Operations Director Smart Manufacturing

Oxford Metrics; Gloucester; On-site; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology and innovation firm in Gloucester seeks an Operations Manager to oversee performance and growth. This role requires a degree in Engineering and experience in manufacturing environments. The ideal candidate will lead logistics, fulfilment, and quality assurance while ensuring team collaboration. Join a dynamic organisation and help shape the factories of the future.

Benefits

Competitive salary

25 days holiday + Bank holidays

Permanent Health Insurance

Free on-site parking with EV charging points

Qualifications

• Experience in Manufacturing, Precision, or Quality environments in Metrology or Vision disciplines.
• Hands-on approach and proven track record in delivery management.
• Strong communicator with clarity in conveying information.

Responsibilities

• Lead the division ensuring performance and growth across metrics.
• Manage logistics and fulfilment to meet client expectations.
• Oversee service and support teams, ensuring quality adherence.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Operations management

Logistics

Supply Chain

Quality control

Team collaboration

Education

Degree in Engineering

Job description

Description

Oxford Metrics Plc brings together two pioneering companies, Industrial Vision Systems (IVS) and The Sempre Group (Sempre), into one powerful Smart Manufacturing division. Together, we are redefining how the world's leading manufacturers design, measure, inspect, and optimise their production processes. IVS is a global leader in machine vision systems, inspection technologies, and AI-powered solutions. With hundreds of systems installed worldwide, IVS has earned a reputation for precision, innovation, and trust, driving factory automation across sectors from medical devices to advanced electronics. Sempre is a measurement and metrology specialist supporting industries including aerospace, automotive, energy, and precision engineering. Through expert consultancy, advanced equipment, and digitalisation services, Sempre helps manufacturers increase productivity, improve efficiency, and embrace automation across quality and production processes. Now, as part of Oxford Metrics Plc, IVS and Sempre together form a single division at the forefront of Smart Manufacturing. From cutting-edge vision inspection to world-class measurement and data-driven process control, we offer a complete ecosystem of solutions for blue-chip customers across the globe.

Role Summary

We are now seeking a high-calibre individual that will help us grow to the next level. We want someone who has been there, done it, and knows what it takes to build, scale and carry people along with them by communicating successfully and being clear in their direction.

Key Responsibilities

• Management: Leadership of the Division ensuring performance and growth across metrics for financial performance, delivery of products and services, customer support and service, and establishing superior ways of working across the Division and sites.
• Logistics and Fulfilment: ensure that elements of orders are scheduled and delivered to meet internal and client expectations.
• Distributors: work with supply partners to ensure delivery to agreed timescales, and maintain a positive dialogue to keep things on track.
• Service and Support: manage the team of engineers engaged in installation, calibration, repair, maintenance and customer support in adherence with deliverables and service contracts.
• Quality: responsibility for quality processes, conformance and adherence to recognised ISO standards and other market accreditations.
• Supply Chain: assist in the selection of partners, forecasting deliverables and driving performance to meet specification, timing and cost.
• Buildings and Facilities: responsible for the specification, upkeep and housekeeping of the buildings across the Division's sites in the UK and Ireland, and ownership of our requirements as we scale.
• IT / Security / H&S: coordinating with Group IT and other central functions to ensure we operate effectively and in conformance with agreed practices.
• Vehicles: implement the structure and commercial realisation of fleet and company car management for the Division.
• Risk: maintain a Divisional risk register to inform about risks and advise on mitigations or actions as required.

Driving Change / Structure

• Quoting and Margin Management: ensuring accuracy of quotes for service elements relating to bids and the delivery of successful bids to quoted costs and margins, minimising incremental costs and rework.
• Order to Revenue Conversion: take responsibility for order specification and timely conversion of orders to revenue within the division: setting KPIs; ensuring clarity of deliverables; and accurate forecasting of lead times agreed with clients.
• Projects to Products: maximise the output of development projects; drive the business towards Productisation and repeat sales.
• Communicate: structure team meetings with relevant personnel to maintain a delivery cadence that drives the business.
• Monitor and Report: track performance to targets, delivering against costs and margins. Establish routine reports and KPIs to track performance and ensure continual improvement.
• Collaborate: work with internal Sales and Technical / Engineering teams to ensure coherence of offer, set client expectations with clarity, and deliver to agreed standards.
• Lead: manage a team across Operations, Service, Production and Quality. Be a visible presence within the management team and manage upwards.
• Build: be prepared to establish the operational aspects behind the growth engine of the business.

Required Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Educated to degree level in an Engineering discipline with compelling experience in Manufacturing / Precision / Quality environments in Metrology and/or Vision disciplines. Must be a demonstrably hands-on person who is willing to roll up their sleeves to get the job done. A leader in the business, the leader of the team, and - importantly - also a member of the team. Someone for whom no job is too small. An Operations professional who may have a background in Logistics, Supply Chain, Delivery, Projects or any aspect relating to the successful operation and scaling of a business in an Engineering environment driven by specification, exactness, quality, high frequency production and micrometre precision. Proven track record of creating and driving a Delivery function, growing a business and structuring the processes that ensure effective performance. Experience of managing at the coalface with installation and calibration engineers – you must understand the language of precision engineering. It goes without saying that you must be an excellent communicator, but we are also looking for someone who can communicate clearly, concisely and show detailed information simply so that it may be understood quickly by a range of audiences. There is a skill to clarity - we would like you to have it.

Why Join Us?

You'll be joining a dynamic, high-growth organisation with innovation at its core. Based across our sites at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus near Oxford and Barnwood in Gloucester, you will be in the heart of a thriving technology hub where collaboration, creativity, and breakthroughs happen every day.

Whether your passion lies in machine vision, automation, measurement, advanced manufacturing, or artificial intelligence, here you'll find the opportunity to shape the factories of the future.

Be part of a team where your ideas can transform industries. Together, we're not just keeping pace with technological change--we're driving it.

Join us and build a smarter, more innovative tomorrow.

Benefits

Competitive salary
25 Days holiday allowance + Bank holidays
Permanent Health Insurance
Free On-site Parking, with EV charging points

We are an Equal Opportunities Employer

About Oxford Metrics Plc

Oxford Metrics is a smart sensing and software company that enables the interface between the real world and its virtual twin. Our smart sensing technology helps over 10,000 customers in more than 70 countries, including all of the world's top 10 games companies and all of the top 20 universities worldwide.

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