Head of Operations

Head of Operations East Anglia - Healthy Food Manufacturing - High-Growth SME

This is not a "steady state" operations role.

This is an opportunity to join a fast-growing, privately owned healthy snacking and food brand at a pivotal stage of its journey.

Having successfully expanded from one manufacturing site to two, the business is now looking for an ambitious and commercially minded Head of Operations to help lead the next phase of growth.

The company has built a strong reputation within the healthy food and snacking sector through quality, innovation, customer partnerships and an entrepreneurial mindset. Still family-owned, the culture is agile, hands on and fast paced - offering the opportunity to genuinely influence the future direction of the business.

We are looking for a leader who thrives in a growing SME environment. Someone who can combine strategic operational leadership with a visible, hands on presence across production, engineering, warehouse and technical functions.

The Opportunity

Reporting directly to the Managing Director, you will take full operational responsibility across the manufacturing operation, leading teams across production, engineering, warehousing and logistics.

This is a key leadership appointment for the business - focused on driving operational excellence, building scalable processes, improving efficiencies, developing teams and supporting continued growth across multiple sites.

You will play a central role in shaping the future capability of the operation while maintaining the high standards, agility and culture that have made the business successful.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead all day to day manufacturing and operational activity across the sites
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across production, engineering and logistics
• Develop scalable systems, processes and operational KPIs to support future growth
• Lead, motivate and develop operational teams and future leaders
• Ensure exceptional standards across health & safety, quality, compliance and food safety
• Work closely with senior leadership on operational strategy, performance and investment
• Improve efficiencies, reduce waste and maximise productivity across the operation
• Support engineering, maintenance and capex planning to minimise downtime and increase capability
• Oversee warehousing and distribution performance to ensure customer service excellence
• Build a high performance culture focused on accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement

About You

We are looking for an ambitious operational leader who wants to grow with the business.

You will likely come from a food manufacturing environment and have experience leading fast paced production operations with a strong engineering or technical appreciation.

You will be:

• A hands on leader who enjoys being visible on the factory floor
• Commercially aware with strong operational and financial understanding
• Experienced in driving efficiencies, process improvements and team performance
• Comfortable operating within a growing SME environment where adaptability matters
• Passionate about people leadership, culture and developing teams
• Experienced within food manufacturing, ideally FMCG, snacks or healthy food production
• Knowledgeable in BRC, HACCP and operational compliance standards

Experience with ERP systems and protein or healthy food manufacturing would be advantageous.

Why Join?

• Join an exciting and growing healthy foods brand at a critical stage of expansion
• Genuine opportunity to shape the future of the operation and business
• Work directly with an entrepreneurial leadership team
• Be part of a values driven, family owned business with strong growth ambitions
• Opportunity for long term progression and career growth as the business continues to scale

For ambitious operational leaders looking for more than just another factory management role, this is a chance to make a real impact within a growing and highly respected food manufacturing business.