Head of Operations- FMCG

The Company 

As a leading Own Label and Branded Food International Food Player, our client has an impressive track record of growth and Pioneering Product/Food Innovation. Their strategic goal is to succeed in the “elusive tightrope” of driving both Volume and Value within their core offering that will see their market dominance increase considerably. In order to achieve this, they commit strong levels of investment into both NPD and Leading Edge Commercial & Category solutions. But of course where would a Commercial Strategy be without the ability to make and deliver the product, our client knows this. Which is why they continually support high levels of Capital Investment across the Factory,  and Operations.

The Business is culturally synonymous with working in a SME entrepreneurial environment, where the “key” differentiator is the market leading ability of the SLT- Senior Leadership Team; and this is where you could make the difference as they are now seeking to appoint a Head of Operations.

The Role

This is a new role within the SLT and will report directly to the Managing Director of the UK Business, alongside a dotted line into the International Group Operations Director who is based in Europe. The role will encompass 4 key areas:

1. Leading the Operations Strategy across the UK manufacturing estate.
2. Leading the Supply Chain Strategy across the UK manufacturing estate.
3. Devising and Leading a significant cultural shift within the business to one of Performance and Success/Continuous Improvement.
4. Develop, Mentor and Recruit (where needed) a Best in Class Senior Team across Operations and Supply.

As the Head of Operations you will develop the team to one that relentlessly drives out all forms of waste to achieve industry best practice, whilst developing and maintaining a highly organised and effective working environment with repeatability in all its processes. The Operations Director will lead the continuous improvement strategy which builds on best practice to achieve a smooth efficient service that meets the expectations and needs of both Customers and Supply Partners alike.

Core Responsibilities:

• Managing strategic projects alongside the day-to-day operations to ensure the attainment of strategic objectives
• Organise, lead and engage the team with a dynamic and performance focused Vision of the future
• Fast-track the order fulfilment cycle; to support reduced lead time to customers
• Work across all teams to drive operational excellence; from inventory mgt to product delivery
• Driving daily performance and problem solving across a plant driving cadence and accountability
• Support the company in production planning and making sure the business is adequately resourced
• Providing a leadership support function to teams and motivating staff to achieve production goals
• Functionally lead the deployment of Lean across the business, with hands-on leadership and facilitation of improvement events, focusing on process improvement across the business
• Drive direct labour productivity through process improvements
• Work in strong collaboration with Sourcing & supply chain functions to develop a lean supply base.
• Ensuring that communication between departments is ongoing and utilised to maintain an environment of continuous improvement.

Candidate Requirements

The ideal candidate will have a wealth of experience in an Operations/Factory Management from an FMCG manufacturing or equivalent environment, with industry-relevant qualifications. In doing so they will be at ease with operating in an intellectually tough environment, where results are driven via a “hands on” approach. In return the business offers a great platform in which you can propel your Operations career to the next level.