Avalon Francis
Experienced And Passionate Operations Supervisor And Value Driven People Leader. With HR Experience Able To Evidence Improvement In Both Culture And Performance KPI's.
Sproughton
Summary
Experienced People-Focused Operations Supervisor Dedicated and value driven operations leader with over 20 years’ experience managing people and processes in high-pressure environments, including logistics, HR, law enforcement, and hospitality. Proven track record of driving performance, safety, and culture through hands-on leadership and a genuine commitment to employee wellbeing. Experienced in managing large, unionised workforces and supporting HR casework—having personally led over 600 long-term absence and absence management meetings. Passionate about building positive employee and trade union relations and supporting organisational change with a strong focus on inclusion and mental health. Able to build strong stakeholder relationships. A confident communicator and passionate people leader who believes people-driven outcomes are key to business success. Now seeking a new challenge where my broad operational and people management expertise, combined with value-led leadership, can make a meaningful impact.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
Work History
Operations support manager development opportunity
Port of Felixstowe
01.2023 - Current
- Provide consistent and proactive support to both operational teams, senior management and customers.
- Welfare and employee support – ensuring that employee wellbeing remains a priority- calling all employees at the 7th and 14th day of sickness. Providing support, giving guidance of policy details and signposting to OHD/ EAP/HR where necessary, to ensure timely support and intervention.
- Attendance and disciplinary meetings-, I have facilitated over 400 LTA and Rd meetings and more than 220 MOA 2 meetings. Additionally, I have managed four stage 3 jumper meetings and conducted one safety investigation. These activities required thorough preparation, adherence to procedural guidelines, and the ability to foster good working relations and engage with employees, union representatives and management constructively and fairly.
- Safety compliance and auditing- I have led monthly audits of safety compliance, including monitoring the completion and quality of safety snapshots across operational teams. I ensured compliance with Skill Gate HS4300 standards and effectively communicated outcomes and any necessary actions to the relevant management teams for resolution.
- Customer and commercial liaison.- I attend weekly customer calls with the commercial team, taking particular responsibility for the CMA CGM account. I tracked weekly vessel performance, addressed and followed up on customer queries, and provided timely updates to both the customer and internal stakeholders. I also played a key role in customer relations by assisting with tours of the Operations Centre and AO facility, introducing customers to key stakeholders and streamlining points of contact for efficient future communication.
Hr Case manager secondment
Port of Felixstowe
01.2023 - 01.2024
- Brought in to tackle escalating caseload backlog with specific focus on driving down operational sickness levels.
- Management of absence and formal absence management meetings.
- Advising other managers and HR professionals on outcomes.
- Liaising, and maintaining good industrial relations with, Union representatives.
- Acting as a point of contact for operational colleagues seeking support and advice.
- Management in excess of 400 Long Term Absence and restricted duty cases through a series of 4 weekly meetings.
- Management of in excess of 220 formal management of absence meetings.
Shift Supervisor
Port of Felixstowe
01.2016 - 01.2023
- Worked across a variety of 24/7/364 operations supervisory roles with responsibility for over 100 direct reports including all aspects of people management.
- Working across Landside and Portside responsibilities have included: Health and Safety management and leadership in a heavy industrial environment, including the use of quay cranes and other lifting and moving equipment.
- Systems informed supervision across a large number of direct reports and plant machinery, validated with in person checks and site tours.
- Attendance of RTC's and equipment breakdowns and exceptions, providing management interventions to ensure health and safety is maintained and the operation resumes as soon as is safely possible.
- Performance management of the team outcomes across the shift, allocating resource as needed to meet KPI's, and with individuals addressing and performance concerns one to one.
- Support and mentoring of reports for career development resulting in multiple promotions.
- Dealing with employee concerns and acting as a safe space for escalation of sensitive problems, ensuring outcomes that align with company values.
- Providing on shift supervision and support to a large multicultural workforce in a heavily unionised environment.
