Operations Director

As an Operations Director within DHL Supply Chain's Ecommerce and Retail division, you'll play a pivotal role in shaping the future of some of the UK's most complex and high-profile retail supply chains. This is a rare opportunity to lead at scale, overseeing large, multi-site operations that support major retail brands and millions of customer orders every year.

We're looking for an exceptional operational leader who thrives on delivering performance through people, driving transformation, and building long-term strategic partnerships. You'll operate at director level, influencing both customer and DHL stakeholder groups, whilst setting the direction for significant operations across warehousing, fulfilment, planning, and supply chain execution.

This is far more than operational management. It's about creating competitive advantage through operational excellence, innovation, automation, and leadership. You'll be responsible for delivering outstanding service, sustainable growth, and transformational change across a high-profile customer portfolio within one of the world's leading supply chain organisations.

At DHL, you'll join a business that invests heavily in its people, embraces innovation, and empowers leaders to make a genuine impact. If you're passionate about leading large-scale retail supply chain operations and want to shape what great looks like for some of the UK's most recognisable brands, we'd love to hear from you.

A TYPICAL DAY MAY INVOLVE:

• Leading large, complex, multi-site retail and ecommerce operations through a team of senior operational leaders, creating a high-performance culture focused on safety, service, engagement, and delivery.
• Defining and executing strategic operational plans across sizeable customer portfolios, ensuring scalable, resilient, and commercially successful supply chain solutions.
• Owning executive-level customer relationships, acting as a trusted strategic partner to major UK retailers and helping shape their supply chain strategy, growth agenda, and future operating model.
• Driving operational excellence across multiple sites, identifying opportunities to improve productivity, service performance, quality, cost, and customer experience.
• Leading major transformation programmes, including automation, network redesign, digital adoption, and continuous improvement initiatives that deliver meaningful business impact.
• Managing significant operational budgets and commercial performance, ensuring contractual commitments are exceeded whilst delivering long-term value for both DHL and our customers.
• Providing visible leadership across the operation through regular site engagement, performance reviews, and Gemba activity, ensuring high standards and sustainable operational excellence.
• Building leadership capability and succession pipelines, developing future talent and creating high-performing teams equipped to support growth and change.
• Collaborating with senior stakeholders across Operations, Transport, Engineering, IT, Finance, HR, Commercial and Customer teams to deliver integrated end-to-end supply chain solutions.

THIS ROLE WOULD SUIT PEOPLE WHO:

• Have significant Operations Director or equivalent director leadership experience within large-scale retail, ecommerce, FMCG, logistics, or supply chain environments.
• Bring a proven track record of leading complex, multi-site operations with large colleague populations and substantial customer-facing responsibility.
• Understand the demands of modern retail supply chains and can balance service, availability, cost, growth, and operational excellence in fast-paced environments.
• Have experience partnering with senior customers, influencing board-level stakeholders, and building long-term strategic relationships.
• Are transformational leaders who have successfully delivered large-scale change programmes including automation, digitisation, network optimisation, or operational turnaround.
• Lead through people, creating highly engaged teams, developing future leaders, and fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and inclusion.
• Possess strong commercial acumen, with experience managing complex contracts, operational budgets, and customer P&L performance.
• Think strategically while remaining connected to operational delivery, understanding that successful transformations are built from the shop floor upwards.
• Are energised by challenge, comfortable operating in highly visible roles, and motivated by the opportunity to shape the future of leading retail supply chains.

WHY JOIN US?

• Access to the Company car scheme, or car allowance
• Join our generous pension scheme and benefit from an 8% employer contribution, alongside a 4% employee contribution
• Free confidential 24/7 GP consultations
• Hundreds of retail and lifestyle discounts
• Affordable loans, savings schemes and free mortgage advice

WHO WE ARE

We're the global leaders in supply chain management with 188,000 people in over 50 countries. Our expert teams work together to deliver for our customers across a range of industries including retail, automotive, healthcare and more.

BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE

At DHL, we're all about creating a workplace where everyone's skills and experiences matter, and where you can be your true self every day.

As proud supporters of the Armed Forces Covenant, we value the skills and experience of ex-service personnel and are dedicated to helping our veterans find jobs.

Please be aware that interviews are provisionally scheduled to take place during the week commencing 3rd August 2026. Applications received after this date may not be considered but will be added to our talent pool for future opportunities, subject to your consent. Please also be aware that we review applications continuously and where we have a large number of applications the application period may close ahead of the provisional interview date. To ensure your application is considered we recommend submitting it as early as possible.