Operational Excellence Lead - Defence & Compliance

Bedford Introduction Saab Uk; Great Houghton; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Saab UK invites applications for an Operations Manager role in Bedford. You will provide governance, compliance, trials and business coordination support across the BlueBear operation, driving process improvements and performance tracking.

The role requires strong leadership, risk and export control awareness, and experience implementing ISO standards; you will coordinate audits, train teams, and ensure continuity of operations.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership skills and ability to drive change across the organisation.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• High motivation and self-starting attitude with minimal supervision.
• Experience implementing effective change within organisations.
• Proven experience managing risks and applying risk management policies including business continuity.

Responsibilities

• Drive continuous improvement to achieve high standards across the organisation.
• Lead process standardisation and compliance with the quality management system.
• Coordinate export control, health & safety and security with Saab UK.
• Develop and track KPIs to support the Strategic Business Plan.
• Capture customer feedback and drive changes where required.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Change management

Risk management

ISO 9001

Export control

Health & safety

ISO 27001

Defence industry

National Security Vetting

Job description

Saab UK invites applications for an Operations Manager role in Bedford. You will provide governance, compliance, trials and business coordination support across the BlueBear operation, driving process improvements and performance tracking.

The role requires strong leadership, risk and export control awareness, and experience implementing ISO standards; you will coordinate audits, train teams, and ensure continuity of operations.