- Ensure the shift is started in a swift and efficient manner, this involves coordinating over 100 direct reports.
- Driving the operational plan and ensuring that the Yard operates in the most safe and productive way as possible.
- Dealing with day to day manning and redeployments to facilitate changing circumstances and situations.
- Ensure all health and safety standards are followed by leading by example and dealing with non-conformance as and when it occurs.
- Drive performance and improve motivation through daily engagement and performance management.
Police Constable
Port of Felixstowe
01.2013 - 01.2016
- Provide protection to all persons, premises and cargo in the dock area.
- Facilitate and act upon any requests for assistance.
- Investigate, respond and report any incidents, accidents or emergencies in a professional unbiased police manner.
- Enforcing the Law, Company policy and ISPS Code and perform all security functions as required.
Shift Manager
Whitbread
01.2007 - 01.2013
- Providing on shift management and support to up to 30 members of staff and motivating them towards the achievement of optimum service delivery standards to facilitate customer satisfaction and maximum revenue generation.
- Fully accountable for the establishment, staff and guests on shift which included a 40-bedroom hotel.
- Completion of daily financial forecasting, implementation of sales targets.
- Accessing and reviewing guest feedback results, developing and implementing customer improvement programmes.
- Coordinating the recruitment, selection and training of members of staff.
Supervisor/Holding Manager
New Look PLC
01.2001 - 01.2003
- Fully accountable for the establishment during my appointment of holding manager, which in addition to the day to day running of the store included, recruitment, constructing staff rotas, financial forecasting, delegating work and ensuring all daily targets were met, i.e. sales, account cards.
- Working in close conjunction with area store managers to facilitate and coordinate new store openings and merchandising, refits or preparation for audits.
- Experienced holding manager at various stores with in the east of England area. This involved last minute redeployment to any store in the area and the management of all staff within it.
Education
HND - Marketing, Managing Financial Resources, Organisations and Behaviour, Organisations, Competitions and Environment, Legal and Regulatory Framework
Business Management
GNVQ Adv - Business in the economy, Business organisations and systems, Marketing, Human Resources, Production of employment in the economy, Financial transactions, costing and pricing, Financial forecasting and monitoring, Business planning, Application of number level 3, Communication level 3, Information technology level 3, Statistics for marketing, Behaviour at work, Financial services, Business and the law
Business Management
GCSE - 9 Qualifications Including English and Mathematics
OCR Level 2 Certificate - Adult Numeracy
Mental Health First Aid
MHFA England
Managing Safely
IOSH
Skills
Operations management
Performance management
Case management
Performance monitoring
Stakeholder relations
Personal Details - Driving Licence
Full/Clean
Professional Development
- Personal Alcohol License BPA0695
- Port police Probationary and Law training
- Driver response training
- Personal safety Training
- Drug Testing Training
- Supervisor Health and Safety IOSH course
Timeline
Operations support manager development opportunity
Port of Felixstowe
01.2023 - Current
Hr Case manager secondment
Port of Felixstowe
01.2023 - 01.2024
Shift Supervisor
Port of Felixstowe
01.2016 - 01.2023
Police Constable
Port of Felixstowe
01.2013 - 01.2016
Shift Manager
Whitbread
01.2007 - 01.2013
Supervisor/Holding Manager
New Look PLC
01.2001 - 01.2003
GNVQ Adv - Business in the economy, Business organisations and systems, Marketing, Human Resources, Production of employment in the economy, Financial transactions, costing and pricing, Financial forecasting and monitoring, Business planning, Application of number level 3, Communication level 3, Information technology level 3, Statistics for marketing, Behaviour at work, Financial services, Business and the law
Business Management
GCSE - 9 Qualifications Including English and Mathematics
OCR Level 2 Certificate - Adult Numeracy
HND - Marketing, Managing Financial Resources, Organisations and Behaviour, Organisations, Competitions and Environment, Legal and Regulatory Framework
Business Management
Mental Health First Aid
MHFA England
Managing Safely
IOSH
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