The short version
We ship over 25,000 orders a month across Amazon, eBay, Shopify, B&Q Marketplace and OnBuy from our site in Darton. We’re profitable, we fund our own growth, and we’ve more than doubled our headcount in the last six months. We’re nowhere near finished.
We’re looking for one person to own the warehouse completely — the operation, the people, the numbers and the standards. Not to supervise it. To run it.
Why this is different
Most operations roles at this level are one link in a chain: you run a shift, you hit a target someone else set, and the decisions happen above you.
This isn’t that. You’ll own the standards, the processes, the team and the budget. You’ll report directly to the Managing Director and work alongside our Commercial Manager. There is no layer between you and the decision.
It also isn’t a role that stays the same size. Our volumes and our headcount are both climbing quickly, and the operation you’re running in three years will be several times the one you inherit. We’d expect the person who builds that to grow into an Operations Director role as the business gets there. If you’re currently one of several managers at a large site with a long queue in front of you, that’s the trade we’re offering.
How we think
Continuous improvement isn’t a poster on our wall, it’s the reason the business exists in its current form. Our MD spent twelve years as an engineer before starting this company and brought a lean, waste-elimination mindset with him. One percent better every day is the operating principle here, and it applies to everything — process, packaging, layout, systems, the lot.
Just as importantly, we care a great deal about this being a genuinely good place to work. A small team that trusts each other, communicates properly and takes pride in the standard of what leaves the building. We’ve grown fast without becoming an unpleasant place to spend your day, and protecting that as we scale is part of this job, not a side note.
Our processes are already strong. We’re not looking for someone to tear them up — we’re looking for someone who can take something that works well and make it work considerably better.
What you’ll own
- The operation. Goods-in, put-away, picking, packing and dispatch, with daily arctic collections. Built for significantly higher volumes than we’re currently running.
- The team. A small permanent core plus agency support, growing rapidly. Recruitment, rotas, training, performance and development are yours. Part of this role is developing the team you inherit — bringing structure, standards and coaching to people who know the operation well but haven’t worked in a business at the scale we’re heading towards.
- Health, safety and compliance. You are the responsible person on site. Risk assessments, MHE, training records, insurance requirements.
- Carriers. Day-to-day relationships, service performance, claims and disputes.
- The numbers. Cost per order, labour efficiency, dispatch accuracy and on-time performance. You’ll be given the data and expected to move it.
- Improvement. We expect the operation to be measurably better every quarter, and we’ll fund the things that make it so.
What we’re looking for
Essential
- Proven management experience in a high-volume e-commerce, 3PL or fulfilment operation — ideally somewhere considerably bigger than us
- Single-unit pick and pack at volume, not purely pallet in, pallet out
- A track record of leading a team of 10+ and building it, not just inheriting it
- Genuinely comfortable with WMS and barcode-driven operations (we run a 6,000+ location barcode system and a Zebra scanner fleet)
- A strong grip on warehouse H&S and MHE compliance
- Numerate — you can read a cost-per-order figure and tell us what’s driving it
- A real problem solver. Not someone who fixes what breaks, but someone who sees it coming and stops it breaking. That instinct is the single thing we care about most.
What will really set you apart
- You’ve mobilised a new site, a new contract or a major volume step-change
- You’ve worked somewhere small enough that you had to do it yourself, as well as somewhere big enough to know what “good” looks like
- Counterbalance or reach licence
- IOSH / NEBOSH
Be aware: this is a fast-growing SME, not a corporate DC. There’s no separate H&S department, no HR business partner and no continuous improvement team. There’s you, a supportive MD who will back your decisions, and the budget to do it properly. For the right person that’s the whole appeal. For some people it isn’t, and it’s better we’re both honest now.
Hours
Monday to Friday, days. Saturday cover required during peak trading. As we grow we expect to move to a six-day operation.
What we offer
- £45,000 – £52,000 depending on experience
- Up to 10% annual bonus, with basis on measures you directly control
- 23 days holiday plus bank holidays
- Free on-site parking
- A clear route to Operations Director as the business scales
- Genuine autonomy, and the equipment and budget to back it
- A profitable, growing business with a culture worth protecting
To apply
Apply through Indeed with your CV. Tell us in a few lines about an operation you took over or built, and what measurably changed because you were there. That’s the bit we’ll read first.
Pay: £45,000.00-£52,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
