Director, Operations AFH

The Director of Operations AFH is the enterprise leader responsible for transforming and accelerating the Away From Home business. This role owns the end‑to‑end AFH strategic agenda and ensures the Company and bottlers operate against a single, fully aligned 360 Integrated Activation plan that drives availability, incidence, outlet penetration, equipment productivity, and profitable growth across all AFH segments. The Director leads commercial execution excellence, accelerates system capabilities to predictive, insight‑led, and value‑driven models, and drives a modern, consistent operating model that unlocks sustainable growth across the AFH ecosystem.

What You’ll Do

• Lead AFH Strategy, 360IA & System Alignment, including the creation of ABP and long‑range AFH strategies and their translation into integrated roadmaps that connect portfolio, RGM, media, equipment, RTM, and in‑outlet activation.
• Lead high‑impact strategic initiatives such as RTM design, recruitment‑channel expansion, category development, omnichannel execution, and data‑driven customer planning tailored for the AFH ecosystem.
• Act as the senior system integrator and influencer, aligning GM, Marketing, RGM, Finance, Digital, bottler, and key customers behind a unified AFH growth agenda.
• Drive AFH Commercial Execution Excellence by accelerating system capabilities to predictive and value‑driven models to grow availability, incidence, and cooler performance.
• Develop a segmented equipment strategy (cooler, vending, fountain, etc.) and ensure systemwide implementation with bottlers to maximize coverage, productivity, and outlet penetration.
• Integrate RGM, financial modelling, and scenario planning into AFH decisions to optimise price‑pack architecture, customer profitability, and margin delivery.
• Own AFH channel performance and system KPIs, jointly setting and monitoring system performance KBIs and leading mitigation and acceleration actions to deliver volume, revenue, and share targets.
• Govern AFH performance routines, ensuring they are insight‑driven, action‑oriented, and forward‑looking rather than report‑oriented.
• Maintain a predictive view of the competitive, channel, and regulatory environment using data and insights to proactively shape system responses.
• Embed data, analytics, and AI across the AFH operating model to improve forecasting, outlet segmentation, equipment deployment, activation effectiveness, and execution quality.
• Leverage advanced analytics and AI to identify incremental revenue, margin, and execution opportunities across brands, packs, consumption occasions, and customer types.
• Champion a test‑learn‑scale culture and accelerate adoption of digital tools and analytics across the company‑bottler AFH system.

Experience & Capabilities

• Strong AFH and channel expertise with deep understanding of customer needs, RTM models, and execution levers across the AFH landscape.
• Robust commercial, RGM, and financial skills, with experience using modelling and scenario planning to drive profitable, insight‑led decisions.
• Proven leadership in data‑, digital‑ and AI‑enabled transformation, embedding predictive analytics and digital tools into AFH planning, execution, and performance management.
• Demonstrated system leadership and influence across senior stakeholders in the Company, bottler, and customer organisations.
• Strategic and execution‑focused leadership able to translate strategy into predictable, high‑quality in‑market delivery.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, with strong executive presence.
• In‑market experience preferred; franchise system or matrix leadership experience is beneficial.

Skills: Business Integrations, Business Planning, Channel Management, Communication, Execution Excellence, Market Dynamics, Negotiation, Revenue Growth Management, Value Chain Economics.

Location(s): United Kingdom (London). Travel Required: 0% – 25%. Relocation Provided: No.