Senior Operations Manager

Job description

Fastned is one of Europe's leading fast-charging networks. Active across nine countries, we have spent nearly 15 years building the infrastructure, expertise and brand that define premium fast charging in Europe. What sets us apart is our focus on reliability, sustainability and the energy transition. We have been awarded “Best Charging Network” in the UK, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands, further establishing Fastned as a leading player in the field. This is your opportunity to make a lasting impact and help us accelerate our operations in the DACH region to the next level! Join Fastned at the forefront of Europe’s electric vehicle and charging infrastructure revolution. The role is based in our beautiful office in Cologne, where your over 50 future colleagues cannot wait to meet you! Your role As Senior Operations Manager DACH, you will initially focus on Germany and Switzerland while helping shape the future of operations across the wider DACH region, including Austria as the organisation expands. Germany is entering a major growth phase, with the network expected to expand significantly in the coming years. You will help design an operating model that can absorb this growth while keeping uptime above 99%, improving customer experience and managing costs and team growth responsibly. You will have significant ownership of how operations are run in Germany and Switzerland. As the key operational point of contact for German, Swiss and future Austrian stations, you will work closely with country and central teams, as well as contractors and service providers. Your scope spans preventive maintenance of chargers and stations, station appearance and amenities, reactive maintenance, spare parts logistics, and the continuous improvement of our operations and processes. Within the broader direction set by Fastned, you will define priorities, improve the operating model and make pragmatic decisions that keep the region performing as the network grows. Your responsibilities Team leadership Lead and grow the DACH field team. Supervising, coaching and developing a team of five Field Engineers and a Station Manager, with a Maintenance Coordinator joining over time, ensuring they work safely, efficiently and as one strong team. Managing team capacity, prioritising work and dispatching jobs in the most efficient way across the Swiss and German network. Bringing structure to the team’s priorities and ways of working, helping ensure maintenance work is completed on time and the network remains safe, reliable and available for our customers. Creating a strong safety culture by ensuring full compliance with Health & Safety standards and regulatory requirements, and providing a safe and caring work environment for colleagues on the road and on site. Operational excellence Ensure high uptime and a great station experience. Being accountable for all day-to-day operations of Fastned stations in the DACH region, from chargers and systems to the overall look and feel of our sites. Ensuring we maintain network uptime above 99% in your region through effective preventive maintenance plans and swift, high-quality reactive repairs. Managing a network of partners responsible for maintaining and servicing our stations. Supporting improvements to the customer experience and your team in the field by regularly visiting stations, performing site inspections and quality audits, with a strong focus on safety and customer experience. Overseeing the handover of new stations in the DACH region from Construction to Field Operations, ensuring they meet our operational, safety and quality standards from day one. Managing spare parts flows together with our Supply Chain team to optimise local stock levels, minimise downtime and ensure that engineers always have the right parts at the right time. Leading and coordinating with external partners larger infrastructure works at your stations. Continuously improving how we work by taking local initiatives, standardising best practices, simplifying processes and using data and insights to make better decisions. Customer, stakeholder and partner management Delivering a best-in-class customer experience by ensuring stations are always clean, safe and easy to use, with strong attention to detail across lighting, signage, landscaping, cleanliness and amenities. Collaborating closely with Customer Operations and other internal teams to monitor performance, respond to incidents and ensure a smooth, end-to-end customer journey across the network. Acting as the voice of DACH Operations within the leadership team and central organisations, representing operational priorities and insights. Initiating, developing and maintaining strong relationships with external partners and contractors, such as electrical contractors, cleaning, landscaping and civil works providers. Providing operational input into new station designs, upgrades and local initiatives to ensure operational excellence is embedded from the outset. You will report to our Director of Operations, based in Amsterdam. The role is based in Germany and involves regular travel across the DACH region to visit stations and team members, as well as occasional travel to our Amsterdam headquarters. Who are we looking for? You are a seasoned field operations leader who can both set direction and get things done on the ground. You combine a strategic mindset with strong operational experience, and you are excited to scale and professionalise Fastned’s German and Swiss operations. You think in terms of network performance, customer experience and long-term capabilities, while also being comfortable jumping into the details when needed to remove blockers for your team. In addition, you meet most of the following criteria: You have at least eight years of relevant experience in operations roles. You have proven experience scaling or professionalising operations in a growing market, for example by building teams, introducing new ways of working, improving performance and enhancing customer experience. You are a strong people leader who coaches and develops your team, communicates clearly and stands your ground when needed, leads by example in the field, and creates a safe, high-performance culture. You combine a strategic mindset, including the ability to set a vision for DACH Operations, define priorities and align stakeholders, with hands-on senior operational experience. You are comfortable going on site, understanding technical issues and making pragmatic trade-offs. You remain calm and organised under pressure, can manage multiple priorities at once and maintain a positive, can-do attitude. You are a strong communicator and stakeholder manager, able to connect the needs of the German and Swiss operations with those of our central teams and influence decisions where needed. You are fluent in English and German. Any additional European language is a plus. Join us in building a better future We work hard to change the world, but we do not forget to recognise and celebrate our successes, big and small. We value work-life balance, offer real work flexibility and have family-friendly policies in place. We have an inclusive work environment and love authentic people, so do not try to fit in because we like you for who you are! A fully electric company car, with all charging expenses covered. 29 days of annual leave. Two Mission Days each year to support a cause you care about or contribute to our mission. A company bonus plan that recognises the impact you make. A Deutschlandticket covered by Fastned. An annual personal development budget of €3,000, because there is always more to learn and improve. Mental wellbeing support through nilo health. A subsidised Urban Sports Club membership. Access to women’s health experts through our partnership with Flouria. A laptop and phone of your choice, with an EU-wide mobile phone plan. Daily vegetarian lunches, snacks and drinks at our office locations. Team events throughout the year, an annual company trip and our legendary Christmas parties. Interested? Apply today! We would love to have a conversation with you! Apply now, send us your CV and explain in your cover letter why you are excited about joining our mission for freedom in sustainable transportation. We are looking forward to your application! Fastned stands for equity and inclusion. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, gender identities, sexual orientations, religions, neurodiversity, disabilities, parental status or any other protected characteristic that makes you unique