Head of Operations

Young's Seafood; Fraserburgh; On-site; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading seafood processing company is seeking a Head of Operations to lead their Fraserburgh site. This role entails overseeing daily performance in production, engineering, and health & safety while nurturing a people-first culture. The ideal candidate will possess proven leadership experience in food production, embody a continuous improvement mindset, and drive high standards in safety and quality. Join a business that values teamwork, fresh thinking, and the opportunity to make a meaningful impact.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership experience in manufacturing or food production.
• A people-first approach with a passion for developing teams and culture.
• Strong understanding of H&S, engineering and quality systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead all site operations to deliver safely, efficiently and to the highest quality.
• Develop and support your leadership team and wider workforce.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement across processes and people.
• Oversee engineering through your team, ensuring equipment reliability and responsiveness.
• Champion a proactive health & safety culture.

Skills

Leadership experience in manufacturing or food production

People-first approach

Understanding of health and safety

Continuous improvement

Job description

This job is brought to you by Jobs/Redefined, the UK's leading over-50s age inclusive jobs board.

The Role

We're looking for an inspiring, hands-on leader to take ownership of our Fraserburgh site - home to 250 passionate Sofina Builders producing premium seafood for the UK's biggest retailers. This is a high-profile operational role where your leadership will directly shape culture, performance and continuous improvement.

As Head of Operations, you'll be the driving force behind daily performance across production, engineering and health & safety. You'll work closely with HR, Technical and Supply Chain to ensure our people are supported, our standards stay high, and our products are consistently outstanding.

This role suits a visible, people-first leader who thrives on developing teams, solving problems and making things better every day.

The Ideal Candidate

You will bring:

Essential

• Proven leadership experience in manufacturing or food production.
• A people-first approach with a passion for developing teams and culture.
• Strong understanding of H&S, engineering and quality systems.
• A track record of delivering results through continuous improvement.

Desirable

• Experience in seafood or chilled food.
• Exposure to retailer standards and audits.
• CI methodology experience (Lean, TPM, etc.).

Why Sofina Foods?

Fraserburgh is a site built on pride, teamwork and care. You'll join a business that values people, encourages fresh thinking, and gives you the autonomy to make a meaningful impact. If you want to lead with purpose and help shape the next chapter of our site's success, we'd love to hear from you.

Equal Opportunities

Sofina Foods is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We're committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and respected.
We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences - regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

Your Key Responsibilities

You will:

• Lead all site operations to deliver safely, efficiently and to the highest quality.
• Develop and support your leadership team and wider workforce.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement across processes and people.
• Oversee engineering through your team, ensuring equipment reliability and responsiveness.
• Champion a proactive health & safety culture.
• Work with HR and Technical on training, development and compliance.
• Manage yield, labour and overheads to support strong financial performance.
• Collaborate with supply chain to maintain smooth planning and product flow.
• Build strong internal and external relationships.
• Play a key role in shaping the future direction of the site.