Operations Manager

Connect Group; Hamburg; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity package

Job summary

Connect Group is seeking an Operations Manager to own site execution at the Hamburg flagship facility in a hybrid setup. You will lead throughput, material flow, and partner routing to scale from two units to seven by April, reporting to the Head of Operations.

You will drive data-driven improvements, coordinate with production, engineering and quality, and manage external suppliers while ensuring ISO/EN9100 familiarity aligns with rapid ramp-up goals.

Qualifications

• Proven track record running fast-paced physical operations, supply chains, fulfillment, or production environments with complex lead times and high-mix workflows.
• Fluent German on shop floor; strong English for leadership and software run in English.
• Experience standing up a new site or rapid ramp-up; ability to own capacity plans and bottleneck management.

Responsibilities

• Own on-time delivery and capacity utilization by planning, sequencing, and loading production units in the proprietary operating software.
• Set aggressive yet deliverable delivery commitments and manage quick-turn orders.
• Oversee end-to-end material flow from raw stock to finished parts; optimize internal logistics.
• Decide which jobs stay in-house vs. external partner factories; enforce quality and delivery standards.
• Report weekly on cycle times, utilization, scrap, and on-time delivery; diagnose bottlenecks and fix root causes.

Skills

Leadership

German fluency

English proficiency

ERP/MES familiarity

Tools

ERP/MES systems

Job description

Operations Manager (m/w/d) - Industrial Tech / Connected Factory Network

Location: Hamburg, Germany (hybrid)

Employment Type: Full-time

Compensation: Competitive salary + Equity package

About the Opportunity

We are partnering with a fast-scaling, well-backed industrial technology company that is rebuilding Western industrial capacity through a software-connected network of modern factories. By combining skilled operators, advanced production hardware, and a proprietary operating system, they manufacture mission-critical precision components for the aerospace, defence, energy, and robotics sectors.

As they launch and scale their German flagship site in Hamburg, they are looking for a hands-on, entrepreneurial Operations Manager to own site execution from order to delivery.

The Role

You will be the operational backbone of the Hamburg facility—owning dates, throughput, material flow, and external partner routing. The site is scaling rapidly from two production units today to seven by April, supported by an external network of qualified partner factories and suppliers.

In this flat, high-ownership environment, production, engineering, and quality operate as peer teams: you work alongside them, not over them. Reporting directly to the Head of Operations, you will be on the floor every day shaping the operational playbook for Germany. This is built for an operator who would rather own a plan and execute it at pace than comment on it from afar.

What You Will Own

• Throughput & Sequencing: Own on-time delivery and capacity utilization by planning, sequencing, and loading every production unit inside the company’s proprietary operating software.
• Rapid Turnaround Promises: Set realistic yet aggressive delivery commitments and hold them—including quick-turn orders (quoting in 12 hours, delivering in 3 weeks).
• End-to-End Material Flow: Run goods in, goods out, and internal logistics, ensuring seamless flow from raw stock and blanks to finished, shipped parts.
• Partner & Supplier Network Routing: Decide which jobs stay in-house versus what gets routed to external partner factories and qualified suppliers—holding vendors strictly to quality and delivery standards.
• Data-Driven Continuous Improvement: Report weekly on cycle times, utilization, scrap, and on-time delivery, immediately diagnosing bottlenecks and fixing root causes.

What You Bring

• Proven track record running fast-paced physical operations, supply chains, fulfillment, or production environments with complex lead times and high-mix workflows.
• You have personally built and owned capacity plans, scheduling, and bottleneck management—not delegated them to another layer.
• Experience managing external suppliers, third-party partners, and tough escalations under tight SLAs.
• Deep understanding of capacity, constraints, sequencing, and throughput optimization.
• Communication: Fluent German (the shop floor runs in German) and confident English (the international leadership group and operating software run in English).
• Experience standing up a new site, scaling a facility from 0 to 1, or managing a rapid ramp-up.
• Familiarity with ERP/MES systems, Lean principles, or Theory of Constraints.
• Exposure to precision manufacturing, aerospace, defence, energy, or ISO 9001 / EN 9100 environments.