Operations Manager

Viper Subsea Ltd; Portishead; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Viper Innovations in Portishead is seeking an experienced Operations Manager to lead our Supply Chain and QHSE functions as part of international growth. Reporting to the Operations Director, you will drive operational excellence and continuous improvement while collaborating with Engineering, Finance, Sales and Legal.

You will shape a scalable operations platform, develop teams, and ensure delivery against budgets and KPIs in a hybrid work environment with a focus on customer outcomes and

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a leadership role.
• Experience leading operational teams in manufacturing, engineering or technical environments.
• Strong leadership with a track record of developing high-performing teams.
• Experience driving process improvement, operational efficiency and performance management.
• Strong commercial awareness and ability to influence decisions.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage Supply Chain and QHSE teams to meet plans, KPIs and quality standards.
• Partner with the Operations Director on day-to-day delivery and governance.
• Embed and continuously improve operational processes and controls.
• Collaborate with Finance, Sales, Engineering and Legal to deliver customer outcomes.
• Present performance and recommendations at senior leadership meetings.

Skills

Leadership

Commercial awareness

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

People development

Education

Engineering/Management qualification

Job description

Primary location: Portishead
Working hours: 37.5 hours (full-time)
Hybrid working available: Yes
Salary : Competitive

• Are you an experienced commercial or operational leader who loves driving performance, continuous improvement, customer service and business growth?
• Do you enjoy developing teams and creating scalable operational processes?
• Would you like to play a key role in shaping the future of an innovative engineering technology company?
• Are you confident collaborating with senior leaders to deliver strategic objectives and operational excellence?
• Do you have the commercial awareness and leadership skills to influence business performance and customer success?

Viper Innovations is a King’s Award-winning engineering technology company partnered with The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). We deliver advanced monitoring and asset integrity solutions that protect mission-critical electrical systems in subsea energy, rail, and industrial sectors worldwide.

The Role

We are seeking an experienced and commercially minded Operations Manager to lead our Supply Chain and QHSE functions. Reporting to the Operations Director, you will play a pivotal role in our international growth, ensuring operational excellence and driving continuous improvement.

As a key member of the senior leadership team, you will collaborate closely with Engineering, Finance, Sales and Legal functions to deliver exceptional customer outcomes, optimise operational performance and support the company’s long-term success.

Key Responsibilities Include

Operational Leadership

• Lead and manage the Supply Chain and QHSE teams to ensure delivery against operational plans, budgets, KPIs and quality standards.
• Support the Operations Director through ownership of day-to-day operational delivery.
• Ensure activities are delivered efficiently,thoughtfully, with engagement and thinking about the whole delivery picture.
• Deputise for the Operations Director on operational matters whenrequired.
• Embed,sustainand continuously improve operational processes,controlsand performance metrics.
• Drive operational excellence through robust governance,complianceand process improvement.
• Ensure all business processes, products and services meet QHSE requirements, industrystandardsand contractual obligations.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement across all operational activities.

Team Development & Growth

• Develop and lead high-performing teams, strengthening capability,resilienceand succession planning.
• Coach,mentorand develop team leaders and colleagues to support long-term growth.
• Ensure operational capacity and capability are aligned to current and future business needs.
• Support recruitment, talentdevelopmentand performance management activities.

Strategic & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with the Operations Engineering Manager and wider leadership team to deliver customer projects and products successfully.
• Build strong relationships across Finance, Sales, Engineering and Legal functions.
• Contribute to strategic planning, business growthinitiativesand operational scalability.
• Present operational performance and recommendations confidently at senior-level meetings.

Collaboration & commercial alignment

• Work closely with Sales, Product and technical teams to bring Viper’s expertise and customer solutions to market
• Support sales enablement through campaigns, insights, materials and customer engagement activity
• Manage external partners and suppliers where required

What We Are Looking For

• Proven experience in aleadership role.
• Ideally, experience managing operational teams within a manufacturing,engineeringor technical environment.
• Strong leadership skills witha track recordof developing high-performing teams.
• Experience driving process improvement, operationalefficiencyand performance management.
• Strong commercial awareness and ability to influence decision-making.
• Excellent communication, stakeholdermanagementand presentation skills.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on operational leadership.

– Desirable, but not essential

• Experience within subsea, oil & gas,railor other engineering-led industries.
• Experience working within ISO-certified environments (ISO9001, ISO14001, ISO45001 and/or ISO27001).
• Relevant qualification such as HNC/HND, degree or equivalent operational experience.

If you are a driven operational leader looking to make a significant impact within a growing and innovative technology business,we’dlove to hear from you.

Note on Sponsorship: We regret to inform you that at this time, we are unable to offer sponsorship for work authorisation for this role. Therefore, candidates must possess valid authorisation to work in the UK without requiring visa sponsorship.

Have questions or need support? Our experts are ready to help you protect your systems, optimise performance, and get the answers you need.