The Compleat Food Group
Head of Operations
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Head of Operations
Palethorpes Bakery, Market Drayton
£70,000 - £77,000 + Car Allowance + Bonus + Benefits
At The Compleat Food Group, we're on a mission to create great quality food that people love. As one of the UK's leading chilled food manufacturers, our success is built on passionate people, operational excellence, and a culture of continuous improvement. We're now looking for an experienced Head of Operations to join our site in Market Drayton. This is a key leadership role with responsibility for leading manufacturing and materials control operations, driving performance across the site, and helping shape the future of the business.
About the Role
Reporting to the General Manager, you'll take full accountability for the day-to-day operational performance of the site, ensuring we consistently deliver exceptional customer service, industry-leading productivity, outstanding product quality, and strong financial performance. This is a highly visible leadership role where you'll work closely with the site leadership team to create a high-performance culture, engage and develop teams, and drive operational excellence across all areas of the business.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and inspire large production and operational teams across multiple shifts.
- Drive performance against key operational, quality, service, people, and cost KPIs.
- Develop a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence.
- Champion Health, Safety and Environmental standards, ensuring safety remains the number one priority.
- Build strong relationships across the site leadership team to deliver common goals and business objectives.
- Control operational budgets, managing direct and indirect costs whilst maximising efficiency and profitability.
- Coach, mentor and develop operational leaders to strengthen capability across the site.
- Deliver profit improvement initiatives and identify opportunities to improve productivity, quality and service.
- Ensure compliance with all food safety, health & safety, environmental and company standards.
- Lead employee engagement initiatives, creating a culture built on trust, openness, accountability and performance.
- Support and deputise for the Site General Manager when required.
- Lead and contribute to site and group-wide strategic projects.
What We're Looking For
We're seeking a proven operational leader with a track record of delivering results within a fast-paced food manufacturing environment.
Essential Experience
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- Significant operational leadership experience within chilled food manufacturing or FMCG.
- Proven experience leading large, diverse teams in a complex manufacturing environment.
- Strong track record of delivering operational improvement programmes.
- Lean Manufacturing experience with a passion for continuous improvement.
- Experience driving Operational Excellence initiatives that deliver measurable business results.
- Strong financial and commercial awareness with experience managing operational budgets and costs.
Key Skills
- Exceptional leadership and people management capability.
- Ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels.
- Strong strategic thinking combined with a hands-on approach.
- Excellent communication and organisational skills.
- Commercially minded with the ability to translate strategy into execution.
- Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
- Full UK Driving Licence.
Personal Attributes
- Credible, visible and engaging leadership style.
- Passionate about developing people and building high-performing teams.
- Resilient and comfortable operating in a fast-paced environment.
- Positive, collaborative and results driven.
- Willing to challenge the status quo and drive improvements.
- Flexible and hands-on in approach.
Why join us?
This is a chance to step into a commercially significant role in a business with incredible momentum. You’ll be joining a PE-backed group with scale, ambition and pace, where strong commercial talent can make a visible impact. With a diverse multi-site manufacturing footprint, leading chilled food capabilities and a major strategic partnership with Tesco, this is an opportunity to influence growth at the highest level. You’ll be part of a collaborative, passionate and commercially driven team that values pace, ownership and fresh thinking. At The Compleat Food Group, we believe our people are the heart of our success. That’s why we offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your lifestyle, wellbeing, and career growth:
Financial & Lifestyle Benefits
- Competitive Car Allowance
- Company Bonus Scheme recognising performance and contribution
- Salary Sacrifice Schemes - including Electric Vehicles, Home & Tech, Cycle to Work, and SMART Pension
- 33 days’ annual leave (including bank holidays) with the option to purchase extra
- Holiday Discounts Available via our online retail discount platform
- Access to enhanced retail discounts online and in-store
- Free product handouts across our sites, so you can sample and enjoy our delicious products first hand
- EV charging points - available at selected sites
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Health & Wellbeing
- 24/7 access to GroceryAid for free financial, emotional, and practical support
- Physical Wellbeing Hub - free on-demand exercise programmes, online classes and multiple gym discounts
- Free diet & nutrition advice with access to thousands of meal plans and healthy recipes
- Online wellbeing support - from mindfulness to lifestyle resources
- Financial wellbeing tools - including mortgage calculators, budgeting tools, and financial aid
Career Growth & Development
- Access to a personalised online learning platform (LMS)
- Formal and informal training opportunities tailored to your role
- Performance Development Plans and regular Career Conversations
- Industry leading company Mentoring Scheme to add depth and really support your career journey
- Recognition through Club Compleat rewards portal
Community & Culture
- 2 paid volunteering days per year to give back to causes that matter to you
- Charity initiatives and fundraising events
- Team socials to connect and celebrate together
- Employee networks & support groups - including Women @ Compleat
- New baby gift for new parents
What You Should Know About How We Recruit
At The Compleat Food Group, we believe great teams are built on difference. We create an inclusive, respectful environment where everyone feels safe, supported, and are able to be themselves at work. We’re proud to be an equal opportunities employer and are committed to Fairness, Equity, Inclusivity, and Respect. If you need a reasonable adjustment at any stage of our recruitment process, just let us know, we’ll support you — confidentially and with care. We hire the best people for our roles, not the same people. Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, we focus on what you do and the impact you could make in our business. Our recruitment process is fair, accessible, and designed to give everyone an equal chance. You’ll also find benefits that support people at every life stage, plus active internal networks — including Women @ Compleat, LGBTQIA+, and Neurodiversity
Recruitment Agencies:
We have a small, active and trusted Preferred Supplier List to assist us if required. We do not acknowledge any speculative CVs or unsolicited candidate introductions. We only accept CV submissions for roles released to you directly by our Talent Acquisition team.
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