Engineering & Operations Director

Engineering & Operations Director (V-130593)

Location Poole, England
Sector Engineering
Salary £ to £ per annum

Only applicants with the full-time, permanent right to work in the UK will be considered.

• Lead Engineering and Operations with a strong focus on people, structure and accountability
• Bring whole-product engineering leadership across NPI, lifecycle support, quality and compliance
• Improve prioritisation, delivery pace and project ownership across technical and operational teams
• Strengthen manufacturing, supply chain, quality and operational performance through better governance
• Join the senior leadership team with planned progression toward Board-level responsibility

The Operations & Engineering Director reports directly to the Managing Director and is a strategically important senior leadership position within a growing, regulated manufacturing business in Poole. The role will lead the integration of Engineering and Operations, bringing stronger structure, clearer ownership and better execution across product development, manufacturing, supply chain, quality, compliance and technical support. It requires a capable leader in people, coaching and the ability to bring organisation, urgency and accountability to talented teams.

• Lead and develop Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Quality, Compliance and Technical Support functions
• Coach and support senior managers, improving leadership capability, team structure and day-to-day accountability
• Bring stronger prioritisation and project control across multiple engineering and operational work streams
• Ensure key projects are tracked properly from start to finish, with clear owners, dates and escalation points
• Strengthen whole-product engineering capability across NPI, product development, lifecycle support and design improvements
• Improve integration between Engineering and Manufacturing so products are designed, transferred and built more effectively
• Support technical decision-making around product design, manufacturability, compliance, quality and customer requirements
• Improve operational performance across OTIF, quality, inventory, manufacturing efficiency, cost control and engineering responsiveness
• Lead continuous improvement across systems, processes and ways of working, including ERP/SAP improvements where relevant
• Ensure quality, compliance and regulatory requirements are embedded into engineering and operational decisions
• Improve right-first-time delivery by strengthening attention to detail around BOMs, handovers, rework, redesign and technical documentation
• Build stronger governance around KPIs, reporting, capacity, project status, actions and operational risk
• Work closely with Sales, Service, Finance, HR and Business Systems to align technical delivery with wider business priorities
• Support customer, supplier, auditor and partner discussions where senior technical or operational input is needed
• Contribute to long-term business strategy as part of the senior leadership team, with progression toward Board‑level responsibility

• Senior leadership experience across Engineering and Operations within an SME or mid‑sized manufacturing business
• Strong whole‑product engineering background, with credibility across design, development, manufacturing and lifecycle support
• Proven people leadership skills, including coaching senior managers, improving accountability and handling underperformance
• Experience bringing structure to technical and operational teams where prioritisation, planning or follow‑through needs improvement
• Able to manage multiple projects and functions at once without losing sight of deadlines, risks and business priorities
• Strong understanding of regulated manufacturing, quality systems, compliance and product governance
• Commercial awareness and ability to balance innovation, quality, compliance, cost and customer delivery
• Personable, approachable leadership style with the confidence to challenge constructively and build trust
• Degree‑l…