Site Operations Director

Aurora Lifesciences; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Aurora Lifesciences in the United Kingdom is seeking an experienced Site Operations Director to lead a growing manufacturing facility. You will have end-to-end accountability for operations, people, safety, quality, performance, budget and future scale-up.

You will align site execution with corporate objectives, build leadership capability, drive continuous improvement, and partner with HR and Quality to sustain compliance and growth.

Qualifications

• At least 10 years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing or operations.
• Minimum 5 years in a senior site, plant, operations or general management position.
• Experience working within a Medtech manufacturing environment (essential).
• Strong change management and organisational development capability.
• Strong experience leading manufacturing operations and operational teams.
• Experience scaling operations within a growing organisation.
• Experience managing senior stakeholders and communicating at executive level.

Responsibilities

• Take overall accountability for the safe, compliant and effective running of the manufacturing site.
• Set and communicate clear site-level objectives aligned with wider business strategy.
• Lead continued development and scale-up of manufacturing operations.
• Drive throughput, productivity and overall operational efficiency.
• Own the site's operating budget and capital expenditure planning.
• Build and develop a high-performing site leadership team.
• Partner with HR, Quality and Regulatory functions to ensure compliance.
• Establish reporting structures with clear visibility of site performance.

Job description

Role Overview

Aurora Lifesciences are working with an exciting Medtech who are seeking an experienced Site Operations Director to take overall leadership responsibility for a growing UK manufacturing facility.This is a broad site leadership role with accountability for operations, people, safety, quality, performance, budget and future scale-up. The successful individual will effectively operate as the General Manager for the site, ensuring that local execution remains aligned with wider corporate objectives.You will lead the site through a period of continued growth, building the structure, systems and leadership capability required to support increased manufacturing volumes while maintaining high standards of quality, compliance and operational performance.

Key Responsibilities

Site Leadership

• Take overall accountability for the safe, compliant and effective running of the manufacturing site.
• Set and communicate clear site-level objectives aligned with wider business strategy.
• Act as the primary escalation point for significant operational and site-related issues.
• Create clear accountability across both direct-reporting and matrixed functions.
• Work closely with senior global stakeholders to ensure alignment between corporate strategy and site execution.

Manufacturing & Operational Performance

• Lead the continued development and scale-up of manufacturing operations.
• Improve throughput, productivity and overall operational efficiency.
• Identify opportunities to reduce waste, cost and operational inefficiencies.
• Develop the site's capacity and infrastructure in line with future commercial demand.
• Drive structured problem-solving and continuous improvement across Operations.

KPIs & Continuous Improvement

• Establish and own a site-wide performance framework covering:
  • Safety
  • Quality
  • Delivery
  • Cost
  • Productivity
  • Operational efficiency
• Build effective reporting and review structures that provide clear visibility of site performance.
• Use data to identify emerging issues, drive corrective actions and improve accountability.
• Embed a culture of continuous improvement throughout the facility.

Quality & Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure manufacturing operations remain compliant with the company's Quality Management System.
• Maintain a strong level of site audit and inspection readiness.
• Work closely with Quality and Regulatory functions to ensure operational activities support applicable regulatory requirements.
• Ensure employees are appropriately trained and competent against relevant manufacturing and quality standards.
• Support timely resolution of audit findings, corrective actions and compliance issues.

Experience within an FDA-regulated and ISO 13485 manufacturing environment would be highly advantageous.

Health, Safety & Environment

• Act as a visible leader for Health, Safety and Environmental performance across the facility.
• Champion a strong safety-first culture across all departments.
• Ensure compliance with applicable UK health and safety requirements.
• Partner closely with the site's EHS function to promote best practice and continuous improvement.

People Leadership

• Build and develop a high-performing site leadership team.
• Assess existing organisational capability and identify areas requiring development.
• Establish clear communication and operating rhythms across the site.
• Lead workforce planning, organisational design and future headcount requirements.
• Support succession planning and development of future leadership capability.
• Partner closely with HR on culture, engagement and organisational development.

Financial & Commercial Responsibility

• Own and manage the site's operating budget.
• Lead capital expenditure planning and prioritisation.
• Monitor site financial performance against agreed objectives.
• Identify financial risks, opportunities and efficiency improvements.
• Ensure operational investment supports both current manufacturing requirements and future growth.

Facilities, Infrastructure & Suppliers

• Own the site's longer-term facilities and infrastructure roadmap.
• Ensure the site has appropriate capacity, equipment and infrastructure to support growth.
• Manage key external suppliers and contractors across areas such as:
  • Facilities
  • Equipment
  • IT
  • Engineering services
  • Site support services
• Ensure supplier performance supports operational reliability and compliance.

Experience Required

• Minimum 10 years' progressive leadership experience within manufacturing or operations.
• At least 5 years in a senior site, plant, operations or general management position.
• Experience working within a Medtech manufacturing environment. (Essential)
• Strong experience leading manufacturing operations and operational teams.
• Proven success improving operational performance, productivity and efficiency.
• Experience scaling operations within a growing or changing organisation.
• Strong change management and organisational development capability.
• Experience leading through a matrix structure and influencing functions outside of a direct reporting line.
• Strong financial understanding, including responsibility for operating budgets and capital expenditure.
• Experience managing senior stakeholders and communicating at executive level.

Experience within medical devices manufacturing sector would be highly desirable.

Technical & Operational Knowledge

• Manufacturing operations
• Process validation
• CAPA
• Change control
• Capacity planning
• Lean manufacturing
• Continuous improvement
• Operational KPIs
• Quality systems
• Regulatory compliance
• Manufacturing scale-up