Head of Operations

Years.com; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A fast-scaling dog food company is seeking a Head of Operations to lead their operational functions. This role involves overseeing production, warehousing, and fulfilment while ensuring quality and compliance. The ideal candidate will possess strong leadership skills and experience in scaling operations within FMCG or D2C environments.

Benefits

Extensive health care cover

Annual £250 Learning & Development budget

Annual £100 Wellbeing budget

Monthly recognition through Yappa of The Month

1 Volunteer day per year

Subsidised employee groups

Quarterly subsidised team events

Exclusive discounts on Years treats

Lunch & Learn programme

Casual dress

Qualifications

• Proven experience in an Operations leadership role within FMCG or D2C.
• Experience scaling operational functions in fast-growth environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead the entire Operations function across Production, Warehouse, and Fulfilment.
• Drive performance across key KPIs: cost per meal, quality, and delivery times.
• Implement and optimise processes for scale.

Skills

Leadership

Data-driven decision-making

Commercial awareness

Job description

Join Our Pack

From a bold idea to revolutionising dog food, Years has grown into a fast-scaling business dedicated to helping dogs live longer, healthier lives.

In just 3 years, we’ve built a great start-up business, serving thousands of happy customers, all while striving to achieve our mission.

Our goal? To give dog owners a better, fresher, and healthier way to feed their pets. We provide human-grade, personalised meals designed to support each dog’s unique needs, delivered straight to their door - no preservatives, no compromises, just real nutrition.

You can find our customers across the UK, with future ambitions to scale internationally and continue transforming how people care for their dogs.

Your Mission

We’re looking for a Head of Operations to lead and scale our end-to-end operational functions - from production and warehousing to fulfilment, quality, and supply chain while ensuring we deliver to customers with speed, precision, and care.

This is a high-impact, hands-on leadership role that sits at the heart of Years. You’ll lead a growing team across multiple operational functions, ensuring daily excellence while preparing us to scale. You'll bring structure, rhythm, and data-driven decision-making to a fast-paced, agile environment.

You’ll work closely with the leadership team and report to our Leadership team. The right person will blend operational depth with strategic thinking: someone who’s scaled in FMCG or D2C before, and thrives in a business where everyone rolls up their sleeves.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and lead the entire Operations function - across Production, Post Cook, Warehouse, Fulfilment, and Quality working alongside Engineering.
• Drive performance across key KPIs: cost per meal, throughput, quality, and delivery times.
• Build and develop a strong team of managers and leads, setting clear expectations and fostering accountability.
• Implement and optimise processes for scale, introducing structure without slowing us down.
• Lead data-driven continuous improvement across all operational areas.
• Manage key supplier and third-party relationships (equipment, logistics, service).
• Collaborate with internal teams to support new product launches and supply planning.
• Ensure all regulatory, food safety, and compliance standards are met at all times.
• Prepare the business for future expansion, including site capacity planning and automation opportunities.
• Champion a high-performance, inclusive culture across the operations team.

What You'll Bring

• Proven experience in an Operations leadership role within an FMCG, manufacturing, or D2C business.
• Experience scaling an operational function in a fast-growth or startup environment.
• Strong understanding of production lines, fulfilment models, inventory, and cost management.
• Confident leading multi-disciplinary teams - from line leaders to engineering and planning.
• A hands-on approach - you’re just as comfortable on the floor as you are in a strategy session.
• Excellent commercial awareness and decision-making backed by data.
• Deep experience working with KPIs and performance metrics - and acting on them.
• Familiarity with compliance, food safety (HACCP), and quality assurance.
• A calm, clear communicator who can inspire, challenge, and lead from the front.

What’s In It For You? Years Benefits

• Extensive health care cover including full cancer coverage and a choice of hospitals or consultants (AXA top package).
• Annual £250.00 Learning & Development budget for courses, books, or other self-learn activities.
• Annual £100.00 Wellbeing budget.
• Monthly recognition through our Yappa of The Month programme.
• 1 Volunteer day per year – dog-themed or not: it’s your choice!
• Subsidised employee groups – from five-a-side to padel, there’s loads to get involved in or the chance to start up your own group.
• Quarterly subsidised team events from axe throwing, crazy golf to cocktail making.
• Exclusive discounts on Years and Years treats for yourself and friends/family.
• Lunch & Learn programme – from dog first aid to financial savviness, we’ve got sessions planned to cover all kinds of topics.
• Casual dress.
• Your birthday off or a different day if it falls on a non-working day.
• Ability to sell any unused holiday back to Years at the end of the Holiday Year (maximum 1 working week).