Chief Operations & Automation Leader

This is a critical leadership opportunity to shape and deliver the operational strategy for a fast-paced cereal manufacturing site. Reporting to the Operations Director, the Head of Operations will take full ownership of site performance, balancing safety, quality, service, cost, and sustainability. Leading a team of four direct reports and an indirect workforce of around 100 colleagues, you'll drive operational excellence across manufacturing, engineering systems, and continuous improvement. This role also plays a key part in supporting innovation, ensuring new product development and process commissioning are delivered seamlessly from concept to production. You'll be at the forefront of building a high-performing, future-ready operation, leveraging automation, data, and best-in-class manufacturing practices to deliver outstanding results.

A bit about us: Sincereal Group is a dynamic and growing company providing private label offers to customers in Europe. With locations in the UK and France, our factories complement each other enabling us to provide a wide range of products to our customers. Born from a transition from Cereal Partners Worldwide, we stand on strong foundations whilst looking ahead with fresh energy and a renewed sense of purpose. We believe in the value of local grains, responsible production, and the simple joy of creating food that people trust. Produced with care, integrity, and a deep respect for the land and communities around us. This is a great opportunity to contribute to a new independent company that is a major, sustainable and competitive player in the growing cereal private label market.

Role Purpose

As Head of Operations, you'll take full ownership of site performance, leading from the front to deliver exceptional results across safety, quality, cost, and service. This is a high-impact leadership role where you'll shape the operational strategy, inspire teams, and drive continuous improvement across a complex manufacturing environment.

You'll be responsible for:

• Delivering outstanding operational performance: Taking charge of the site's operational plan, ensuring production targets are consistently achieved while maintaining the highest standards of safety, food safety, and regulatory compliance.
• Driving a culture of operational excellence: Championing Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement to boost productivity, reduce waste, and maximise efficiency, using data and insight to continuously elevate performance.
• Leading and empowering high-performing teams: Building, developing, and inspiring a strong leadership team and wider workforce, creating a culture of accountability, engagement, and collaboration where people thrive and succeed.
• Optimising manufacturing and engineering capability: Ensuring the reliability and performance of all processes and assets while embracing automation, digitalisation, and smarter ways of working to future-proof operations.
• Enabling innovation and business growth: Playing a key role in bringing new products to life, leading operational readiness, commissioning new processes, and working cross-functionally to deliver innovation at pace.
• Owning performance, governance, and sustainability: Delivering against key KPIs, managing budgets effectively, identifying efficiency opportunities, and driving meaningful sustainability improvements across the operation.

What will make you successful

We're looking for a strategic and hands-on operational leader who can inspire teams and deliver measurable results in a complex manufacturing environment.

• Proven leadership experience in a regulated manufacturing setting (ideally food or FMCG).
• A strong track record of delivering operational performance and improvement.
• Experience leading large, multi-level teams in a fast-paced production environment.
• Expertise in continuous improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma, TPM).
• Experience in process commissioning and new product introduction.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing systems, automation, and engineering processes.
• A solid understanding of compliance frameworks (e.g. ISO, BRC standards).
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills.

Preferred:

• Experience with digital manufacturing systems and ERP platforms.
• Safety qualifications (e.g. IOSH) and problem-solving methodologies.

Some of our other fantastic benefits include:

• 26 days holiday plus bank holidays.
• 7.5% matched contributory Pension Scheme.
• Generous car allowance.
• Private medical insurance.
• Loyalty holiday bonus entitlement.
• Discretionary annual bonus.

This role operates in a food manufacturing environment with regular time on the factory floor and exposure to noise, dust (grain), moving machinery, temperature variation, and manual handling activities. Flexibility is required to support shift teams, critical incidents, shutdowns, trials, and business needs.

Right to work in the UK: In accordance with Home Office guidance, successful candidates will be required to evidence their right to work in the UK before commencement of employment. We have assessed this role and do not consider that we would be able to sponsor a successful candidate under the Skilled Worker route as the role does not meet the relevant Home Office criteria; the successful candidate therefore must be able to demonstrate their own right to work during the recruitment process without Sincereal sponsorship.

Equal Opportunities: We work together as one team. Everyone is welcome here, and we treat each other with fairness, respect, and equality.