Opto-electronics

Opto-electronics

Operations Director

England, Torquay
c£100,000 plus up to 40% in bonuses alongside full benefits package.

Enigma People Solutions is recruiting a Manufacturing Operations Director for our leading Photonics client based in Somerset. This is a fantastic role for an existing Operations Director looking for a new challenge or a Master Scheduler or Operations Manager looking for a step up.

Photonics expertise is of course preferable but is not essential and we would welcome interest from Aerospace or Precision Engineering backgrounds.

The Operations Director will be responsible for overseeing all day-day operations of a 400-person, £22 million plant engendering a culture of high performance through effective relationships and collaboration across all functions, ensuring that policies and procedures are followed.

This hands-on role works with the shop floor and is required to execute the site’s operational strategy, driving and optimizing all processes to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction with specific focus on Quality, Delivery and Cost. You will be responsible for implementing structures and systems to enable, maintain, and improve operational efficiency and productivity, to support the achievement of site performance targets through a focus on continuous improvement.

Duties/Responsibilities:

  • Day-to-day leadership of all site operations and resources.
  • Takes accountability for site performance against operational targets and reports on site performance to SVP.
  • Utilizes appropriate KPI’s to identify performance trends and drive continuous improvements.
  • Continuously strives to improve site performance in respect of on-time delivery, lead-time, cost of poor quality and inventory turns.
  • Manages site resources to implement standard work and eliminate non-value adding activities.
  • Drives reductions in direct and indirect costs to improve site profitability.
  • Create a culture of Operational Excellence; bring rigor, focus and execution, of operational improvements by establishing and leveraging best practices from both internal and external sources.
  • Optimize operational performance through S&OP and deployment of resources.
  • Manage and ensure organizational capacity, maintenance, training and resources are appropriate to meet and anticipate the current/future state of the site.
  • Initiates and coordinates major site programs e.g. plant layout changes, installation of capital equipment and process improvements to improve flow, increase yields and reduce part cycle times.
  • Supports the development of new product offerings in line with company corporate strategy and global market trends. Ensures the organization is prepared with capital expenditure planning, people development and organizational capacity planning to deliver against NPI plans.
  • Communicate a compelling vision for the site, engaging all employees in order that they understand the expectations of the business and can deliver accordingly.
  • Build a performance culture, ensuring that all employees are accountable, have clear goals & objectives, have the necessary training & development to accomplish the demands/expectations of the business and that employee performance is regularly reviewed and managed.
  • Complies to and promotes the site/company’s Safety and Quality Systems and ISO/AS standards.
  • Follows and promotes the Company’s procedures.
  • Owns the site P&L, and works with the site financial controller to build the sites annual operating budget.

Qualifications/Experience and Personal Attributes

  • Black Belt certification is highly desirable.
  • Strong knowledge of Lean principles, and how to apply them in a mixed-model manufacturing environment.
  • Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field.
  • MBA or Masters level qualification is desirable but not essential.
  • >5 years’ experience leading a manufacturing site.
  • >10 years’ experience in manufacturing businesses.
  • Knowledge of ISO & AS Quality standards.
  • Has held P&L responsibility within a manufacturing business and understands the link between operational KPI’s and financial performance.
  • Capable of being the face of the company with our customers, including tier 1 aerospace OEM’s.
  • Ability to interface with group functions in a matrix organisation i.e. sales, business development and global supply chain.
  • Strong communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively at all levels in a matrixed organisation structure.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, proven track record of building strong relationships at all levels and ability to communicate appropriate expectations in relation to deliverables.
  • Excellent organization skills, focused on execution, with strong attention to detail.
  • Positive, enthusiastic, looks for opportunities for win/win and shares responsibility for team success or failure.
  • Excellent motivation and team building skills with demonstrable success in change leadership.
  • Strong verbal & written communication, networking and presentation skills. Must be capable of presenting at group CEO level.

Travel

Some travel to visit customers, suppliers and attend internal meetings (<10%).