Role: Commercial Manager (Catering)
Employer: West House
Location: West Cumbria (multi-site)
Salary: Up to £38,000
Employment Type: Permanent, Full
Benefits: Discounted gym membership, Free EAP, Increase annual leave after 5 years service

We're delighted to be partnered with West House seeking a new Commercial Manager for their catering enterprises. West House specialises in providing individual care and support to people with learning disabilities across Cumbria. This includes 24/7 care for people with complex needs resulting from learning and other disabilities, through to providing occasional support for someone living independently.

The Catering Enterprises at West House include Cafe West locations in Keswick, Workington and Whitehaven. Each of these provides invaluable work experience and training opportunities for young people and adults in our care. They provide spaces within our community where everyone is welcome.

The role:

We're looking for a Commercial Manager to support the commercial development, growth, and financial performance of West House’s catering enterprises, including four cafés. The Commercial Manager will be responsible for increasing profitability, identifying new opportunities in and for our cafés, and enhancing the commercial viability of the services while maintaining high standards and creating inclusive, meaningful opportunities for people with learning disabilities.

This would be a fantastic role for an experienced candidate in catering/hospitality who has a commercial acumen and an appreciation for the values and mission of third sector organisations, the role that West House plays in the local community, and can help maximise profitability across all ventures.

Responsibilities:

• Commercial Strategy & Finance : Own financial performance, drive income through strategic planning, and ensure profitability across multiple café sites.
• Business Development & Marketing: Identify new income streams (e.g. catering, events), support marketing campaigns, and raise the profile of West House catering locally.
• Operational Management: Ensure high standards in daily operations, food safety compliance, stock control, and consistent customer service.
• Team Leadership: Develop and support diverse staff teams, fostering a positive and professional working culture.
• Inclusion & Safeguarding :Create inclusive employment opportunities, safeguard wellbeing, and work in line with person-centred support values.

About you:

• We're looking for someone who has previous experience in commercial operations, ideally catering / hospitality and a track record of improving financial performance.
• Relevant qualifications or CPD in commercial/business management
• Excellent financial and analytical skills/awareness
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work collaboratively with stakeholders across multiple sites
• Full driving licence and willing to travel across sites every week (expensed)

Don't meet every single requirement? At Realise, we are dedicated to helping our clients build diverse, inclusive and authentic workplaces, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every requirement, we would encourage you to apply anyway! You might be just the candidate we're looking for!

Realise HR Ltd is operating as an employment agency on behalf of its clients. We may keep your CV on file for the purposes of providing recruitment services and in accordance with our privacy policy which can be found on our website www.realisehr.co.uk

Role: Continuous Improvement Lead
Location: Hybrid (circa 3 days on site weekly - Harlow & Derby sites)
Salary: £70,000 + 10% Bonus + £6k Car allowance
Employment Type: Permanent, Hybrid (dual-site)

Benefits:

• Up-to 10% Annual Bonus
• £6k Car allowance
• Private Medical Insurance

We're working with a leading, big brand, healthcare business in the UK that works tirelessly to make patient treatment more accessible, personal, and safe. Every day, its teams deliver high-quality care to thousands of patients across the UK, supporting people with complex conditions through treatment plans that fit into real lives.

We’re looking for a Continuous Improvement (CI) Lead who is passionate about truly embedding change, building a culture of excellence, and shaping the future of compound manufacturing operations.

This isn’t a typical CI role.

You won’t just deliver projects — you’ll coach and build an academy of future CI Leaders to create sustainable change. Reporting directly to the Head of Compounding, you’ll work across both Derby and Harlow sites to embed a culture where continuous improvement is woven into the fabric of how the business works.

Key Deliverables

Lead Continuous Improvement Initiatives:

- Develop and execute a comprehensive continuous improvement strategy aligned with organisational goals.

- Identify and prioritise areas for improvement using data-driven analysis and stakeholder input.

- Implement Lean and Six Sigma methodologies to streamline processes, reduce waste, and improve productivity.

Project Management:

- Lead cross-functional teams to plan, execute, and monitor improvement projects.

- Ensure projects are completed on time, within budget, and deliver measurable results.

- Track and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of initiatives.

