Operations Manager

If "we've always done it this way" makes you want to run for the hills, this could be the job you've been looking for!

This isn't a role where you'll be expected to sit in an office and produce endless reports. There are already experienced Dispatch & Warehouse Managers running the day-to-day operations. Your role will be to lead them, challenge them, improve what's there and make sure the sites are performing consistently.

What can I expect?

As Operations Manager you'll have overall responsibility for the operational performance of 2 sites, covering everything from productivity, labour utilisation and cost through to dispatch performance, stock accuracy, health & safety and continuous improvement.

You'll have a handful of direct reports, with a wider team of 40.

The plant operation in particular brings significant seasonal peaks, changing volumes and the added challenge of getting a living product to customers in the right condition and at the right time.

A big part of the role will be looking at what's happening across both sites and asking some fairly straightforward questions:

Why are we doing it this way?

Where are we losing time or money?

What could work better?

And how do we actually make the change happen?

You'll lead continuous improvement across processes, layouts and workflows, as well as overseeing seasonal workforce planning and the relationship with agency providers.

There's also an ERP migration coming up, so you'll play an important operational role in helping both sites adopt new processes and systems.

What experience do I need?

You might be an Operations Manager from FMCG, food manufacturing, fresh produce, e-commerce, fulfilment, logistics or another high-volume, labour-intensive environment where getting things right matters.

What's more important is that you've managed a sizeable operational environment and can demonstrate that you've actually improved it.

You'll ideally have experience of:

Leading warehouse, dispatch, fulfilment or distribution operations

Managing through other managers rather than only directly managing operational teams

Working with seasonal or fluctuating volumes and labour requirements

Improving productivity, labour utilisation, cost and service levels

Continuous improvement and process optimisation

Managing KPIs and using data to identify and close performance gaps

...