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Operations Director
Location: West Yorkshire
Salary: Competitive + benefits
Reports to: CEO
The Role
Full Right to Work in UK Required
We are seeking an experienced Operations Director to lead and integrate our end-to-end operational and supply chain (including procurement) functions within a low-volume, highly technical manufacturing SME. This is a critical leadership role with full responsibility for Production, Quality, Supply Chain, Purchasing, Logistics, and Warehouse operations.
The successful candidate will balance strategic direction with hands-on operational leadership, ensuring operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and scalable processes while supporting innovation and customer delivery in a technically demanding environment.
Key Responsibilities
- Operational Leadership
- Provide overall leadership and direction across Production, Quality, Supply Chain, Purchasing, Logistics, and Warehouse functions.
- Develop and execute operational strategies aligned with business objectives and growth plans.
- Lead, mentor, and develop multi-disciplinary teams, fostering accountability, continuous improvement, and collaboration.
Production & Manufacturing
- Oversee low-volume, high-complexity manufacturing operations, ensuring delivery to quality, cost, and schedule.
- Drive capacity planning, resource optimisation, and production planning.
- Support engineering and NPI activities, ensuring smooth transition from design to manufacture.
Quality & Compliance
- Own the Quality Management System and ensure compliance with relevant industry standards (e.g. ISO, regulatory or customer-specific requirements).
- Drive a culture of right-first-time, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement.
- Act as senior point of contact for audits, customers, and regulatory bodies.
Supply Chain & Purchasing
- Develop and manage a resilient supply chain capable of supporting technically complex, low-volume production.
- Lead supplier selection, negotiation, performance management, and risk mitigation.
- Ensure effective purchasing strategies for bespoke, high-value, and long-lead components.
Logistics & Warehouse
- Oversee inbound and outbound logistics, inventory management, and warehouse operations.
- Ensure material availability while optimising stock levels and working capital.
- Implement systems and processes to improve traceability, accuracy, and efficiency.
Continuous Improvement & Systems
- Drive Lean, CI, and operational excellence initiatives appropriate to an SME environment.
- Improve processes, data visibility, KPIs, and ERP/MRP utilisation.
- Support scalability as the business grows, without over-engineering solutions.
About You
Essential
- Proven senior operations leadership experience within an SME manufacturing environment.
- Background in low-volume, high-mix, technically complex manufacturing.
- Strong understanding of Production, Quality, Supply Chain, Purchasing, Logistics, and Warehouse functions. You must display strong engineering and manufacturing skills.
- Comfortable operating strategically while remaining hands-on and detail-focused.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
Desirable
- Experience in regulated or high-reliability industries (e.g. aerospace, defence, nuclear, medical, advanced engineering, electronics, precision manufacturing).
- Formal operations, engineering, or supply chain qualification.
- Track record of scaling operations within a growing SME.
Why Join Us?
- Key leadership role with real influence and autonomy reporting directly to the CEO
- Opportunity to shape and scale operations in a technically exciting business.
- Close collaboration with senior leadership and engineering teams.
- Agile SME environment where decisions turn into action quickly.
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Contact Detail:
W Talent Recruiting Team
How to prepare for a job interview at W Talent
✨Know Your Operations Inside Out
Make sure you have a solid understanding of the operations and supply chain functions relevant to the role. Brush up on your knowledge of low-volume, high-complexity manufacturing processes, and be ready to discuss how you've successfully led similar teams in the past.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Style
Prepare to talk about your leadership approach and how you foster accountability and collaboration within teams. Think of specific examples where you've mentored team members or driven continuous improvement initiatives, as this will resonate well with the interviewers.
✨Be Ready for Technical Questions
Expect questions that dive deep into production, quality management, and supply chain strategies. Brush up on industry standards like ISO and be prepared to discuss how you've ensured compliance in previous roles. This shows you're detail-oriented and knowledgeable.
✨Demonstrate Your Strategic Thinking
Think about how you've balanced strategic direction with hands-on operational leadership in your past roles. Be ready to share examples of how you've developed and executed operational strategies that align with business objectives, especially in a growing SME environment.
