Head of Opex- Bakery & Desserts - Newark

Following the combination with Bakkavor in January 2026, we're one of the UK's leading creators of convenience food, driven by a simple purpose: to make every day taste better. As a vibrant and fast-moving business, we're proud to employ over 28,000 talented colleagues across 36 manufacturing sites and 21 distribution depots in the UK and the US. Together, we bring delicious food to life. Our products cover every meal occasion from breakfast through to dinner and dessert, with lunch and snacking in between. In FY25, our shared passion helped us achieve combined revenues of approximately £4bn. Our extensive direct to store (DTS) network, with 17 depots across the UK, allows us to deliver fresh and frozen food both our own and from trusted partners to thousands of stores every day, ensuring consumers enjoy the very best, whenever and wherever they shop.

What you'll be doing

• Ensure that site Greencore manufacturing excellence (GME) teams are budgeted and resourced appropriately to enable delivery of their GME targets.
• Align the business behind and ensure successful implementation of the in year automation program savings.
• Leadership and direction of the GME community for the given manufacturing units to ensure the people are kept safe, engaged, focused, developed and delivering to their potential.
• Work with site and network colleagues to ensure that a pipeline of achievable GME initiatives capable of delivering the agreed GME targets is developed.
• Monitor site delivery of GME initiatives and GME maturity within agreed timescales and financial targets, escalating support requests to network colleagues if required.
• Actively sponsor and commit the necessary resource and focus required to deliver our inclusion and diversity commitments, goals and targets and be a role model for inclusive leadership behaviours.
• Actively sponsor and commit the necessary resource and focus required to support delivery of our sustainability commitments, goals and targets.
• Actively manage organisational risk related to both Cyber Security and data, by committing the necessary focus, resource and investing in the skills and experience required to ensure compliance to relevant policies and legislation, along with taking ownership for personal and commercial data processed throughout the group.

What we're looking for

• Educated to degree level, preferably in Engineering, Maths, Science, Business, or Operations (or relevant, equivalent experience).
• Experience of delivering results in fast paced world recognised manufacturing environment and leading change through multi site teams.
• Experience of effective leadership - leading teams to deliver successful business changes, both performance and cultural.
• Experience of delivering training and coaching with good facilitation skills.
• Able to engage others to consider 'what should we do?' and draw them away from 'what do we actually do'.
• Ability to build relationships and deliver results through managing stakeholders.
• Lean and Continuous Improvement knowledge and experience.
• Advanced analytical skills. These may be trained or developed.

At Greencore we put our people at the core. We celebrate their differences and help everyone to be themselves at work. Together we make every day taste better. If this sounds like you, join us and grow with Greencore, and be a part of driving our future success.

What you'll get in return

• Competitive salary and job-related benefits.
• Holidays.
• Competitive matched pension contributions.
• Life insurance up to 4x salary.
• Company share save scheme.
• Exclusive Greencore employee discount platform.
• Access to a full Wellbeing Centre platform.
• Enhanced parental leave and menopause policies.

Throughout your time at Greencore, you will be supported with on the job training and development opportunities to further your career.