Operations Manager

About Elis

At Elis, we're more than a leading provider of textile, hygiene and facility services. We're an international business helping organisations across a wide range of industries operate safely, efficiently and sustainably. With a presence in 31 countries and nearly 59,000 employees worldwide, we offer the strength and stability of a global organisation, combined with the opportunity to make a real impact and build a rewarding career. Our people are at the heart of our success. We believe in creating an environment where everyone feels valued, supported and empowered to succeed.

The Opportunity

We're looking for an experienced and driven Operations Manager to join our team in Leicester and play a key role in driving operational performance, developing our people and delivering continuous improvement across our site. This is an exciting opportunity for a hands-on operational leader who thrives in a fast-paced production environment and is passionate about delivering results through people, processes and performance.

What You'll Be Doing

• Operational Leadership: Lead and manage production operations, ensuring efficient processes, strong performance and consistently high standards.
• Continuous Improvement: Implement Elis Production Essentials and drive initiatives that improve productivity, efficiency and operational effectiveness.
• People Management: Inspire, coach and develop your management teams, building a culture of accountability, engagement and high performance.
• Health & Safety: Champion a safety-first culture, ensuring compliance with company policies, procedures and relevant legislation.
• Financial Performance: Manage operational budgets, forecast resource requirements and identify opportunities to improve cost efficiency.
• Customer Delivery: Ensure production activities consistently meet customer expectations for quality, service and delivery.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with engineering, logistics, service and textile teams to resolve challenges and deliver shared objectives.
• Strategic Planning: Support the General Manager with operational planning, capital investment proposals and site improvement initiatives.
• Performance Management: Monitor operational KPIs, analyse trends and implement corrective actions to achieve operational excellence.
• Sustainability: Support initiatives that reduce environmental impact, including improving energy efficiency and resource utilisation.

What We're Looking For

We're looking for an experienced operational leader who combines strong commercial awareness with a genuine passion for people development and continuous improvement. You'll ideally bring:

• Proven leadership experience within production, manufacturing, supply chain or service operations.
• Experience managing and developing high-performing teams in a fast-paced operational environment.
• A strong understanding of operational performance, budgeting, forecasting and resource planning.
• A track record of implementing continuous improvement initiatives and delivering measurable results.
• Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with the confidence to use data to drive decisions.
• Experience working with ERP systems and Microsoft Office applications.
• A proactive, customer-focused approach and the ability to work collaboratively across multiple departments.
• A degree-level qualification or equivalent practical experience within a manufacturing or process-driven environment.

Desirable:

• Knowledge or experience of Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma methodologies.
• NEBOSH qualification or equivalent.
• Experience delivering operational transformation or improvement programmes.

What We Offer

At Elis, we believe great people should be recognised, supported and given the opportunity to grow. In return for the impact you'll make, you'll receive a strong benefits package and the opportunity to build a long-term career within an established international business. We offer:

• Salary of up to £70,000
• Performance-related bonus
• 25 days' annual leave plus bank holidays
• Private medical cover
• Company pension – 5% employer contribution alongside 5% employee contribution.
• Life assurance
• Genuine career progression
• Long-term stability
• A role where you can make an impact
• A supportive, collaborative culture

Interested?

If you're an experienced Operations Manager who enjoys developing people, improving processes and delivering operational excellence, we'd love to hear from you. Elis UK is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion and welcomes applications from candidates of all backgrounds.

Working Pattern: 7AM until 3PM – Monday to Friday, with flexibility required to match the operational needs of the business.