Operations Director

Operations Director | Support Services Business | UK Wide

Zachary Daniels are delighted to be supporting this well known market leader in the appointment of an Operations Director to head up a rapidly growing division within their organisation.

Reporting to the Managing Director, the Operations Director will provide strategic, commercial and operational leadership to the division and its strategic growth. The role holds full accountability for the P&L and is responsible for delivering sustainable organic growth in partnership with the Sales Director and wider SLT.

The role of the Operations Director is to ensures that Regional General Managers, Business Managers and their direct reports deliver operational excellence, measurable customer savings, sustainability improvements and best-in-class service.

The role requires strong commercial acumen, excellent operational judgement and significant leadership capability to influence senior stakeholders across the business whilst balancing long-term strategic planning with the demands of daily operational delivery, ensuring reliability, compliance and excellence at all times.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Strategic Leadership
• Operational Excellence
• Commercial & Financial Accountability
• Internal Collaboration & Supply Chain Management
• Customer Leadership
• People Leadership & Culture
• Compliance & Safety

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Education / Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent professional experience.

Experience

• Significant senior operational leadership experience within logistics, manufacturing support services or a similar contract-driven environment.
• Full P&L ownership with a proven track record of delivering revenue and EBITDA targets.
• Demonstrable experience of working with commercial teams to drive organic growth and support tender development.
• Strong leadership experience managing multi-layered operational teams across a national footprint.
• Evidence of delivering operational improvement, process standardisation and high-quality service performance.

Technical Knowledge

• Strong understanding of waste and recycling operations, sustainability drivers and sector legislation.
• Robust knowledge of environmental and H&S compliance requirements.
• Commercial literacy including pricing, margin management, forecasting and contract governance.

Skills & Behaviours

• Strategic thinker with excellent analytical and decision-making skills.
• Strong leadership presence with the ability to influence at all organisational levels.
• Highly commercial, financially astute and data-driven.
• Excellent relationship-builder with strong collaboration skills, especially in matrix environments.
• Resilient, proactive and solutions-oriented, able to balance strategic priorities with operational realities.
• High integrity with a commitment to safety and continuous improvement.

BH35888