Head of Operations (Deli)

Greencore Group plc; Spalding; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Car allowance

Pension contribution

Life insurance 4x salary

Share save scheme

Private healthcare

Job summary

Greencore is seeking an experienced Head of Operations for the Spalding Meals – Deli site to drive safety, quality, efficiency and employee engagement at a senior level. You will own site operations, lead a large team, manage budgets and programmes, and collaborate across supply chain, engineering and commercial teams to deliver sustained performance in a fast-paced FMCG environment.

The role offers a competitive package with a car allowance, pension, life cover and bonus scheme, and

Qualifications

• Senior operational leader with experience in manufacturing/FMCG environments.
• Proven ability to lead large, complex operations and deliver results through others.
• Strong knowledge of food safety, quality, health & safety, and regulatory compliance.

Responsibilities

• Lead and shape the operational strategy across manufacturing sites, ensuring delivery of safety, quality, service, and cost objectives.
• Drive a strong performance culture through clear leadership, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure compliance with all legal, technical, food safety, and health and safety standards.
• Champion operational excellence initiatives, embedding Lean principles and best practice.
• Build strong, collaborative relationships across supply chain, engineering, technical, and commercial teams.
• Manage budgets, forecasts, and performance metrics to support sustainable growth.
• Lead, develop, and inspire senior operational leaders, building long-term capability and succession.
• Oversee change programmes and site transformations, ensuring minimal disruption and maximum value.
• Represent operations at senior leadership level, contributing to wider business strategy.

Skills

Senior operational leadership

Large, complex operations

Food safety knowledge

Budgeting & cost control

Clear communicator

Data-driven decision making

Change & transformation leadership

People leadership

Job description

Head of Operations (Spalding Meals - Deli)

Benefits: Company Annual Bonus Scheme, Car Allowance, Company share save scheme, Competitive matched pension contribution, Life insurance up to 4x salary, Private Medical Insurance

Location: Greencore Spalding Meals, West Marsh Road, PE11 2BB

Ways of Working: Site based

Hours of work: 08:30am-17:00pm Monday-Friday (with flex as per business needs)

Contract Type: Permanent

Why Greencore?

Following the combination with Bakkavor in January 2026, we're one of the UK's leading creators of convenience food, driven by a simple purpose: to make every day taste better.

As a vibrant and fast-moving business, we're proud to employ over 28,000 talented colleagues across 36 manufacturing sites and 21 distribution depots in the UK and the US.

Together, we bring delicious food to life. Our products cover every meal occasion from breakfast through to dinner and dessert, with lunch and snacking in between. In FY25, our shared passion helped us achieve combined revenues of approximately £4bn.

Our extensive direct to store (DTS) network, with 17 depots across the UK, allows us to deliver fresh and frozen food, both our own and from trusted partners, to thousands of stores every day, ensuring consumers enjoy the very best, whenever and wherever they shop.

Our site in Spalding is a vibrant hub where over 1,470 colleagues bring handcrafted sandwich wraps, salads, dips, soups, sauces, and mayonnaise to life across three manufacturing facilities and a distribution centre.

What you'll be doing

We are looking for an experienced, credible, and inspiring Head of Operations to lead our Deli factory, driving exceptional performance across safety, quality, efficiency, and employee engagement.

This is a pivotal senior leadership role, with full accountability for site operations and a key influence on the long-term business strategy.

Role Accountabilities

• Lead and shape the operational strategy across manufacturing sites, ensuring delivery of safety, quality, service, and cost objectives
• Drive a strong performance culture through clear leadership, accountability, and continuous improvement
• Ensure compliance with all legal, technical, food safety, and health and safety standards
• Champion operational excellence initiatives, embedding Lean principles and best practice
• Build strong, collaborative relationships across supply chain, engineering, technical, and commercial teams
• Manage budgets, forecasts, and performance metrics to support sustainable growth
• Lead, develop, and inspire senior operational leaders, building long-term capability and succession
• Oversee change programmes and site transformations, ensuring minimal disruption and maximum value
• Represent operations at senior leadership level, contributing to wider business strategy

What we're looking for

• A senior operational leader with strong experience in manufacturing or FMCG environments
• Proven ability to lead large, complex operations and deliver results through others
• Strong knowledge of food safety, quality, health and safety, and regulatory compliance
• Commercially astute, with experience managing budgets, cost control, and performance metrics
• Confident communicator able to influence, challenge, and engage at all levels
• A structured, data-led decision maker with a continuous improvement mindset
• Experience leading change and transformation in fast-paced environments
• Strong people leader with a passion for developing talent and building high-performing teams

We're not all the same at Greencore and our differences help us to make every day taste better for all our stakeholders. We truly put our people at the core and are proud of our diversity.

If this sounds like you, join us and grow with Greencore, and be a part of driving our future success.

What you'll get in return

• Competitive salary and job-related benefits
• Holidays
• Annual Bonus Scheme
• Life insurance up to 4x salary
• Company share save scheme
• Greencore Qualifications
• Exclusive Greencore employee discount platform
• Access to a full Wellbeing Centre platform
• Enhanced parental leave and menopause policies

Throughout your time at Greencore, you will be supported with on-the-job training and development opportunities to further your career.

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