Location: Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
Job Type: Full Time
Employment Type: Permanent
Experience Level: Senior
Senior Operations Manager
We are seeking an experienced Senior Operations Manager to lead operational performance, process improvement, workforce coordination, and service delivery across a complex business environment. This role will provide strategic and operational leadership while ensuring teams consistently meet performance, quality, customer service, compliance, and productivity objectives. The Senior Operations Manager will work closely with senior leadership and cross-functional teams including finance, human resources, technology, sales, customer service, and supply chain to align operational priorities with broader business goals. The successful candidate will analyze performance data, identify operational risks and improvement opportunities, establish effective processes, and lead initiatives that improve efficiency and business outcomes. The role requires strong leadership, commercial awareness, financial understanding, and the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment. The successful candidate will also develop team capability, establish performance standards, manage operational resources, and provide clear reporting to senior stakeholders. This is an opportunity for a proven operations professional to make a measurable impact on service quality, productivity, cost control, and organizational performance.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead day-to-day operational activities across assigned functions, ensuring service, productivity, quality, compliance, and performance targets are consistently achieved.
- Develop and execute operational plans aligned with organizational objectives, business priorities, customer requirements, and financial targets.
- Establish, monitor, and improve key performance indicators covering productivity, service levels, quality, efficiency, costs, customer outcomes, and operational risk.
- Lead, coach, and develop managers and operational teams, creating clear performance expectations and supporting professional development.
- Review operational processes, identify inefficiencies and root causes, and implement measurable improvements that increase productivity and reduce unnecessary costs.
- Manage workforce planning, resource allocation, scheduling, capacity requirements, and operational coverage to meet changing business demands.
- Monitor operational budgets, expenditure, resource utilization, and cost performance while identifying opportunities for sustainable cost optimization.
- Collaborate with finance, human resources, technology, sales, customer service, procurement, and other functions to resolve operational challenges and deliver business priorities.
- Establish consistent operating procedures, controls, documentation, and quality standards across relevant teams and business processes.
- Analyze operational data and management information to identify trends, risks, performance gaps, and opportunities for improvement.
- Lead major operational projects, transformation initiatives, process redesigns, and technology implementation activities from planning through delivery.
- Ensure operational activities comply with applicable legislation, internal policies, regulatory requirements, health and safety standards, and risk management controls.
- Manage escalated customer, supplier, employee, and operational issues, ensuring timely investigation, resolution, communication, and appropriate follow-up.
- Prepare and present operational performance reports, forecasts, business reviews, recommendations, and improvement plans to senior leadership and key stakeholders.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Supply Chain Management, Finance, Engineering, or a related discipline; equivalent professional experience may be considered.
- 7 or more years of progressive experience in operations management, business operations, service delivery, logistics, supply chain, or a related leadership environment.
- Demonstrated experience managing operational teams, managers, budgets, performance targets, business processes, and cross-functional initiatives.
- Strong knowledge of operational performance management, KPI development, process improvement, workforce planning, resource allocation, and service-level management.
- Proven experience using data and management information to identify trends, diagnose performance issues, and support evidence-based operational decisions.
- Strong financial and commercial awareness, including experience with operational budgets, cost control, forecasting, resource planning, and business performance analysis.
- Experience with enterprise business systems such as Microsoft Dynamics 365, SAP, Oracle, Salesforce, ServiceNow, or comparable platforms.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint; experience with Power BI, Tableau, or other business intelligence platforms is preferred.
- Practical experience with continuous improvement methodologies such as Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, process mapping, root-cause analysis, or operational excellence frameworks.
- Strong knowledge of risk management, compliance, quality assurance, health and safety, business continuity, and operational control principles.
- Experience leading organizational change, process transformation, technology implementation, or operational improvement programs.
- Excellent leadership and people-management skills, including coaching, performance management, delegation, conflict resolution, and team development.
- Strong communication, negotiation, stakeholder management, analytical, and decision-making skills with the ability to influence senior leaders and cross-functional teams.
- Preferred qualifications include an MBA, Chartered Management Institute qualification, Lean Six Sigma certification, PRINCE2, Agile, or other relevant management and operational certifications. Candidates must have the legal right to work in the United Kingdom.
Equal Opportunity Employer
We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees. Qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.
Job Type: Full Time, Permanent
Pay: £80,000.00-£85,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Employee mentoring programme
- Financial planning services
- Free parking
- On-site gym
- On-site parking
- Referral programme
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
