General Manager (Laundry)

  • Full-time

Company Description

Oxwash is re-engineering the laundry industry from the ground up. Our aim is for clinically-clean, net-zero carbon emissions for the whole laundry process. This has never been accomplished and we are determined to be the first truly sustainable on-demand laundry company in the world. We currently operate in Oxford, Cambridge and London (Battersea), with big plans for further growth throughout the UK as well as into the US. 

We are a tech company at heart and build our own software to power our sustainable laundries and logistics. We are venture backed, having raised several rounds of investment from notable investors including Biz Stone, the cofounder of Twitter, Paul Forster, the founder of Indeed.com and Reckitt, the corporate that owns the stain remover Vanish. We announced our ‘Oxwash, powered by Vanish’ partnership in early 2021.

Job Description

We are looking for incredible people with the passion, skills and abilities to deliver our Oxwash mission. This is not your standard 9-5. Working for a fast growing startup is hard; it’s fast paced and it’s likely this will be the toughest, most rewarding job you have ever done. You should be driven by a deep seated desire to change the climate crisis for the better, and understand your skills are needed to make that happen. 

We need a ‘swiss army knife’ of a General Manager. Someone who is unphased by the seemingly impossible. You will need a level head, exceptional organisation and great ability to adapt and change between projects and tasks. Communication is key and you will be expected to build trust, familiarity and reassurance with our consumer and business customers. You will be the face of our Oxford operation. You might be planning logistics routes in the morning, fixing a leaking washing machine over lunch, all whilst closing sales deals on your phone and fielding live chat conversations with our customers.  

You will be our Oxford ‘entrepreneur in residence’ and will have autonomy over your operations. You will be supported by our HQ team and will work closely with our Head of Operations and COO. This isn’t your typical GM role and certainly isn’t for the faint hearted. 

Your role is to manage and grow our Oxford operations. We have an incredible team in place who currently work a single shift Monday to Friday and we are looking to introduce evening and weekend shifts to expand our laundry volume capacity. 
 

Qualifications

Your job is to oversee and manage the daily operations of our Oxford lagoon. We expect you to be bombproof; unphased by a never ending to-do list where some fires must simply be left to burn to ensure our customers receive the service they deserve. 

Standardisation is key across all of our laundry sites and you will play a pivotal part in ensuring consistency. It’s imperative that things are done in the exact same way in each of our laundries, from the dosing of detergent in the machines to the way we fold a customer's pillow cases. We are building a franchise model and you will help build the operational playbook. 

You will manage our Oxford operational team, including our riders and laundry team. You will work closely with our sales, growth and tech teams.  Our team of rockstar Oxwashers is the foundation of our business. We are proud of our culture and you must embody this in your day to day. 

HR will be a big part of your role and you will be expected to support your team and conduct regular reviews to provide constructive feedback and progression. We expect you to be an expert at hiring and onboarding new team members. 

Collecting, washing and delivering our customers laundry must happen seamlessly, day after day, week after week. You must be obsessed with quality. Items must leave our lagoon looking spotless every time. This is tough and requires an exacting eye for detail and diplomatic communication with our team. 

Customer service is another part of your role. You will be expected to field questions and complaints from our customers and be able to respond quickly and professionally, no matter the chaos surrounding you. 

You must be a sustainability champion. We expect you to act in an environmentally conscious way, with a passion to do more. Not only reduce environmental impact but be a role model for positive change. 
 

Additional Information

Salary:

£30,500-£32,000 + generous EMI share options (experience and skill set dependent)

The Basics: 

  • You are the leader of our Oxford operation

  • You will work closely with our Head of Operations and COO

  • You are expected to hustle every single day. Every penny counts. If you can’t find it, make it. If we can’t make it, buy it (but only at a discount). 

  • This is not your traditional 9-5. You’re expected to not consider a hard line between work and home. Work is a part of your life and home is a part of work. We give and support family life as we are doing this for the future of our families. You are expected to balance this. 

  • Burnout is real. You are expected to manage your levels of energy, time and maintain a healthy balance to ensure you are at your A game every day.You are also responsible to make sure your team do the same. 

  • Oxwash makes leaders not managers. Your role is to make sure every member of the team has the skills and knowledge to be a disruptor for good if they were to leave the company and make sure they love their job enough to stay.

Technical Requirements: 

  • Confident using digital technology

  • Confident speaking on the phone

  • High competency in IT literacy ─ using programs such as the Windows office suite and Google suite

  • Native level speaker and written competency in English

Physical Requirements:

  • Must be able to travel to the Oxford lagoon on a daily basis

  • Must be able to work at a desk for extended periods of time. 

  • Must be able to move around for particular tasks 

  • Must be able to lift objects up to 25kg 

  • Ability to use a computer for extended periods of time. 

  • Ability to maintain a composed and professional demeanour within a flexible and (at times noisy) work environment. 

Benefits: 

  • Free laundry and wet cleaning (of course!)

  • Free mental health support through SPILL

  • EMI Equity Share in the business 

  • Flexible working environment

  • 30 days holiday including eight statutory bank holidays (pro rata)

  • Pension scheme

Equal Employment Opportunity 

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the job and the general nature and level of work performed by job holders within this job. However, this job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of qualifications, skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities or working conditions associated with the position.