Head of Operations
Ref: 637338
Manchester, UK
£70,000
- Permanent
- Operations Leadership
- Supply Chain Improvement
- Food And Drink Manufacturing
About the candidate
A commercially minded operations leader with a strong background across food, drink, manufacturing, supply chain and commercial environments. They have led end-to-end operations for a premium frozen drinks brand with around £10m global revenue, managing third-party manufacturing, cold storage, logistics, stock, compliance and customer service across a complex supplier network.
Alongside this, they bring hands-on experience from a contract packaging business within the craft drinks sector, where they managed factory teams, production planning, financial performance, supplier relationships and customer accounts. They are well suited to a permanent operations leadership role where they can improve processes, strengthen supplier performance and support continued business growth.
What makes them great?
- Delivers measurable operational improvement: Improved wholesale delivery performance by 30% after leading the transition to a new cold storage and logistics provider while maintaining continuity of service.
- Strong cost and revenue impact: Negotiated supplier terms that delivered around £250k in annual savings and contributed to a 45% revenue increase through new account onboarding and commercial growth.
- Calm under pressure: Has successfully managed major supply and production challenges, including national supply shortages, critical machinery breakdowns and customer administration scenarios, while protecting service and commercial outcomes.
Areas of expertise
- Operations & Supply Chain Leadership: Experienced in managing end-to-end operational functions, including production planning, stock control, logistics, third-party suppliers, compliance and customer service.
- Process Improvement & Compliance: Skilled in implementing scalable processes, SOPs, operational controls, HACCP standards and industry accreditations to improve consistency and service quality.
- Commercial & Financial Management: Confident managing budgets, margins, working capital and high-value customer relationships, with experience using reporting tools to support better decision-making.