Head of Operations

Davall Gears Ltd; Welham Green; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

Davall Gears is seeking a hands-on Head of Operations in Welham Green to lead manufacturing with a strong focus on safety, quality, delivery, cost and people. You will drive world-class manufacturing practices, develop high-performing teams, and build a culture of ownership and continuous improvement.

The role requires a proven track record in precision engineering, machining leadership, and delivering measurable improvements in OTD, productivity, quality and cost.

Qualifications

• Proven manufacturing leadership experience.
• Strong precision engineering and machining background.
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary teams.
• Demonstrable SQDCIP leadership.
• Strong say-do culture.
• Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement expertise.
• Strong understanding of production planning, capacity management and operational KPIs.
• Track record of improving OTD, productivity, quality and cost.
• Strong people leadership and coaching capability.

Responsibilities

• Lead manufacturing operations to achieve safety, quality, delivery and profitability objectives.
• Drive daily operating rhythm through visual management and tiered accountability.
• Create a high-performance culture with clear ownership and accountability.
• Develop and mentor operational leaders and succession plans.
• Own site SQDCIP performance and drive KPI management.
• Lead root cause and corrective action processes and ensure visibility of performance.
• Champion Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement across value streams.
• Improve OTD/OTIF, reduce arrears and optimize production flow.
• Reduce costs and improve labour productivity and machine utilization.
• Provide strong technical leadership across machining and manufacturing processes.

Skills

Precision engineering background

Machining leadership

Multi-disciplinary team leadership

SQDCIP leadership

Lean Manufacturing

Production planning

KPIs & metrics

People leadership

Education

Industry-leading manufacturing experience

Job description

Head of Operations

Location: Welham Green, Hertfordshire

Reports To: Managing Director

The Opportunity

Davall Gears is a precision engineering and manufacturing business undergoing a significant operational transformation. We are seeking an ambitious, hands-on Head of Operations to lead the next phase of our growth and performance improvement journey.

This is a leadership role for an individual with a strong background in engineering and machining who thrives on improving operational performance, developing high-performing teams, and implementing world-class manufacturing practices.

The successful candidate will lead the site's manufacturing operations with responsibility for Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, Inventory and People (SQDCIP), whilst building a culture of ownership, accountability and continuous improvement.

We are looking for a leader who creates results through action, accountability and execution. Someone who consistently delivers on commitments, drives ownership throughout the organisation, and has a proven track record of turning improvement plans into measurable business outcomes. This individual will lead from the front, build credibility through action rather than words, and establish a high-performance culture focused on delivering results for our customers, our people and the business.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership:

• Lead all manufacturing operations to achieve safety, quality, delivery and profitability objectives.


• Drive daily operating rhythm through visual management and tiered accountability.


• Create a high-performance culture with clear ownership and accountability.


• Develop and mentor operational leaders and succession plans.

SQDCIP Excellence:

• Own site SQDCIP performance.


• Drive KPI management and problem solving.


• Lead root cause and corrective action processes.


• Ensure performance is visible, measured and sustained.

Continuous Improvement:

• Champion Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement.


• Lead value stream improvement activities.


• Reduce waste, improve productivity and increase capacity.


• Implement standard work, visual management and problem-solving disciplines.

Delivery and Planning:

• Improve OTD / OTIF performance.


• Reduce arrears and past-due orders.


• Improve production flow and schedule adherence.


• Drive capacity planning and execution.

Cost and Inventory:

• Reduce operational costs.


• Improve labour productivity and machine utilisation.


• Drive inventory reduction and WIP control.


• Improve working capital performance.

Engineering and Manufacturing Leadership:

• Provide strong technical leadership across machining and manufacturing processes.


• Challenge current methods and introduce best practice.


• Work closely with Engineering, Quality, Maintenance and Supply Chain functions.

Ideal Candidate

Essential:

• Proven manufacturing leadership experience.


• Strong precision engineering and machining background.


• Experience leading multi-disciplinary teams.


• Demonstrable SQDCIP leadership.


• Strong say-do culture.


• Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement expertise.


• Strong understanding of production planning, capacity management and operational KPIs.


• Track record of improving OTD, productivity, quality and cost.


• Strong people leadership and coaching capability.

Highly Desirable:

• Aerospace, defence, industrial or complex manufacturing experience.


• Experience of turnaround, transformation or operational improvement programmes.


• Knowledge of value stream management.


• Experience introducing visual management and daily accountability processes