Operations Manager / Head of Operations

We're looking for an experienced, dynamic and collaborative Operations Manager / Head of Operations to join our team! Caroline Gardner Publishing is a leading supplier of cards, stationery, and stylish home and gifting products, catering to design-focused retailers worldwide. The business is at an exciting stage of growth and transformation. We have recently established our own warehousing operation in Banbury, giving us greater control over fulfilment, stock management and customer service. Alongside this investment, we are continuing to modernise our operational systems, strengthen our supply chain and logistics network, and build more joined-up ways of working across the business.

This role is central to that journey. Working across our London office and Banbury warehouse, you will help shape how the business operates as we continue to grow, improving processes, connecting departments, and ensuring our operations remain scalable, efficient and capable of supporting our ambitious plans for the future.

Role Overview: We are looking for an experienced operations leader to bring greater coherence and control to the operational side of the business. Depending on your experience, this may be an Operations Manager or a Head of Operations appointment, and we are open to both. This is not a warehouse management role. Our Warehouse Manager runs the day-to-day operation and will report to you. The role sits above and across the business, ensuring that the operational decisions taken in Sales, Buying, Merchandising, Design, Finance, Warehouse and Shop are coherent and serve the whole company, rather than each department working in isolation.

This is a hands-on role. As a close-knit and growing business, we need someone who is comfortable working in the detail as well as leading, rather than managing solely through delegation. You will report to the Strategy & Operations Director, operating with their delegated authority, with a dotted line to the Finance Director on systems and improvement work. You will assume day-to-day responsibility for operations, bring rigour and joined-up thinking to how we run, and make good use of modern tools, including AI, to help us work more efficiently and make better decisions.

What You'll Do: The remit is broad and cross-functional, and will include but is not limited to:

• Joined-up operations: Bring coherence to operational decision-making across Sales, Buying, Merchandising, Design, Finance, Warehouse and Shop.
• Operational planning: Own a regular operational planning rhythm that connects demand, buying, stock, fulfilment and retail.
• Operational delivery: Translate operational decisions into clear, delivered plans with defined ownership, timescales and accountability.
• Resolving tensions: Identify where operational priorities conflict and make decisions within your remit.
• Supplier coordination: Work closely with Buying, Merchandising and suppliers to ensure production and inbound supply supports business priorities.
• Warehouse, logistics and fulfilment: Lead and support the Warehouse Manager, ensuring they build a capable, high-performing team.
• Fulfilment strategy: Own cross-channel fulfilment strategy, service levels, capacity planning and operational KPIs.
• Freight and logistics: Develop and oversee our freight and logistics strategy.
• Outwork partners: Develop the outwork strategy, selecting and managing partners.
• Inventory performance: Own company-wide inventory performance and stock accuracy targets.
• Operational systems and data: Own the operational systems roadmap and prioritisation.
• Systems improvement: Work alongside the Finance Director to deliver operational systems improvements.
• Data and AI: Improve operational reporting, data quality and the practical use of AI and automation.
• Performance reporting: Produce clear operational KPIs and insight for the leadership team.
• Projects and commercial: Manage operational budgets and cost-to-serve.
• Operational improvement: Lead business-wide operational improvement.
• Project delivery: Lead operational projects from planning through to successful implementation.
• Sustainability: Support our B-Corp and sustainability commitments across operations.

Why Join Us: Competitive salary depending on the level of the appointment and your experience. Benefits include a generous holiday allowance, staff discount of up to 65%, discretionary annual bonus scheme, pension and group life assurance policy, an Employee Assistance Programme, and much more. This is a full-time role, based across our London office (Putney) and Banbury warehouse, with regular travel between the two.

What We're Looking For: Proven experience leading operations across more than one function in a product, retail or multi-channel business. A hands-on leader who leads by example and is comfortable working in the detail. Experience of an operational or sales-and-operations planning rhythm that aligns demand, stock and fulfilment is highly desirable. Strong systems and data capability, confident managing external IT partners, and genuine AI literacy.

You Will Have: A sound understanding of warehouse, logistics and fulfilment. Strong commercial judgement across cost, service and return. The maturity to operate with delegated authority and to lead through influence and trust. Comfortable dividing your week between our London office and Banbury warehouse.

We welcome your application: Caroline Gardner is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.