Operations Manager at Robert Walters

Salary: £70,000 - £80,000 per annum (+ bonus and benefits)

Location: Rochdale

As Operations Manager you will be at the heart of day-to-day operations within a respected manufacturing business that has a global customer base. Your role will involve guiding teams through collaborative scheduling, recruitment efforts, performance reviews, and personal development initiatives. You will oversee the implementation of operational plans that align with strategic objectives, ensuring seamless integration of new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence into existing systems. Monitoring daily performance metrics will be crucial as you identify areas for improvement in order intake or dispatch processes. Acting as both advocate for customers and employees alike, you will continuously seek ways to elevate service standards while fostering an inclusive work environment. Enhancing production processes via ERP systems will be central to your responsibilities; you’ll also lead reporting efforts aimed at uncovering opportunities for improvement. Building robust relationships with stakeholders and suppliers will enable you to secure mutually beneficial outcomes that drive business growth, while liaising with senior leaders on product delivery initiatives ensures alignment between customer needs and organisational goals. Your support in preparing board-level reports will provide critical insights into business progress while your optimisation of stock holding strategies contributes directly to efficient resource management.

What you bring:

Your proven experience as Operations Manager should be within engineering or manufacturing environments, ideally with a focus on NPI and NPD improvements. You’ll bring exceptional interpersonal skills that allow you to communicate effectively across diverse teams from shop floor staff through senior management, ensuring everyone feels valued in their contributions. Your analytical mindset will enable you to interpret complex data sets for board-level reporting while your passion for continuous improvement drives positive change throughout the organisation. As someone who thrives on nurturing talent within teams, your empathetic leadership style should foster trust among colleagues while maintaining rigorous standards for quality output. Your attention to detail ensures every project is meticulously planned; meanwhile your ability to coordinate multiple tasks simultaneously means deadlines are consistently met without compromising on results. Above all else, your commitment to building collaborative relationships will ensure long-term success not only for yourself but also for those around you.

• Significant experience managing people and technology within a manufacturing environment where you have demonstrated responsibility for operational outcomes.
• Superior understanding of technology platforms and systems enabling you to function as principal contact for all technological matters internally as well as with external suppliers.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills allowing you to convey complex information clearly across all levels of the organisation.
• Proven ability to create detailed reports suitable for presentation at board level; your analytical skills ensure data-driven decision making is always informed by accurate insights.
• Passion for continuous improvement reflected in your track record of implementing process enhancements that benefit both people and productivity.
• Intense sense of responsibility towards your work coupled with empathy for those you lead; your nurturing approach supports team development while maintaining high standards.
• Strong coaching, mentoring, and coordination abilities enabling you to multi-task effectively while making focused decisions even under challenging circumstances.
• Attention to detail supported by logical reasoning; your organisational skills ensure projects run smoothly from inception through completion.
• Experience optimising stock holding strategies or managing ‘make or buy’ decisions within a manufacturing context is highly desirable.
• Ability to build collaborative relationships with stakeholders to achieve shared objectives.