Our client, a well-established and growing organisation within the FMCG food sector, is seeking a strategic and commercially driven Head of Operations to lead and develop its end-to-end operational function. This is a senior leadership opportunity for an experienced individual to drive operational excellence, support business growth, and deliver high levels of service across production, supply chain, and logistics.
Job Role
Reporting directly to the Managing Director & CEO, the Head of Operations will take full responsibility for the performance, structure, and development of the operational function. Leading a multi-disciplinary team across Production, Warehouse, Technical, and Operations, you will play a critical role in shaping and executing the company’s growth strategy.
This role requires a strong leader who can inspire teams, optimise processes, and ensure the business delivers a high-quality, cost-effective service while maintaining compliance and operational efficiency.
Responsibilities
- Provide strong leadership and direction to departmental managers, driving performance, engagement, and continuous development.
- Develop and execute operational strategies to support business growth across production, supply chain, and logistics.
- Oversee the day-to-day operational performance of the business, ensuring service levels, efficiency, and quality standards are consistently met.
- Drive continuous improvement across operational systems, processes, and policies to enhance performance and scalability.
- Lead succession planning, recruitment, and retention strategies to build a high-performing operations team.
- Manage and oversee all major maintenance activities and external contractor relationships.
- Work closely with senior leadership to support business planning, forecasting, and strategic decision-making.
- Lead regular performance reviews with direct reports, ensuring alignment with business objectives and growth plans.
Financial Management
- Develop, manage, and monitor the operations budget, ensuring cost control and value optimisation.
- Oversee financial performance, including monthly and quarterly forecasting against budget and operational targets.
- Support the preparation of annual budgets and monitor cash flow in collaboration with Finance.
- Assist with year-end reporting and audit processes.
Organisational Effectiveness
- Drive initiatives that support long-term operational excellence and organisational performance.
- Oversee people management processes including recruitment, training, performance management, and development.
- Identify opportunities to improve internal systems and processes, implementing changes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
Risk Management
- Oversee the development and implementation of policies relating to Health & Safety, Security, and Environmental compliance.
- Ensure full compliance with statutory regulations, conducting risk assessments and monitoring performance.
- Manage organisational risk, including oversight of insurance policies and compliance frameworks.
Personal Profile
- Proven experience in a senior operations leadership role, ideally within FMCG or food manufacturing/distribution.
- Strong commercial acumen with experience managing budgets and driving financial performance.
- Demonstrated ability to lead, develop, and inspire multi-functional teams.
- Strong strategic mindset with the ability to translate plans into operational delivery.
- Experience driving continuous improvement and implementing operational best practices.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
- Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Strong understanding of compliance, health & safety, and regulatory requirements.
Ref Code: W013260
To apply, please send your comprehensive CV in strict confidence, quoting the reference above and for the attention of Jon Hemming-Nash. Please include current salary details within your application.
Due to high response levels, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. If you have not received a response within one week, regrettably your application has not been successful on this occasion.
