Operations Manager in Sowerby Bridge

We are seeking an experienced Operations Leader to join the Operations team at Lucy Zodion. Reporting to the Managing Director, this role plays a key part in ensuring the smooth and efficient running of our day‑to‑day operations.

The successful candidate will be a strong leader, an effective communicator, and a collaborative team player. This role will oversee core operational areas including manufacturing, supply chain, production scheduling, logistics, quality control, automation, Health and Safety and the management and maintenance of our plant and warehouse.

We are looking for someone who brings solid operational experience, a proactive approach to problem solving, and the ability to guide teams towards achieving high standards and meeting operational goals.

Key Accountabilities

• Health & Safety
  • Provide leadership on health and safety within Lucy Zodion, ensuring that individual responsibilities are clearly defined and understood.
  • Ensure that effective systems and procedures are proposed, implemented and maintained to keep all Lucy Zodion colleagues and visitors safe and ensure ongoing compliance with all relevant H&S legislation and standards.
  • Provide comprehensive, accurate reporting on health and safety performance within Lucy Zodion.
  • Oversee incident reporting, investigation, and follow‑up actions to ensure learning is captured and future risks are reduced.
  • Lead proactive risk identification, assessment, and mitigation activities, promoting a culture of continuous improvement in Health and Safety.
• Manufacturing
  • Provide leadership to ensure efficient, high‑quality assembly and manufacturing operations.
  • Continuously look for ways to improve production efficiency, service levels, and overall operational performance.
  • Ensure all staff within manufacturing are effectively trained and equipped to perform their roles.
  • Optimise direct labour levels in line with business goals and demand.
• Procurement & Supply Chain
  • Support effective and efficient purchasing processes that align with operational requirements and ensure a reliable, consistent supply of materials.
  • Recommend and implement purchasing methods, procedures, and cost efficiency measures.
  • Ensure purchasing activities support quality, environmental, and health & safety standards.
  • Lead and develop the supply chain team to ensure supply is balanced with business demand, minimising inventory while maintaining availability.
  • Oversee stock availability performance targets, working closely with the stock controller.
  • Act as a customer champion by analysing issues, resolving them promptly, and communicating learnings back to the team to avoid.
  • Collaborate with the Quality team to ensure smooth, compliant and customer‑focused supply chain operations.
• Production Scheduling
  • Ensure production schedules meet sales demand efficiently while adhering to operational commitments.
  • Work with supervisors to match staffing levels to short and medium‑term labour needs.
  • Lead continuous improvement efforts to increase scheduling accuracy and output reliability.
• Logistics
  • Provide leadership over logistics operations to ensure timely, accurate, and cost‑effective movement of goods.
  • Maintain strong cross department communication to support smooth logistics planning and execution.
  • Produce high‑quality monthly operations and logistics reports for senior leadership.
• Quality Control
  • Maintain and enforce all relevant control systems to ensure consistent quality standards across operations.
  • Ensure that systems and procedures are proposed, implemented and maintained to ensure effective quality, environmental, H&S, and compliance requirements.
  • Conduct and support internal and external audit processes.
  • Partner with Quality teams to resolve issues and drive operational excellence.
• Automation
  • Identify opportunities for automation across processes to improve efficiency and reduce manual workload.
  • Recommend and introduce new technologies, equipment, and process changes as appropriate.
  • Ensure automation improvements support safety, quality, and productivity goals.
• Plant & Warehouse Management and Maintenance
  • Oversee the management and maintenance of plant and warehouse facilities to support safe, efficient operations.
  • Evaluate and plan resource and equipment needs in line with business objectives.
  • Lead improvements to plant processes, equipment utilisation, and layout where required.
• Smart Lighting Control Service Management
  • Manage the Service Delivery team to ensure capacity, skills, and resources are aligned with customer requirements and service commitments.
  • Maximise the commercial value of service delivery by effectively tracking resource utilisation and ensuring all activity is accurately monetised.
  • Identify, recommend, and implement continuous improvement initiatives in collaboration with the Smart Services team to enhance service efficiency, customer experience, and operational performance.

Minimum Qualifications, Knowledge, and Experience

• At minimum recent IOSH ‘Managing Safely’ qualification
• A minimum of 5 years’ experience as an Operations Manager within a manufacturing business.

Highly Desirable

• NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupation Health and Safety
• Lean/Six Sigma (Yellow/Green Belt)

Does this sound interesting? We would love to hear from you. Our application process is quick and easy. Apply today!