Operations Manager

OPERATIONS MANAGER - SITE TRANSFORMATION
MIDDLEWICH, CHESHIRE
UP TO £65,000 + BENEFITS

We are recruiting for an experienced Warehouse & Logistics Manager / Site Operations Manager to join a growing organisation at an important stage of its development. The business is looking for an experienced operational leader who can take ownership of a site, assess what is working and what isn't, and introduce the standards, structure, processes and leadership disciplines required to support continued growth.

You'll inherit an established operation and management team, so the objective isn't to come in and replace everything. Instead, you'll bring experience of what good looks like, develop the existing leadership capability and create sustainable improvements across warehouse, logistics, inventory, transport, people and performance.

It's an excellent opportunity for somebody in an Operations Manager, Site Manager, General Manager, Warehouse & Logistics Manager Distribution Manager, Distribution Centre Manager, Operations Manager, Head of Logistics, Head of Operations, Warehouse Manager, Site Lead, Operational Excellence Manager, Logistics Transformation Manager or Continuous Improvement Manager who wants to take over a site with enormous improvement opportunity and a fast-growing business.

THE ROLE:

Take ownership of the day-to-day performance and ongoing development of the logistics operation.
Assess existing processes, structures and working practices and identify opportunities for improvement.
Lead site transformation and continuous improvement projects, delivering measurable improvements rather than change for change's sake.
Introduce stronger operational disciplines around KPIs, daily management, performance reviews, root-cause analysis and accountability.
Improve performance across areas including OTIF, picking accuracy, inventory accuracy, productivity, vehicle utilisation, customer service, cost and safety.
Establish clear operational standards and ensure they are consistently followed.
Lead, coach and develop managers, supervisors and team leaders, building stronger leadership capability throughout the site.
Work particularly closely with the existing Logistics Manager, supporting their continued development and progression.
Improve resource planning and operational capacity as the organisation continues to grow.
Identify inefficiencies and implement practical solutions using Lean, Continuous Improvement, Six Sigma or similar methodologies.
Drive greater use of operational data to identify issues, measure performance and inform decision-making.
Take ownership of operational issues and customer service failures, identifying root causes and implementing sustainable corrective action.
Champion high standards across health & safety, compliance, housekeeping and operational discipline.
Work closely with senior leadership to ensure the operation is capable of supporting the organisation's longer-term growth plans.

THE PERSON:

Experience in an Operations Manager, Site Manager, General Manager, Warehouse & Logistics Manager Distribution Manager, Distribution Centre Manager, Operations Manager, Head of Logistics, Head of Operations, Warehouse Manager, Site Lead, Operational Excellence Manager, Logistics Transformation Manager or Continuous Improvement Manager role
Significant leadership experience within a warehouse, logistics, distribution or operational site environment.
A demonstrable track record of leading change, transformation or significant operational improvement.
Examples of improving measurable KPIs such as productivity, service, OTIF, inventory accuracy, cost, quality or safety.
Experience introducing greater structure, accountability and operational discipline into an evolving operation.
Strong people leadership skills with experience developing managers, supervisors and future leaders.
Experience managing underperformance and raising standards without losing engagement from the wider workforce.
Strong knowledge of warehouse and inventory management, ideally alongside exposure to transport/distribution.
Experience using WMS/ERP systems and operational data to improve performance.
Exposure to Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, Continuous Improvement or Operational Excellence methodologies would be advantageous.
Strong commercial awareness and the ability to communicate effectively with senior stakeholders.
A hands-on leadership style, you'll be comfortable setting strategy but equally willing to get onto the warehouse floor and understand problems first-hand.

ABOUT THE BUSINESS:

You'll be joining an established and growing organisation supplying specialist products and solutions to customers across the UK and international markets.
Growth has created an opportunity to take the site's logistics operation to its next stage of maturity.
The business wants to retain the agility and entrepreneurial approach that has supported its growth while introducing more of the process, consistency, operational discipline and leadership capability associated with…