Wernick Group Limited
Head of Operations
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Job Description
Location: Wolverhampton Road
About Us
Wernick Modular Hire is one of the UK's leading providers of modular buildings for hire. We deliver high-quality, building regulation-compliant space solutions for customers across education, healthcare, construction, infrastructure, and commercial sectors.
Through our complete turnkey service, we provide everything from single modular buildings to large multi-storey facilities, supported by a national hire fleet, expert project delivery teams, and our refurbishment and reconfiguration facility at Cannock.
Part of the Wernick Group, we are committed to safety, quality, customer service, and continuous improvement.
We are now looking to hire a Head of Operations who will be accountable for the safe, compliant, and commercially effective running of the new Cannock factory site and the project delivery team. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the role provides operational direction, performance reporting, resource planning, risk visibility, and improvement leadership across Modular Hire operations.
About The Role
Key Responsibilities
Health and Safety Leadership
- Lead the health and safety culture across the Cannock factory site and project delivery activity, with clear ownership for legal compliance, safe systems of work, audit performance, corrective actions, and visible leadership standards.
- Ensure effective health and safety policies, procedures, inspections, and controls are implemented consistently across the Cannock factory, site operations, and project delivery activity.
- Maintain a clear risk assessment, audit, and inspection programme that identifies hazards, confirms control measures, and tracks corrective actions to completion.
- Ensure all incidents, accidents, near misses, and safety concerns are reported, investigated, documented, and escalated where required, with lessons learned shared through appropriate operational and SLT reporting routes.
Cannock Factory Leadership
- Lead the Cannock factory operation, working closely with the Production Manager to ensure productivity, quality, safety, labour planning, cost control, and the efficient refurbishment and reconfiguration of modular buildings.
Project Delivery Leadership
- Lead the project delivery team to deliver modular building projects safely, on time, within budget, and in line with client requirements, contract obligations, and agreed operational standards.
- Monitor, report, and act on project delivery performance, including programme progress, project cost, quality performance, safety performance, resource capacity, customer feedback, delivery risks, and improvement actions.
Performance Reporting and SLT Contribution
- Prepare and present clear reports for the General Manager and Senior Leadership Team on factory performance, project delivery, safety, capacity, cost, programme risk, quality, customer issues, and improvement actions.
- Use operational data to identify trends, risks, blockers, and underperformance, then agree practical actions with named owners and timescales.
- Support SLT decision-making by giving accurate information, clear recommendations, and early visibility of issues that could affect safety, delivery, cost, customer outcomes, or business performance.
- Maintain a disciplined reporting rhythm across the Cannock factory and project delivery team so that performance is reviewed, actions are followed through, and accountability is visible.
- Contribute to wider SLT planning, business improvement, and change activity through evidence-based operational input and constructive challenge.
Workforce Planning, Recruitment, and Training
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- Lead workforce planning for the Cannock factory and project delivery team, ensuring the right structure, capacity, skills, and leadership cover are in place to meet current and future business needs.
- Work with HR and operational managers to recruit, select, and retain capable people for key factory, project delivery, and operational leadership roles.
- Develop training and capability plans that improve safety, quality, productivity, programme control, customer service, and commercial awareness across operational teams.
Product Investment and Innovation
- Lead product investment planning for modular building solutions, ensuring proposals are commercially justified, operationally practical, and aligned with customer needs, market demand, and business objectives.
- Assess new technologies, materials, systems, and production methods that could improve product quality, safety, sustainability, maintainability, factory efficiency, or project delivery performance.
- Report investment priorities, progress, risks, and realised benefits to the General Manager and Senior Leadership Team, with clear recommendations for approval, phasing, or further review.
Key Skills and Qualifications
- Significant senior operations leadership experience within modular buildings, construction, manufacturing, or a comparable project-led environment, with direct responsibility for site performance and multi-team delivery.
- Strong leadership capability, with evidence of improving safety, quality, productivity, cost control, team performance, and delivery reliability across operational teams.
- Good working knowledge of H&S requirements, factory management, quality controls, audit processes, and corrective action management.
- Strong commercial understanding, with experience of controlling project delivery performance, budgets, contract requirements, supplier performance, client expectations, and operational risk.
