Group Operations Director - Manufacturing

Oryx Executive Search; Chesterfield; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Our client, a UK plc in the renewable energy sector, is seeking a Group Operations Director to lead a transformational programme across multiple sites in the Midlands, Scotland and the South West. The role requires strong change leadership, broad operational experience and a track record of delivering OTIF improvements.

You will oversee Manufacturing, Production Planning, Health & Safety, Distribution & Installation and Procurement, setting new systems, boosting productivity and ensuring stock

Qualifications

• Transformational leadership in metals-based manufacturing with OTIF improvements.
• Proven track record driving improvements in a manufacturing environment.
• Broad operational experience including production planning, supply chain and purchasing.
• Ability to foster accountability and continuous improvement mind-sets.

Responsibilities

• Introduce new operational systems to significantly improve OTIF across sites.
• Drive and deliver revenue plan by aligning resources for on-time, high-quality products.
• Improve productivity and cost optimisation across sites with better production systems.
• Ensure robust production management at all stages with appropriate leadership structure.
• Raise employee engagement through two-way communication and clear contribution opportunities.
• Enhance production area quality with visual management and lean tooling.
• Develop forecasting processes as part of ongoing improvement efforts.
• Integrate production planning with supply chain vision, including smart stockholding.
• Develop and maintain integrated procurement-production processes to drive stock levels.
• Develop an investment plan for new equipment and present the business case to the Board.

Skills

Leadership

Change management

Continuous improvement

Lean manufacturing

Communication

Job description

Our client is part of a UK based PLC with a long-standing reputation for producing products used in the renewable energy sector and the reduction of emissions across the globe. Having enjoyed 10 years of successive growth as well as huge investment in R&D, the group is now well positioned to achieve its growth targets for the next 10 years.

With a diverse customer base across the UK, the PLC has decided to amalgamate some of its business units with a similar product group or customers together to take advantage of any synergies and efficiencies, and with a new Group Managing Director, the next stage is to recruit a new Operations Director to lead the transformation programme.

The newly amalgamated companies work in highly regulated sectors where Health & Safety is paramount. With sites across the Midlands, Scotland and the South West of England, it is a varied manufacturing environment and includes metal welding and machining as well as electrical assembly. Some of the sites are more productive than others and one in particular has suffered from challenges around quality, production planning and stock levels.

The new Group Operations Director will take responsibility for the complete Operations function across the different sites - this will include Manufacturing, Production Planning, Health & Safety, Distribution & Installation and Procurement.

Priorities will include working with the team to introduce new production systems to significantly improve OTIF and reduce the backlog of products to be manufactured, as well as working with the Head of Procurement to understand current stock levels and introduce more effective procurement systems.As well as reviewing people, processes and systems, the Group Operations Director will need to assess and evaluate the equipment, tooling and overall environment as one of the sites in particular desperately needs investment which will undoubtedly help increase productivity.

Equally important, the new Director of Operations will be a role model for the ways of working, behaviours and leadership standards that underpin the cultural evolution of both the function and the wider business.This includes fostering accountability, nurturing continuous improvement mind-sets, enabling open communication and building a high‑trust environment where people can do their best work.

Key Responsibilities will include

• Working with the Operations / Factory Managers to introduce new operational systems which will significantly improve OTIF to customers across the sites.
• Driving and delivering the company’s revenue plan by aligning resources effectively, so the business gets to a point where customers consistently receive high quality products on time.
• Driving productivity and cost optimisation across all sites to introducing more efficient production systems and initiatives that enhance capacity and operational performance.
• Ensuring robust production management is in place for every stage of operational development with enfranchised leadership deployed in appropriate structure.
• Driving levels of employee engagement through consistent two-way communication and clarity around opportunity and requirement for contribution.
• Improving quality of production area with fundamentals including visual management and deployment of other common lean manufacturing tools.
• Developing more effective forecasting processes as part of ongoing improvement efforts.
• Ensuring integration of production planning fully into supply chain vision with clarity around smart stock holding solutions and flexible capacity management.
• Developing and maintaining integrated processes between procurement and production to drive stock levels and required vendor response.
• Developingan investment plan for new equipment based on current customer demands and present the business case to the Board.

This is a transformational, change leadership role and is going to suit a strong, collaborative leader who has a passion for driving operational improvements and is used to bringing people with them on a change journey. A demonstrable track record in driving improvementsto OTIF and leading change within a metals-based manufacturing environment would be ideal. Broad operational experience to include production planning, supply chain and purchasing not just manufacturing management would give the ideal person the experience to make a real difference to this business.

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The Group Operations Director will join the PLC at an interesting and exciting time when they will have the chance to make a real difference and shape the future of what will be a newly formed group of companies. "Experience of developing efficiencies across different manufacturing facilities to ensure they run effectively and to increase margins would be a real advantage for the new person coming in”.