Interim Head of Operations

Job title: Interim Head of Operations

Contract: Six months

Location: East Midlands, ON-SITE

Sector: High Tech Manufacturing

Day rate: up to £450 per day

Start: as soon as possible

Can you take control of a complex £25m UK manufacturing operation in month one?Can you keep operational strength while change is underway?

An Overview

In month one your job is to steady a £25m UK operation. Be on site, walk the lines, meet the team leads and find the bottlenecks. Fix the daily plan and make sure people follow it. Put a 9 am stand-up on the shop floor with yesterday’s output, today’s plan, shortages, quality issues and who owns each fix. Lock the weekly plan every Thursday so change is the exception not the norm. Clean up the data in D365 so the numbers match what is happening on the floor, then build a single page view that shows safety, output, right first time, overdue jobs and stoppages. Sit with planning, engineering, service and logistics each day to clear blockers fast and protect customer deliveries.

What you will own

• Day to day operational leadership across production, service and logistics with a clear line of sight to safety, quality and on time delivery
• A short, sharp drumbeat of KPIs and stand ups for productivity, OEE, quality and right first time
• ERP discipline and reporting. Make D365 and BI useful again with clean dashboards and month end facts
• People leadership. Set standards, coach managers and remove waste to lift planning and labour efficiency
• Senior customer interface with regular line of business reviews that protect delivery and reputation

What good looks like in 60 to 90 days

• Daily and weekly routines in place and followed without chasing
• D365 reporting with a one page view leaders trust
• OEE and right first time moving in the right direction
• Teams clear on priorities with named owners
• A smooth handover plan ready for the permanent hire in early 2026.

What you bring

• A track record running complex operations in an advanced engineering production environment
• You take control quickly, simplify and deliver measurable results under pressure
• Strong people leadership over 3 managers / 18 staff with a visible presence on the floor
• Solid ERP background. D365 experience is a real advantage
• Experience of factory or machinery moves is helpful
• You can start quickly and be on site the majority of the week

Why this assignment

You will make a visible difference fast. This is not a desk job. You will steady the operation, rebuild reporting and leave a better rhythm behind.

How to apply

Apply with your CV, day rate and availability. A two stage process will run at pace. First a video interview then face to face.