Director of Operations
Overview
A rapidly growing, family-owned food processing business with multiple production sites in County Cork is seeking to appoint a Head of Operations. The business supplies leading retail customers in Ireland and internationally and continues to scale its operations following recent investment in production capacity.
This is a senior leadership role with responsibility for driving operational performance, supporting long-term growth, and ensuring consistently high standards across all sites.
The Role
Reporting to the owners, the Director of Operations will provide strategic and hands-on leadership across a multi-site production network. The role has full accountability for operational excellence, capacity planning, and cost control while developing strong management capability throughout the organisation.
Key responsibilities include:
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Leading day-to-day operations across multiple fresh and frozen production lines, ensuring quality, efficiency, and delivery targets are met.
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Managing and developing a large operational workforce through a team of supervisors and managers.
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Driving operational planning, performance management, and budget control.
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Contributing to long-term strategy, including capacity expansion, process improvement, and major capital projects.
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Identifying and delivering continuous improvement and cost reduction initiatives across production, procurement, and workflows.
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Ensuring full compliance with food safety, quality, health & safety, and regulatory standards.
Requirements
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Minimum 15 years' experience in a manufacturing environment, ideally within food processing supplying Irish or UK retail customers.
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Significant senior leadership experience in multi-site or complex operations.
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Strong technical understanding of production equipment, maintenance planning, and asset development.
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Proven experience operating under BRC or equivalent food safety standards.
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Experience with ERP systems and continuous improvement methodologies (e.g. Lean, Six Sigma).
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A track record of leading change, building high-performing teams, and scaling operations in a growing business.
