We are an established independent manufacturer of concrete products looking for an Operations Manager to take responsibility for the day-to-day running of our business.
You'll be at the centre of the working day - dealing with customers and orders, coordinating staff and production, keeping on top of stock, organising deliveries and collections and solving the everyday problems that arise in a busy business.
You'll also be expected to get involved practically when required. That means operating a forklift and loading a customer's vehicle, manually handling products or helping in the yard during busy or short-staffed periods.
What You'll Be Doing
· Taking customer enquiries and advising on products.
· Preparing quotations and processing orders and payments.
· Checking stock and agreeing realistic delivery or collection dates.
· Making sure customer orders are progressing as promised.
· Planning what needs to be produced.
· Organising staff and adjusting priorities during the day.
· Checking stock levels and identifying what needs ordering.
· Coordinating deliveries, collections and third-party haulage.
· Operating forklifts and loading customers' vehicles.
· Picking and manually loading products where appropriate.
· Providing practical support in the yard when required.
· Solving production, stock, delivery or customer issues as they arise.
· Looking ahead to make sure tomorrow and the following week are properly organised.
· Monitoring operational performance and agreed KPIs.
· Identifying ways of improving how the business operates.
You'll need to be comfortable switching between the office, factory and yard throughout the day. One minute you might be discussing an order with a customer; the next you could be reorganising a delivery, checking a stock issue, changing production priorities or getting onto a forklift to load a customer.
What We're Looking For
· Organised and able to keep track of several things at once.
· Confident dealing with customers both over the phone and face-to-face.
· Commercially aware and comfortable discussing prices and orders.
· Comfortable and experienced managing and organising people.
· Practical and willing to spend time in the factory and yard.
· Comfortable operating forklifts, or willing to undertake the necessary training.
· Confident making sensible day-to-day decisions.
· Able to prioritise when plans change.
· Good at spotting potential problems before they become urgent.
· Comfortable taking responsibility rather than waiting for instructions.
· Interested in improving systems and finding better ways of doing things.
Previous experience in operations, branch management, manufacturing, builders' merchants, construction products, distribution or a similar practical SME environment would be particularly relevant.
You don't necessarily need to come from the concrete industry. Understanding how to run a busy day-to-day operation, being comfortable getting involved practically and being able to learn our products and processes is more important.
Forklift experience would be advantageous, although appropriate training can be provided.
The Opportunity
This is an important position within a well-established independent business. You'll work closely with the Directors initially to learn how the business operates, but the intention is for you to develop genuine autonomy and responsibility for its normal day-to-day running.
We aren't looking for someone simply to supervise other people or follow a set of instructions. We're looking for someone who can look across the business, understand what needs doing and make it happen - whether that means making a management decision, dealing with a customer or stepping into the yard and helping to get an order loaded.
Working Hours
Monday-Friday, 7:15am-4:45pm, including a 30-minute lunch break.
This is an on-site role. Being present and available during our operating hours is an important part of the position.
Package
· £50,000-£55,000 salary depending on experience.
· Performance-related annual bonus of up to £5,000.
· 25 days holiday plus bank holidays.
· 5% employer pension contribution.
· Company mobile phone.
· Reserved on-site parking.
· Company-funded relevant training and development.
What Success Looks Like
Customers are dealt with properly.
Orders are processed accurately.
Production is organised around demand.
Stock is available when needed.
Deliveries and collections happen when promised.
Staff know what they're doing.
Customers are served and loaded efficiently.
Problems are spotted and dealt with early.
And the normal working day runs effectively without requiring a Director to manage every decision.
Pay: £50,000.00-£55,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
