Operations Manager

Approach Consulting; Sydney; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Approach Consulting seeks an experienced Operations Manager to lead post‑sale operations for a quality‑focused manufacturing and distribution business in Canberra. You will own customer orders from Sales through production, dispatch and delivery, and guide the operations teams to achieve safety, quality, delivery and cost targets.

Reporting to the Managing Director, this senior role covers strategic planning, budgeting and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Senior operational leadership experience in manufacturing.
• Ability to lead multiple functions and hold teams to account.
• Strong commercial acumen across labour, productivity, freight and inventory.
• Proven track record in driving continuous improvement with LEAN, KPIs and ERP systems.
• Experience delivering DIFOT in a fast-paced production environment.

Responsibilities

• Own end‑to‑end operations from Sales to production, dispatch and delivery.
• Lead operational teams, plan capacity and resources, and drive performance.
• Contribute to strategic planning, budgeting and continuous improvement.
• Ensure safety, quality, delivery and cost targets are met.

Skills

Operational leadership

Production planning

Order fulfilment

LEAN

KPIs

Commercial acumen

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

• Canberra based role, relocation required
• Senior leadership role manufacturing & distribution
• Contact Jonathon at [e-mail]

The Company.

Approach has been engaged to appoint an experienced Operations Manager to lead the post sale operations of a quality focused manufacturing business. Reporting to the Managing Director, this is a senior role with full ownership of production, warehousing, distribution and client support.

The business is growing and already operates in the national market. It takes real pride in the quality of what it makes, and this position exists to make sure operations run safely, efficiently and profitably behind that. Please note this role is based in Canberra and relocation required.

The Role.

You will own the customer order from the point it leaves Sales through to production, dispatch and delivery. Day to day, that means leading the operational teams, planning capacity and resources, and holding performance to account against clear targets for safety, quality, delivery and cost.

As a member of the Management Team, you will also contribute beyond the day to day. This includes strategic planning, budgeting and the continuous improvement work that keeps a manufacturing operation scalable as it grows.

What You Need.

The expectation is that you will have senior operational leadership experience within manufacturing, ideally in a business where product quality is central to how it competes. You will be comfortable leading multiple functions at once and holding a team to account for results.

Besides the above, you'll ideally bring strong commercial acumen across labour, productivity, freight and inventory, a solid grounding in production planning and order fulfilment, and a track record of driving continuous improvement through LEAN, KPIs and ERP systems. Experience delivering strong DIFOT in a fast paced production environment will be well regarded.

On Offer.

Beyond the package, this is a senior leadership role with genuine ownership of an end to end operation and a seat at the management table. For the right person, it is an opportunity to shape how a growing manufacturing business runs and scales.