Head of Operations

Morgan McKinley is delighted to be partnering with a highly successful and well-established Irish business in the appointment of a Head of Operations & Business Transformation.

Having built a strong market position over several decades, the organisation is entering a significant phase of growth and expansion. With ambitious plans for the future, the business is investing in its people, infrastructure, systems and operational capabilities to support its next stage of development.

As part of this investment, a brand-new Head of Operations & Business Transformation position has been created. This is a strategically important appointment, offering the successful candidate the opportunity to take ownership of a large-scale, multi-site operation and play a fundamental role in shaping the organisation's future.

Leading an operational workforce of approximately 175 employees, the successful candidate will have responsibility for operational performance, financial management, workforce planning, health and safety, compliance and business transformation.

The business is looking for an ambitious, commercially astute and forward-thinking leader who can combine strong operational management with a genuine passion for innovation, technology and continuous improvement.

A key focus will be transforming how the organisation operates through improved systems, automation, data analytics and emerging AI technologies, while building scalable processes and high-performing teams to support continued business growth.

This is an exceptional opportunity to join an established organisation at a pivotal point in its journey, with the autonomy and senior leadership backing to shape its operational strategy, lead meaningful transformation and make a lasting commercial impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Operational Leadership: Take full accountability for operational performance across multiple sites, ensuring efficient, safe and commercially effective operations.

• Financial & Budget Management: Own the operational and wages budgets, including forecasting, financial reporting, variance analysis and cost optimisation. Identify opportunities to improve efficiency without compromising service or operational standards.

• Workforce & Headcount Planning: Develop workforce plans aligned with sales forecasts, business volumes and growth projections. Optimise labour deployment, productivity, shift patterns and resource requirements across all locations.

• Health & Safety: Hold senior responsibility for health and safety compliance across the organisation, ensuring appropriate policies, risk assessments, training, audits and safety procedures are maintained.

• Compliance & Quality: Oversee relevant operational compliance and quality standards, ensuring robust processes, regulatory requirements and audit standards are consistently achieved.

• Operational Performance: Establish and monitor KPIs across productivity, service levels, labour efficiency, order fulfilment and operational costs. Identify performance gaps and implement effective corrective actions.

• Business Transformation & Technology: Develop and deliver a strategic transformation roadmap, identifying opportunities to improve processes through automation, technology, AI and data-led decision-making.

• Continuous Improvement: Challenge existing ways of working, lead operational improvement initiatives and deliver measurable improvements in efficiency, productivity and cost performance.

• Stakeholder Management: Work closely with senior management and cross-functional teams, including Procurement, Transport, Finance, HR, Sales and IT, to ensure operational strategy supports wider business objectives.

• Leadership & Team Development: Lead and develop a large operational workforce through an established management structure, building strong leadership capability, accountability and a high-performance culture.

• Strategic Planning: Translate the organisation's growth ambitions into operational capacity plans, investment priorities and scalable processes that support future expansion.

Key Requirements

• Significant senior-level experience in operations, warehouse management or business transformation within a large, high-volume, multi-site organisation.

• Proven experience leading substantial operational teams, ideally with responsibility for 100+ employees.

• Demonstrable experience managing significant operational budgets, including wages, labour costs and financial forecasting.

• Strong background in workforce planning, headcount forecasting and resource optimisation linked to business volumes and sales performance.

• Proven track record of health and safety leadership, with a strong understanding of Irish legislation and regulatory requirements.

• Experience overseeing operational compliance and quality management. HACCP and food safety knowledge, including a relevant qualification, would be advantageous.

• Demonstrable experience leading operational transformation, process improvement and business efficiency initiatives.

• Strong understanding of automation, technology, ERP/WMS systems and the opportunities presented by AI and data analytics.

• Excellent financial and analytical capabilities, with the ability to interpret operational data and present meaningful management information.

• Experience working cross-functionally with Procurement, Transport, Logistics and wider business functions.

• Strong commercial awareness, with the ability to balance operational efficiency, customer service, cost control and business growth.

• Excellent leadership, communication and stakeholder-management skills, including experience influencing senior management.

• A third-level qualification in Operations, Supply Chain, Business or a related discipline would be advantageous. IOSH, NEBOSH or equivalent safety qualifications would also be beneficial.

The Ideal Candidate

An ambitious and commercially driven operations leader who has successfully managed complex, multi-site environments and delivered meaningful operational improvements.

You will be someone who can operate strategically while remaining close enough to the operation to understand its challenges and opportunities. A natural change leader, you will be confident challenging established practices, developing management teams and introducing new technologies to improve business performance.

Above all, you will be motivated by the opportunity to build, transform and scale an operation within an established business that has significant growth ambitions.

If you are an experienced Head of Operations or senior Operations Director looking for an opportunity to influence business strategy, lead transformation and make a genuine impact, this is an opportunity worth exploring.