Head of Operations & Delivery

Eurofins; Northampton; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading life sciences company in Northampton is seeking a Head of Operations & Delivery to oversee technical performance across all services. The ideal candidate will have significant leadership experience in the TIC sector, strong management skills, and a track record of implementing operational improvements. This role offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits, including private medical insurance and a pension scheme.

Benefits

Competitive Salary

Life Assurance 4 x salary

Private Medical Insurance

Healthcash Care Plan

Income Protection

Group Pension Scheme

Perkbox access to discounts

Qualifications

• Strong leadership experience in a TIC environment.
• Proven track record of managing multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience in operational improvement methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Own technical delivery across all service areas.
• Monitor performance KPIs and align resources.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives.

Skills

Operational leadership

People management

Process improvement

Project execution

Performance management

Education

Experience in technical operations within TIC sector

Tools

LEAN

Six Sigma

Job description

Company Description

Eurofins Scientific is an international life sciences company, providing a unique range of analytical testing services to clients across multiple industries, to make life and our environment safer, healthier and more sustainable. From the food you eat, to the water you drink, to the medicines you rely on, Eurofins laboratories work with the biggest companies in the world to ensure the products they supply are safe, their ingredients are authentic, and labelling is accurate.

Eurofins is dedicated to delivering testing services that contribute to the health and safety of society and the planet, and to its corporate responsibility to protect the environment and ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion across the entire network of Eurofins companies.

Eurofins|BLC is a small but growing business specialising in testing and consulting and operates within the Eurofins Softlines and Leather division. Established for over 100 years specialising in leather, consumer and chemicals we have the technical pedigree and experience to provide targeted, testing and consulting solutions up and down the supply chain.

In 2024, Eurofins generated total revenues of EUR 6,515 billion, and has been the best performing stocks in Europe over the past 20 years.

Job Description

The Role:

The Head of Operations & Delivery is a senior leadership role responsible for the technical delivery performance of the business across all service areas, including laboratory testing, technical consultancy, method development, and project execution. This person owns the operational delivery framework that ensures Eurofins BLC delivers the highest levels of quality, efficiency, and scientific excellence across all client-facing services. This role will lead all operational and delivery functions, ensuring alignment between technical teams, commercial commitments, and internal capacity.

The successful candidate will bring strong operational leadership, people management, and process improvement expertise, ideally in a TIC environment, and be capable of leading through complexity while driving performance and accountability.

Main duties:

1. Strategic Oversight of Technical Delivery

• Own the delivery of all technical services across the business including testing, method development, and consultancy/project teams.
• Set and monitor performance KPIs (turnaround, quality, utilisation, capacity planning) across all delivery functions.
• Work with the MD and commercial leaders to align resources, workflows, and technical output with business strategy.

2. Leadership & People Management

• Provide direct line management to team leads (e.g. Lab Manager, Customer Services Manager, Project Delivery teams).
• Support the development of team leaders, ensuring clear accountability, effective performance management, and succession planning.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performance culture across technical teams with a focus on staff engagement, clarity, and development.

3. Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Lead initiatives to improve process efficiency, throughput, and quality across all delivery teams.
• Implement and embed LEAN or other continuous improvement methodologies into daily operational practice.
• Oversee resource planning, capacity forecasting, and cross-team coordination to meet delivery targets.

• 4. Technical Delivery Governance

• Ensure that delivery teams operate within regulatory, accreditation, and quality management frameworks.
• Oversee prioritisation and scheduling of method development and technical capability building.
• Ensure that systems, procedures, and reporting frameworks are in place to support predictable, consistent, and compliant delivery.

Qualifications

What We Are Looking For:

• Significant leadership experience in technical operations, ideally within the TIC sector, with exposure to both lab and consultancy environments.
• Strong understanding of testing services (chemistry, materials science or related field desirable).
• Track record of leading multidisciplinary teams and managing team leaders.
• Demonstrated experience in operational improvement (LEAN, Six Sigma) and performance management.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, commercially driven environment with high expectations for quality and delivery.

Additional Information

Benefits: Competitive Salary, Life Assurance 4 x salary, Private Medical Insurance, Healthcash Care Plan, Income Protection, Group Pension Scheme (match contribution of up to 5 %), Option to buy up to 5 days holiday a year, Perkbox (access to discounts), Employee Assistance Programme – 24/7 confidential support, World-wide career opportunities.