Operations Manager - Manufacturing

Artemis Human Capital are recruiting for an Operations Manager on behalf of a growing Manufacturing firm based in just outside the North West. You will be responsible for leading people, performance, and the end-to-end management of coating, kitting, assembly, and despatch operations across multiple operational facilities.

This is a senior leadership role accountable for driving operational performance across key value streams while delivering continuous improvement initiatives. The focus is to maximise efficiency, improve productivity, reduce waste, and embed a culture of operational excellence.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day operations across coating, assembly, kitting, and despatch functions
• Take full accountability for operational performance, ensuring safety, quality, delivery, and cost targets are achieved
• Lead, develop, and engage teams to build a high-performance culture
• Act as a visible and proactive leader on the shop floor, setting standards and driving consistency
• Ensure effective planning of resources, workflow, and capacity across all operational areas
• Ensure the kitting process delivers right-first-time output in an efficient and controlled manner
• Maintain appropriate buffers to support internal and external customer requirements
• Collaborate with planning and scheduling functions to optimise production and on-time delivery
• Lead coating operations to consistently achieve production targets while maintaining quality and compliance
• Ensure adherence to all quality control systems and production standards
• Lead and embed continuous improvement initiatives across all operational areas
• Apply Lean manufacturing principles to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and control costs
• Identify root causes of operational and quality issues and implement sustainable corrective actions
• Improve process flow and reduce lead times across production
• Promote a culture of standardisation, best practice, and operational excellence
• Lead the operations function, ensuring strong day-to-day performance aligned with business objectives
• Foster a positive and inclusive working environment focused on engagement, wellbeing, and development
• Develop team capability through coaching, training, and structured performance management
• Support recruitment, succession planning, and workforce development
• Manage employee relations in line with policies and best practice, ensuring fairness and consistency
• Champion a strong health and safety culture across all operational areas
• Ensure compliance with statutory requirements, internal policies, and industry standards
• Lead incident investigations and implement effective corrective and preventative actions
• Promote safe working practices and proactive risk management
• Maintain consistently high standards of quality across all processes
• Drive Lean and continuous improvement initiatives across the site
• Identify and implement opportunities for process optimisation and waste reduction
• Communicate performance, priorities, and updates clearly across teams
• Ensure operational issues are escalated and resolved effectively
• Maintain accurate reporting and performance tracking

Skills & Experience Required

• Significant experience in a senior operations or manufacturing leadership role
• Proven experience within a fast-paced engineering or manufacturing environment
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary teams
• Strong track record of delivering improvements across safety, quality, delivery, and cost
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems
• Strong knowledge of Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities
• Ability to lead effectively in a fast-paced environment
• Hands-on, visible, and people-focused leadership style
• Strong sense of accountability and commitment to high standards
• Driven by continuous improvement and operational excellence
• Flexible approach to meet business needs

Contact

Nicky Strutt