I am excited to be working exclusively with this premium food company  to recruit an Operations Manager.  Having doubled their business in the last three years and under a new Managing Director, they have an ambitious vision to double again in the next three years. As part of this  growth strategy and with additional scale and complexity they are looking to strengthen their senior leadership team. A leader in its field, they specialise in high-end, food products and deliver these through various retail outlets and major grocers.

The role has primary responsibility for the end-to-end movement of goods from UK & European suppliers to distribution points / customers mainly in the UK but with some internationally. This will include working with key suppliers, hauliers, and distributers as well as the internal team to oversee the most profitable, smooth flow of goods.

The Operations Manager will work closely with the senior management team and play an integral role in scaling the business from an Operations and Supply chain perspective. This role will also oversee a team of 3, consisting of Demand Planner and local / wholesale dispatch manager and local delivery driver as direct reports.

The role is based at their Essex HQ alongside the Sales and Marketing teams and could be managed on a 4 day a week basis.

Key Responsibilities include:

• Managing all aspects of Operations to the require company standards achieving Efficiency, Cost Control, Product Quality and Customer Service
• Organising the Demand and Supply Planning for B2B fulfilment
• Overseeing logistics from Europe as well as across the UK
• Updating daily operations including demand planning, production reports and reconciliation of stock
• Overseeing 3 direct reports and supporting in building out the team in the future.
• Leading with planning and development of internal operations processes, continuous improvement, and capability plan
• Responsibility for overseeing stock levels and providing robust reports.
• Quality control and supply chain crisis management.
• Working alongside the Sales & Marketing Director and their teams to manage S&OP process (demand planning, forecasting, financial planning).
• Working with senior management on new systems and implementations
• Ensuring that orders are placed with suppliers in a timely fashion.
• Occasional travel to co-packers to build relationships (UK and abroad).
• Working closely with Marketing & co-packers to ensure NPD launched run to required time plan.
• Project management, including but not limited to, sourcing of the most cost-effective ingredients & distribution to drive down costs.
• Minimising overall costs whilst optimising operational performance against established KPIs

The ideal candidate will have proven and substantial knowledge of working within an operations role, ideally within the FMCG sector. You will be able to demonstrate both a track record in successfully managing teams in a fast-growing start-up or scale up operations along with excellent project management skills.

You must also demonstrate clear and responsible leadership to drive the best individual and team performance.  You will be resilient with the ability to work well under pressure with a proactive approach to identifying and raising areas for improvements in efficiencies and performance.  Key competencies will include excellent organisational skills and attention to detail.  You will also show strong analytical and critical thinking and be an inspiring authentic leader.  This is a great opportunity for someone who is looking to progress their career in a forward-thinking fast-growing business.

The role offers at salary of up to £50k and a 4-day working week is an option + bonus + 25 days holiday + pension.