Operations Director - new perm hybrid role

Mar 14, 2025
Cambridge
Full Time
Incite Insight
Skills
Employee Relations • Employee Evaluation • Management Experience • Profit & Loss • Conflict Management • Operations Management • Project Management • Budgeting • Leadership Experience • Supervising Experience • Leadership management • Financial Planning
The Role
Employee Relations • Employee Evaluation • Management Experience • Profit & Loss • Conflict Management • Operations Management • Project Management • Budgeting • Leadership Experience • Supervising Experience • Leadership management • Financial Planning

Operations Director - perm role - Huntingdon office 3 days per week, 2 days WFH

Purpose of Role:

To lead our manufacturing operations through a significant growth phase. Increasing capability, and capacity in support of our business plan. Deliver continuous improvements in all aspects of operational performance covering purchasing, materials management, manufacturing, manufacturing engineering, plant and infrastructure management.

Reporting Relationships:

COO

Key Accountabilities:

  • On time delivery of our product output on a daily basis.
  • Internal and external quality metrics hit or bettered on a consistent basis.
  • Variable product cost, manufacturing overheads, and inventory at or better than budget requirements.
  • Build an environment of continuous improvement in all aspects.
  • Plan and invest in manufacturing capacity and capability to support our growth plan focusing on a transition to industry standard processes.
  • Manage an international supplier base to robustly support the growth plan with appropriate sourcing strategies.
  • Successfully manage introduction of new products into the manufacturing environment through the appropriate use of DFM techniques and Product Lifecycle Management process.
  • Manage HS&E for all sites in the UK.
  • Develop a team with sufficient operational expertise to support growth of the business in line with our business plan.

Key challenges:

  • Deliver capacity requirements on time and on budget.
  • Deliver positive product cost benefit through investment in new manufacturing process techniques.
  • Manage equipment obsolescence within current installed capacity.
  • Reduce working capital and increase inventory turns while supporting profitable growth.

Key Internal Relationships:

COO and Executive team. Sales and Marketing, R&D, Operations management team, Finance and HR

Person Specification:

  • Commercially astute and highly numerate.
  • Sensitive to the importance of setting and modelling high professional standards.
  • Strong situational management and interpersonal skills.
  • Simplifier, process orientation and straight talker.
  • Great attention to detail.
  • Capable of quick decisive action in the front line, based on fast technical assessment.

Experience required;

10+ years manufacturing leadership experience in a fast moving and technologically challenging environment.

Must include significant experience of:

  • 24 hrs/day multi-shift semi-automated operation.
  • High levels of capital equipment utilisation.
  • Short cycle-time production.
  • Multistage cumulative yielding process (yield = scrap).
  • Ultra high precision processing and measurement.
  • Advanced quality planning and statistical process control.
  • Clean-room processing.
  • Aggressive growth ramps.

In addition;

  • You should have a track record of both significant continuous improvement and breakthrough improvement in manufacturing performance which has clear and demonstrable positive impact on company performance.
  • Experience of both large blue chip and small dynamic company environments a clear advantage.
  • Career to date should demonstrate effectiveness as a functional leader at organisation leadership level.