Facilities and Despatch Manager

The Royal Yachting Association, based in Hamble, near Southampton, is the national governing body for all forms of recreational, competitive and professional boating. It represents dinghy and yacht racing, motor and sail cruising, RIBs and sportsboats, windsurfing, inland cruising and personal watercraft.

Contract: Permanent

Hours: 35 hours per week

Location: Hamble, Southampton

Do you enjoy creating safe, efficient and well-managed workplaces where people can do their best work?

We're looking for an experienced Facilities and Despatch Manager to oversee our facilities and despatch operations, ensuring our buildings, services and logistics functions are safe, compliant and operating effectively across our sites.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain the fabric and grounds of RYA House, Compass House, and RYA Portland House, planning and implementing routine maintenance and overseeing cleanliness standards to ensure that all facilities are maintained to a high standard.
• Resolve equipment failures, carrying out repairs or replacements or liaising with external contractors as appropriate.
• Provide maintenance assistance and support for our premises and our tenants.
• Plan and implement internal office relocations, in consultation with departmental staff and outside suppliers.
• Negotiate and keep under review maintenance contracts with external suppliers, for example air conditioning, lift, firefighting equipment, alarm monitoring and cleaning.
• Review and maintain procedures for the security of RYA House, Units 26 & 27 Compass House, and RYA Portland House, providing the first point of contact and callout in the event of the Fire or Intruder alarms for these premises being activated out of hours.
• Ensure that working practices and other HASAWA issues in RYA House, Unit 27 Compass House, RYA Portland House and, in conjunction with the relevant staff members, other RYA locations, are maintained to recognised standards and meet relevant legal requirements. Requirements are met by implementing and reviewing areas of Health & Safety incorporating staff induction, building risk assessment, fire risk assessment and staff risk assessments.
• Manage the warehousing of sales inventory items and lead the team processing and despatching sales orders within two working days of receipt in Despatch.
• Provide overall management of all logistics in the despatching of any items by the RYA, to include maintaining of relationships with third parties and continually reviewing arrangements to balance the needs for efficiency, cost and quality

Essential Qualifications and Experience

• At least 3 years’ experience within a purchasing, stock control, Health and Safety at Work, or Facilities Management environment.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Highly organised, with the ability to manage a varied workload effectively.

The RYA offers a range of benefits which include:

• 36 days holiday including public holidays
• Birthday day off
• Free life insurance
• Discounts platform for retail, entertainment, holidays & gym membership
• Up to two paid volunteering days per annum (voluntary)
• Free on-site charging point for electric vehicles whilst on your working days at the office
• Social events
• RYA membership

Closing date for applications: 12:00, 26 August 2026
(Please note that we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a sufficient number of suitable applications).
Interviews: 01/09/2026

The RYA is committed to equality of opportunity.

As an equal opportunity and disability confident employer, we celebrate and welcome diversity in all its forms and believe that a diverse workforce boosts innovation, productivity, and creativity.

We are dedicated to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion and strive to be an inclusive and diverse workplace where everyone can be their authentic selves. We would particularly encourage applications from ethnically diverse candidates who are currently underrepresented at the RYA.

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