- Experience of workforce planning, recruitment, skills development, succession planning, and building capable operational teams.
- Ability to identify improvement opportunities, assess investment needs, and convert operational plans into clear actions that support business objectives.
- Proven ability to produce clear performance reporting, use operational data to support decisions, and present risks, actions, and improvement plans to senior stakeholders.
- Ability to lead cross-functional delivery between factory, project delivery, commercial, sales, design, and support teams.
Candidate Profile Requirements
- Senior leader with practical experience of running a factory, manufacturing, construction, modular building, or project-led operational environment.
- Able to take full accountability for site performance, delivery outcomes, reporting discipline, and team standards.
- Confident working as part of the Senior Leadership Team, with the judgement to give clear advice, challenge performance constructively, and support business decisions.
- Commercially aware, with the ability to manage cost, risk, capacity, programme commitments, supplier performance, and customer expectations.
- Evidence-led and action-focused, with the ability to turn performance data into clear priorities, improvement actions, and measurable operational progress.
- Visible, calm, and credible leader who can build trust with factory teams, project delivery teams, clients, suppliers, and senior stakeholders.
Your Future with the Wernick Group
At Wernick, you're more than an employee; you're a vital part of a team that’s building the future of construction. Join us in our journey of continuous innovation and commitment to quality, and let's be 'Altogether Stronger'.
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- Competitive salary and bonus scheme
- Company car
- Generous holiday allowance (rising with service)
- Option to buy, sell, or carry over up to 5 days holiday
- Christmas Shutdown
- Early finish Friday (working hours 8-4 Monday to Thursday and 8-2.45 Friday)
- Group pension scheme
- Annual Salary review – takes place each January (dependent on joining date)
- Long service awards
- Employee of the Month awards
- Customer service awards
- Life Assurance
- Personal Accident Insurance
- Free onsite parking
- Employee assistance programme
- Training and progression opportunities
- Family run and well-established, secure company (trading 92 years)
- Open door policy
- Employee Referral scheme
- Benefits scheme (discounted retailers such as money off Apple, Virgin Atlantic Holidays, Currys, Argos, Tesco, and restaurants including Harvester, Miller and Carter, Nandos, and many more)
- Ideas portal (message the CEO) and awards for implemented suggestions
- Cycle to work scheme
- Annual paid volunteering day
- Healthcare cash plan
The company is unable to sponsor employment of international workers in this role. You will be required to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK.
Please note, this vacancy is subject to close earlier than the stated closing date dependent on application numbers.
If you require any reasonable adjustments for your interview, please advise our recruitment team as soon as possible. There will be a pre-screening call, and 1st and 2nd interviews for this role.
Important Notice To Recruitment Agencies
Any unsolicited CV’s will be sent at the recruitment agency’s own risk and will be interpreted as ‘gifts’ and we have no liability to you for any fee or otherwise. We reserve the right to engage with candidates directly having not, in any way, entered into your terms and conditions for this vacancy. By submitting an unsolicited CV to us, or to any member of our staff, you accept these terms as the default position. If we require your assistance with any vacancy, we will contact you.
Skills Needed
About The Company
Why Build Your Career with Wernick Group?
- Rich Heritage, Progressive Future: As a family-owned and operated business since our inception, we blend traditional values with a forward-looking approach. This unique combination ensures a work environment that respects legacy while embracing the future.
- Diverse Opportunities: Our expansive operations, with 40 centres across 36 UK locations, offer a vast array of roles and career paths in the public and private sectors. From modular building solutions to off-grid power, your professional journey can be as dynamic and varied as our services.
- Commitment to Excellence: At Wernick, excellence isn’t just a goal; it's our way of life. We pride ourselves on providing outstanding product quality and service, creating an environment where your work directly contributes to customer satisfaction and business success.
- Continuous Investment in People: We believe in nurturing talent from within. Through ongoing training and development opportunities, we invest in your future, ensuring that your career at Wernick is not just a job, but a journey of growth and learning.
- Simplicity and Efficiency: Our business model is streamlined to reduce bureaucracy, enabling you to work in an environment that values decisiveness and efficiency. This approach allows you to focus on what you do best, without unnecessary complications.
- Environmental and Social Responsibility: We're committed to reducing our carbon footprint
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