Operations Director

Collingwood is again proud to be the retained partner with this European Building Product manufacturer.

This 2nd-generation family owned business now turns over in excess of €1bn, through 19 country locations, collectively employing over 6,000 employees.

In the UK the manufacturer turns over in excess of £90m and is one of the UK's largest and most trusted manufacturers within their range of Building Products. Their main plant (one of two) employs some 400 direct worker. Furthermore, they have enjoyed over 40% of growth in the past 10 years in this mature market. As well as a focus on profitable growth, their 2030 strategy places big emphasis on driving process efficiency and effectiveness.

Significant investment has and will continue to be made throughout the UK business. It enjoys significant autonomy from the parent country and has been recognised in numerous regional and national business awards.

The Role

Reporting directly into the Managing Director, and part of the UK board, you will be responsible for the development and implementation of an operational strategy, ensuring the business can meet the requirements of Strategy 2030. These broadly include:

• Leading and overseeing core operational functions across the six departments that make up operations.
• Drive cultural and operational transformation across the business.
• Embed process maturity including planning discipline, lean principles, and waste reduction.
• Improve key operational KPIs across order OTIF, line OTIF, cost per tonne of production, output per person, and scrap rates.
• Build and develop a cohesive Operational Leadership Team. Embed a more accountable culture, where individuals feel empowered to create and problem solve themselves.
• Foster cross-functional collaboration with HR, Finance, and Commercial teams.
• Support succession planning and staff retention initiatives.
• Champion continuous improvement and data-led decision-making.
• Lead implementation of automation and technology where appropriate.

What we need from you:

To succeed in this challenging and critical role for the business, Collingwood is keen to speak with individuals with the following:

• A strong background leading strategy across operations – in line with overall business strategy - within a large, multi-disciplined workforce is essential.
• Strong exposure to leading Capex projects within production, especially across modernisation of existing machinery (automation) and the integration of production tools.
• Comfortable in complex, multi-site manufacturing environments – actual product or industry not important.
• Proven track record in team development and cultural transformation. An understanding of the importance of talent development, including building a high performing team (direct and indirect).
• Leadership Style: Visible, hands-on, and people-first. Emotionally intelligent, humble, and resilient. Able to inspire trust and accountability at all levels. Able to facilitate change and empower teams to think creatively.
• Strong background in continuous improvement and process standardisation.
• Capable of driving operational KPIs and embedding robust planning.
• Analytical approach to problem solving and decision making. Experience of interpreting, analysing complex data sets, with ability to translate with ease into purposeful communications.

And in Return

It is very clear that this is an ideal opportunity for an Operations leader to use the experience gained in further shaping what is already a global market leader.

Collingwood's client is flexible to offering a basic salary that attracts the best possible talent. In addition, and in Collingwood's experience, an industry leading benefits package is available, that is indicative of a global leader who cares for their workforce and leadership teams.