Director of Operations

We are searching for a Director of Operations for our client — a well-established, founder-led consumer products business with a portfolio of much-loved licensed and own-brands.

This is a broad, senior operations role reporting directly to the CEO, with responsibility for UK and international operations, and with a focus on ensuring the scalability of these operations to meet growing demand. You'll have significant autonomy to drive change, and for the right person, there is clear potential to evolve into a COO or CEO role over the next two to three years.

Responsibilities

• Supply chain strategy and execution — sourcing, production planning, procurement, and logistics across a Far East manufacturing base and UK/European distribution
• Supplier and factory management — building and maintaining strong partnerships with manufacturing partners, improving quality, cost, and on-time delivery
• International expansion — developing new operational capability
• Inventory, warehouse, and fulfilment
• Compliance and quality assurance
• IT systems and data
• Customer service
• Team development

What You Bring

We recognise that strong candidates come from varied backgrounds — if you meet most of the criteria below and are excited by the opportunity, we’d welcome your application.

• Senior supply chain or operations experience in consumer products, FMCG, or a related manufacturing/distribution environment
• Hands-on experience managing Far East or international supplier and factory relationships
• Track record of implementing process, systems, and structure in a growing or scaling business
• Commercial mindset — you understand how operational decisions affect margin, cash, and service
• Experience with cross-functional planning processes (S&OP, demand planning, integrated business planning)
• Strong team skills — you develop capability and bring people with you

It’s an advantage if you also have

• Experience in toys, licensed goods, gifting, or adjacent consumer categories
• Exposure to developing international logistics or warehousing capability
• Change management experience, particularly if you've successfully embedded new systems and ways of working in an established organisation

We're

The company is built on acceptance, respect, and inclusion, where everyone feels that they belong and can make a meaningful contribution. They encourage applicants regardless of religion, ethnicity, nationality, disability status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family, or parental status.