Training and Development:

- Train and mentor employees at all levels on Lean and Six Sigma principles, tools, and techniques. Creating the sites CI academy.

- Foster a culture of continuous improvement by encouraging employee involvement and ownership of processes.

Process Optimisation:

- Conduct value stream mapping to identify inefficiencies and bottlenecks.

- Implement standardised work procedures and best practices to ensure consistency and quality.

- Collaborate with compounding teams to optimise equipment and workflow layouts.

Data Analysis and Reporting:

- Collect, analyse, and interpret data to identify trends, root causes, and opportunities for improvement working in collaboration with site Quality, Warehouse & Compounding leads.

Change Management:

- Drive organisational change by effectively communicating the benefits of continuous improvement initiatives, Including town hall presentations & briefings.

- Address resistance to change and ensure buy-in from all stakeholders.

About You

To thrive in this role you will have:

• A proven change agent with experience driving and embedding continuous improvement within complex manufacturing or compounding environments.

• A leader who listens first, takes action, and inspires others to join the journey.

• Experience building CI culture at every level — not just delivering initiatives, but creating a sustainable way of working.

• Kaizen Leader, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (or equivalent), with strong data-driven decision-making skills.

• Bonus points if you bring pharmaceutical manufacturing experience and a passion for technology and automation.

If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you!

Don't meet every single requirement? At Realise, we are dedicated to helping our clients build diverse, inclusive and authentic workplaces, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every requirement, we would encourage you to apply anyway! You might be just the candidate we're looking for!

Realise HR Ltd is operating as an employment agency on behalf of its clients. We may keep your CV on file for the purposes of providing recruitment services and in accordance with our privacy policy which can be found on our website www.realisehr.co.uk

Role: Engineering Team Leader
Employer: HiDef Aerial Surveying Limited
Location: Workington
Salary: £48,000
Employment Type: Permanent, Full-Time, Mon-Fri
Benefits:

• Profit share scheme.
• 33 days annual leave per annum, including public holidays.
• 4% company pension contribution.
• Private medical and dental care scheme.
• Medicash scheme.
• Group Life Assurance.
• Salary sacrifice schemes including Pension Salary Exchange, Cycle to Work scheme, and help towards the purchase of ultra-low emission vehicles.

HiDef Aerial Surveying Ltd is an industry leader in digital aerial surveys and marine environmental consultancy, with a global footprint across ten countries. It delivers high-quality environmental data and analysis that supports the offshore renewables sector and conservation efforts worldwide.

Together and as part of ongoing growth, we’re looking for a Engineering Team Leader to join the Technical Services team. This is a key leadership role that combines hands-on technical work with strategic oversight, offering clear pathways for professional development and career progression.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead and coordinate a team of 6 Engineering Technicians, ensuring high standards of safety, quality, and efficiency.

• Manage equipment maintenance, logistics, and procurement to support survey operations.

• Drive innovation through collaboration with R&D teams on cutting-edge tools and technologies.

• Champion a Continuous Improvement mindset, identifying ways to streamline processes, reduce inefficiencies, and drive engineering performance.

• Optimise asset performance and develop engineering KPIs to minimise downtime.

• Mentor and develop junior team members – shaping a high-performing, future-ready engineering function.

• Liaise cross-functionally with Flight Operations, Innovation, Business Development, and external contractors.

What You’ll Bring:

• A solid foundation in electrical or multi-skilled engineering – electrical bias is ideal to complement your team’s mechanical strengths.

• Experience in a senior or supervisory engineering role, developing a high performance culture and managing complex technical projects.

• Working knowledge of maintenance scheduling, health & safety protocols, and equipment optimisation.

• A proactive, organised, and collaborative approach, with the ability to balance hands-on leadership with strategic oversight.

• Desirable: proficiency in CAD or similar design software, and project management know-how.

Ready to lead, shape, and innovate? If this sounds like you, we'd love to hear from you!

Don't meet every single requirement? At Realise, we are dedicated to helping our clients build diverse, inclusive and authentic workplaces, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every requirement, we would encourage you to apply anyway! You might be just the candidate we're looking for!

