Growth Operations Leader, Food Manufacturing

drnewitt.vincere.io; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

The Head of Operations role is to take end‑to‑end accountability for production, warehousing, inventory, dispatch and logistics, reporting to the CEO as a core member of the SLT.

This position requires hands‑on leadership on the factory floor and strategic oversight to scale operations in a fast‑paced SME food business, balancing service, quality and profitability.

You will lead continuous improvement, build capability and manage capital investment and customer launches to support growth.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience within food manufacturing.
• Accountability beyond production into warehousing, inventory, stock control, dispatch and logistics.
• Strong capacity planning across labour, shifts, equipment, storage and transport.
• Track record of scaling, transforming or significantly improving an operation.
• Operational control across health & safety, quality, service, labour efficiency, waste and cost.
• Good commercial/financial understanding and impact of operational decisions on profitability.
• Strong people leadership and development of managers.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across production, warehousing, inventory, dispatch and logistics.
• Develop and implement the operational strategy to support rapid growth.
• Build capacity plans covering labour, shifts, equipment, production capability, storage and transport.
• Ensure performance meets safety, quality, service, efficiency, waste and cost standards.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives across end-to-end operation.
• Establish KPIs and accountability across operational teams.
• Develop and strengthen the management team with clear ownership.

Skills

Senior leadership

Food manufacturing

Warehousing & logistics

Capacity planning

Operational transformation

Data‑driven

Stakeholder management

Job description

The Head of Operations role is to take end‑to‑end accountability for production, warehousing, inventory, dispatch and logistics, reporting to the CEO as a core member of the SLT.

This position requires hands‑on leadership on the factory floor and strategic oversight to scale operations in a fast‑paced SME food business, balancing service, quality and profitability.

You will lead continuous improvement, build capability and manage capital investment and customer launches to support growth.