Director of Business and Operations

Operational Excellence Manager Our client is an award-winning, market-leading manufacturer and distributor serving customers across the UK and Ireland. Operating from a modern manufacturing and distribution facility, the business is recognised for its quality, innovation and exceptional customer service. This is a senior leadership role with end to end ownership of quality and customer experience, focused on right first time delivery, reduction of cost of poor quality, and continuous improvement across manufacturing and distribution. The Operational Excellence Manager ensures that customer issues are owned, analysed, resolved, and prevented from recurring. The role retains governance of Quality and appropriate oversight of Health, Safety and Environmental systems, while prioritising business improvement, problem solving and customer impact over administration. The Job: Customer Quality & Experience Own all major customer quality issues and complaints end to end. Lead containment, investigation, root cause analysis, corrective and preventive actions (CAPA). Lead CI / Lean projects to reduce defects, waste, rework and cost of poor quality. Quality Management Develop, maintain and continually improve the Quality Management System (ISO 9001). Ensure product and process quality across manufacturing and distribution. Manage non-conformances, deviations and quality risks. Promote a strong safety culture and ensure legal and standards compliance. Oversee incident investigation and risk mitigation. Support sustainability initiatives (waste, energy, environmental compliance). (Supplier Quality Own Supplier Quality Assurance framework. Work with Procurement to reduce supplier related quality risk. Reporting & Leadership Define and report key metrics (customer complaints, defects, cost of quality, CI progress). Provide clear insight to senior leadership on risks, trends and improvements. Act as a visible leader and role model for quality, accountability and improvement. Education & Qualifications Degree (or equivalent experience) in Quality, Engineering, Manufacturing or Business. Formal training in ISO 9001 / Quality Management Systems. Continuous Improvement / problem-solving training (Lean, Six Sigma or equivalent). Experience 5+ years in a senior quality, operational excellence or CI role within manufacturing or distribution. Proven experience owning major customer quality issues and complaints end-to-end. Demonstrated delivery of measurable quality and cost improvements. Knowledge & Skills Deep understanding of Quality Management Systems and audits. Strong data analysis and reporting capability. If you are interested in this position, then please send your CV using the appropriate method, or contact our office for a confidential discussion. Skills: operational excellence business excellence Quality Management Continuous Improvement