Realise HR Ltd is operating as an employment agency on behalf of its clients. We may keep your CV on file for the purposes of providing recruitment services and in accordance with our privacy policy which can be found on our website. www.realisehr.co.uk

Role: People Advisor
Location: Cumbria
Salary: £40,000 (pro-rata) + car allowance (£5k)
Employment Type: 9 Month FTC, Hybrid (3 days office/2 home)

We're working with a major UK Civil Engineering and Construction business. Together, we're currently looking for a People Advisor to help during a critical period of transformation. Reporting to the Senior HR Business Partner, you’ll step into a high-impact role focused on organisational restructure and Employee Relations (ER) across a diverse, operationally complex workforce.

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Leading and advising on complex ER casework, including grievances, disciplinaries, and performance issues.

• Supporting redundancy and redeployment processes, ensuring compliance, clarity, and compassion.

• Acting as a trusted partner to line managers – sometimes coaching, sometimes taking the reins – depending on the scenario.

• Supporting investigations and hearings, offering clear, confident guidance in a union-heavy, change-sensitive setting.

• Managing stakeholder relationships across workforce planning, recruitment, and operational teams.

• Promoting a positive employee experience in times of transition, aligned to business needs and employment law.

About You:

• Proven experience in an HR/People Advisor role with a strong ER focus.

• Confidence navigating complex unionised environments.

• Deep working knowledge of UK employment law, especially around redundancy and organisational change.

• Exceptional communication, problem-solving and coaching skills.

• Diligent, hands-on approach to delivery.

• Flexibility to be on-site 3 days per week

If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you!

Don't meet every single requirement? At Realise, we are dedicated to helping our clients build diverse, inclusive and authentic workplaces, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every requirement, we would encourage you to apply anyway! You might be just the candidate we're looking for!

Realise HR Ltd is operating as an employment agency on behalf of its clients. We may keep your CV on file for the purposes of providing recruitment services and in accordance with our privacy policy which can be found on our website www.realisehr.co.uk

Role: Workforce Planning Manager
Location: Cumbria
Salary: £65,000 - £70,000 per annum (pro-rata) + car allowance (£6k)
Employment Type: 9 Month FTC, Remote (with office twice monthly)

This is an exciting opportunity with a major UK Civil Engineering and Construction business. Together, we're currently looking for a Workforce Planning Manager to help shape the future of one of their leading business units. You will be the driving force behind ensuring this business has the right people, in the right place, at the right time — now and for the future.

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Partnering with Directors, SLT, project teams, and the wider People function to align workforce capability with project demand and optimise staffing levels.

• Leading workforce planning across the full lifecycle: capability reviews, demand forecasting, mobility planning and gap analysis.

• Influencing and guiding on workforce planning strategy, helping embed best practices across business units.

• Developing and managing workforce planning tools and systems that inform key business decisions.

• Collaborating with the wider People Team on mobility and redeployment strategies.

• Delivering insightful reports and analysis that help shape business unit planning and resource allocation.

• Supporting strategic initiatives, including recruitment and organisational change, to keep us ahead of the curve.

• Support and deliver on contingency plans for workforce disruptions

About You:

You’re experienced, pragmatic, and have led workforce planning in a complex, project-based environment, bringing stakeholders along for the journey.

• You understand both operational and strategic workforce planning, and can confidently work at all levels — from the granular to the visionary.

• You’re comfortable managing planning via spreadsheets (no fancy tools here — yet) and know how to use them to drive clear, actionable decisions.

• You’ve built planning processes before, brought stakeholders together, and created usable insights from fragmented data.

• You naturally work across boundaries, challenging siloed approaches and embedding sustainable workforce practices.

• You bring strong stakeholder management skills — from partnering with peers to influencing SLT — and know how to articulate workforce data in a way that drives action.

• You’re a senior operator looking for a role with space to shape and evolve. You see what good looks like and can lead others towards it.

If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you!

Don't meet every single requirement? At Realise, we are dedicated to helping our clients build diverse, inclusive and authentic workplaces, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every requirement, we would encourage you to apply anyway! You might be just the candidate we're looking for!

Realise HR Ltd is operating as an employment agency on behalf of its clients. We may keep your CV on file for the purposes of providing recruitment services and in accordance with our privacy policy which can be found on our website www.realisehr.co.uk