Head of Operations - Advanced Materials Manufacturing

Cranleigh Scientific; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Car or car allowance

Private medical insurance

Pension with employer matching

25 days holiday + bank holidays

Flexi-time scheme

Life assurance

On-site health services

EV charging & parking

Job summary

Cranleigh Scientific is recruiting a Head of Operations for an advanced materials manufacturing site in Cambridge. You will lead manufacturing, quality, CI and safety, delivering safe, efficient production and driving improvements aligned with business growth.

Reporting to the Plant Manager, you will own production planning, budget control and capability development, with a clear path to running the site in the future.

Qualifications

• A degree in Chemical Engineering or Chemistry (essential).
• Significant senior manufacturing management experience in chemical manufacturing, aerospace or automotive.
• Track record of leading integrated teams across production, quality and continuous improvement.
• Proven delivery of measurable gains in safety, quality, productivity and cost.
• Hands-on experience of Lean, Six Sigma and CI programmes.
• Strong commercial awareness and confident budget management.

Responsibilities

• Lead all manufacturing operations to deliver safe, efficient and compliant production against targets.
• Drive improvements in productivity, throughput, yield, OEE and capacity utilisation.
• Own production planning, resource allocation and workforce utilisation.
• Work with Technology, Sales, Planning and Supply Chain leaders to align priorities and support growth.
• Support capital investment, automation and facility upgrade projects.
• Provide strategic leadership for Quality and embed a culture of ownership and customer focus.
• Lead investigations into non-conformances, audits and corrective actions.
• Own the site's Continuous Improvement strategy and track performance metrics.
• Provide visible leadership across operational teams and develop training frameworks.

Skills

Lean Six Sigma

CI programmes

IT & data skills

Budget management

Leadership

Education

Degree in Chemical Engineering or Chemistry

Tools

Quality Management System (QMS)

Job description

Head of Operations

Advanced Materials Manufacturing | Cambridge | Permanent | Predominantly site-based

THE OPPORTUNITY

We're partnering with a global leader in advanced materials manufacturing, supplying high-performance products into the aerospace and industrial markets, to appoint a Head of Operations at one of its key UK manufacturing sites.

This is a senior, high-impact role reporting directly to the Plant Manager. It is also one of two positions identified as a potential successor to the Plant Manager in the future, so it suits an ambitious operations leader looking for a clear route to running a site.

WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING

Manufacturing & Production Leadership

• Lead all manufacturing operations to deliver safe, efficient and compliant production against safety, quality, cost and delivery targets
• Drive improvements in productivity, throughput, yield, OEE and capacity utilisation
• Own production planning, resource allocation and workforce utilisation
• Work with Technology, Sales, Planning and Supply Chain leaders to align priorities and support business growth
• Support capital investment, automation and facility upgrade projects

Quality Assurance & Quality Control

• Provide strategic leadership for Quality, embedding a culture of ownership, compliance and customer focus
• Maintain and continuously improve the site's Quality Management System
• Lead investigations into non-conformances, customer complaints, OOS results and process deviations, and make sure corrective actions stick
• Lead internal, customer, certification and regulatory audits

Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence

• Own the site's Continuous Improvement strategy
• Champion Lean, Six Sigma, Root Cause Analysis and Value Stream Mapping
• Set and track performance metrics that drive accountability and lasting improvement

People, Capability & Development

• Provide visible, motivating leadership across all operational teams
• Build training and competency frameworks, career pathways and succession plans
• Partner with HR on workforce planning and long-term capability

Health, Safety & Environment

• Champion a culture where safety comes first, working closely with the EHS team
• Lead incident investigations and support emergency preparedness and business continuity

Financial & Business Performance

• Manage the operational budget with strong cost control
• Build business cases for capital investment and improvement initiatives
• Find profitability gains through process optimisation and waste reduction

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• A degree in Chemical Engineering or Chemistry (essential)
• Significant senior manufacturing management experience in chemical manufacturing, aerospace or automotive. Candidates from food manufacturing will also be considered
• A track record of leading integrated teams across production, quality and continuous improvement
• Proven delivery of measurable gains in safety, quality, productivity and cost
• Hands-on experience of Lean, Six Sigma and CI programmes
• A strong grasp of QMS, audits, root cause analysis and laboratory QC in a regulated environment
• Strong commercial awareness and confident budget management
• Excellent IT and data skills, with the ability to turn numbers into action
• Inspiring leadership, with a record of coaching and developing high-performing teams
• A flexible, hands‑on approach. This is a manufacturing environment, and you may occasionally need to be contactable or extend your hours when the operation needs it

WHAT'S ON OFFER

• A highly competitive basic salary plus annual bonus
• Car or car allowance
• Defined contribution pension with generous employer matching, up to 20% combined
• Private medical insurance
• Discounted employee share purchase plan
• 25 days' holiday plus bank holidays
• Flexi-time scheme, with the option to bank extra hours as additional time off
• Life assurance and income protection
• On-site occupational health, a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme and eye care support
• Subsidised canteen, free on-site parking and EV charging
• A clear route to a site leadership role