What are the responsibilities and job description for the Head of Operations position at April Quest?
The Company
Part of a Global Group of life saving technology companies, my Client design and manufacture elevator safety and communications products.
What the Head of Operations entails
The successful Head of Operations will:
- Lead end-to-end operational performance and delivery, ensuring production, supply chain, logistics, purchasing and quality teams work together to deliver products on time, in full, to budget and at the required quality standards while maintaining high customer satisfaction.
- Drive operational strategy, growth and profitability, partnering with senior leadership to develop and execute short, medium and long-term plans, improve gross margins, optimize COGS, manage budgets and forecasts, and support business growth through sourcing, supplier management and portfolio optimization.
- Champion continuous improvement and manufacturing excellence, using Lean, Kaizen and 5S methodologies to improve productivity, increase throughput, reduce waste, modernize operations, and implement scalable processes that support future growth.
- Strengthen quality, sustainability and compliance, leading initiatives across quality management, ISO 9001 compliance, environmental sustainability, carbon reduction, health & safety, business continuity and information security to ensure robust and future-ready operations.
- Build and develop high-performing teams, providing leadership, coaching and succession planning across operations functions, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement and employee engagement while partnering with HR on recruitment, development and workforce planning.
Requirements of the Head of Operations
- Experienced operations leader with 7 years in manufacturing and a proven track record of delivering operational performance.
- Commercially astute, with expertise in P&L management, forecasting, cost control, margin improvement and supply chain optimization.
- Lean manufacturing expert, skilled in driving continuous improvement through Lean, Kaizen, 5S, KPI management and production flow methodologies.
- Strong people leader, with experience building, developing and motivating high-performing teams in a fast-paced environment.
- Strategic and collaborative problem-solver, able to lead change, influence stakeholders and align operations with business growth objectives.