Executive Recruit
Director of Operations
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Operations Director
Location: Central Belt / Yorkshire (Hybrid)
Package: Circa £100k - £120k base + bonus + comprehensive benefits
Reporting directly to the CEO, the Operations Director will assume full strategic and P&L accountability. This is a pivotal leadership role designed to drive performance, standardisation, and profitability across the logistics and production heart of the business. As the business continues to scale through market share growth and strategic acquisitions, you will be the architect of operational excellence, ensuring that the infrastructure, processes, and teams are resilient, efficient, and future-ready.
Key Responsibilities
- Take full ownership of the P&L for the respective business divisions. You will drive financial performance through rigorous cost control, efficiency optimisation, and value creation.
- As a key member of the executive leadership team, you will input into the strategic due diligence of potential acquisition targets, ensuring that new entities can be seamlessly integrated into the existing operating model.
- With a multi-site, multi-national footprint, this role demands a leader who can establish a robust and standardised operating model.
- You will harmonise practices across the sites and the fleet, ensuring that quality, safety, and regulatory compliance (including environmental and transport regulations) are uniform across all locations, from Scotland to Yorkshire.
- You will lead the Heads of each division to foster a culture of high performance and cooperation.
- Following the recent acquisitions, the business requires an operations leader who can navigate the complexity of integrating new facilities and vehicle fleets.
- You will build a scalable operational architecture that can absorb future growth without compromising service levels.
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Essential Experience & Competencies
- Extensive leadership experience in a Head of Operations, Operations Director, or Plant Manager capacity, within the agricultural or food processing sectors.
- A proven track record of managing complex, multi-site operations, preferably across the UK. Experience with mobile asset fleets or "hub and spoke" logistics models is highly desirable.
- Demonstrated ability to manage large-scale P&Ls, drive lean manufacturing processes, and implement cost-reduction strategies while maintaining output quality.
- Experience leading teams through periods of rapid growth or transformation (e.g., following Private Equity investment or merger integration). You must be comfortable challenging the status quo to drive efficiency.
- A collaborative and visible leader who can mentor a team of divisional heads. You empower your team to take ownership while maintaining rigorous accountability.
- You are a strategic thinker who is equally comfortable planning for three years out as you are visiting a production facility to spot an inefficiency.
- You possess the emotional intelligence to integrate legacy teams from acquired businesses while driving necessary cultural change.
- You are resilient, practical, and data-driven, with a "sleeves rolled up" approach to solving the unique challenges of the agricultural supply chain.
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This is a hybrid role, requiring regular travel between operational hubs in the Central Belt of Scotland, Yorkshire, and other UK sites.
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As a specialist boutique executive search firm, Executive Recruit partners with organisations to secure the calibre of leadership that drives meaningful change. Our bespoke methodology ensures clients access exceptional executives who combine strategic vision with proven execution, ultimately strengthening leadership depth and board performance.
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