

• ISO/IEC 17065
• UKAS and/or other accredited activities
• PPE certification and relevant legislation
• Accredited laboratory or certification environments
• Quality management systems and audit processes
• Health & Safety management
• International regulatory frameworks and product certification schemes
• Leadership or management qualifications

What''s On Offer?

• -40,000 - -50,000 salary, depending on experience
• 25-30 days annual leave, increasing with service
• Life assurance
• Group personal pension
• Income protection
• Free parking
• Flexible working hours
• Senior leadership responsibility within a specialist technical environment
• UK, Ireland and international travel opportunities

Business Area Manager, Certification Manager, Certification Operations Manager, Certification Manager, Technical Manager, Technical Operations Manager, Conformity Assessment Manager, Certification Services Manager, Compliance Manager, Regulatory Manager, Quality Manager, Quality & Compliance Manager, Testing Manager, Laboratory Manager, Technical Services Manager, Certification Team Manager, Certification Department Manager, Operations Manager, Business Unit Manager, Technical Business Manager, Regulatory Affairs Manager, Accreditation Manager

Impact Recruitment are a Recruitment Business working on behalf of our client.