Operations Director — Dairy & Food Manufacturing

QUINTESSENTIAL BRANDS UK GROUP LTD; Nantwich; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Heler Foods in Nantwich is seeking a Head of Operations to lead the site’s production, safety, quality and cost performance. You will drive end-to-end milk processing into value-added products, while managing multi-skilled teams and ensuring high standards of GMP and food safety.

You will champion continuous improvement, deliver OTIF targets, manage CAPEX projects with ROI, and report insights to senior leadership to shape strategic direction.

Qualifications

• Experience in chilled food manufacturing, preferably dairy or process manufacturing.
• Graduate or Diploma qualification in Management, Food Science or a related discipline.
• NEBOSH certification in Occupational Health & Safety.
• HACCP Level 3 or above.
• Proven experience delivering continuous improvement and cost efficiency.
• Strong leadership and people management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day site operations, ensuring milk is converted to value-added products at the lowest sustainable cost.
• Own Health & Safety, food safety, quality and environmental standards and ensure compliance.
• Champion GMP, hygiene, CIP and food safety across the operation.
• Deliver annual volume targets OTIF with Planning and Supply.
• Lead performance against budgets, KPIs and business objectives.
• Establish robust meeting structures, KPI reviews and downtime management.
• Drive continuous improvement using data to deliver year-on-year gains.
• Deliver CAPEX projects with ROI and collaborate with Engineering.
• Provide updates to senior leadership and Board and support customer visits.

Skills

Operational leadership

People management

Stakeholder management

Data-driven

Continuous improvement

Strategic thinking

Decision making

Communication

Manufacturing knowledge

Excel

CAPEX projects

Education

Graduate or Diploma qualification in Management, Food Science or related

NEBOSH certified in Occupational Health & Safety

HACCP Level 3 or above

Tools

Excel

Word

Job description

Heler Foods in Nantwich is seeking a Head of Operations to lead the site’s production, safety, quality and cost performance. You will drive end-to-end milk processing into value-added products, while managing multi-skilled teams and ensuring high standards of GMP and food safety.

You will champion continuous improvement, deliver OTIF targets, manage CAPEX projects with ROI, and report insights to senior leadership to shape strategic direction.