Head of Operations

Head of Operations

Location: Welham Green, Hertfordshire

Reports To: Managing Director

The Opportunity

Davall Gears is a precision engineering and manufacturing business undergoing a significant operational transformation. We are seeking an ambitious, hands-on Head of Operations to lead the next phase of our growth and performance improvement journey.

This is a leadership role for an individual with a strong background in engineering and machining who thrives on improving operational performance, developing high-performing teams, and implementing world-class manufacturing practices.

The successful candidate will lead the site's manufacturing operations with responsibility for Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, Inventory and People (SQDCIP), whilst building a culture of ownership, accountability and continuous improvement.

We are looking for a leader who creates results through action, accountability and execution. Someone who consistently delivers on commitments, drives ownership throughout the organisation, and has a proven track record of turning improvement plans into measurable business outcomes. This individual will lead from the front, build credibility through action rather than words, and establish a high-performance culture focused on delivering results for our customers, our people and the business.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership:

• Lead all manufacturing operations to achieve safety, quality, delivery and profitability objectives.
• Drive daily operating rhythm through visual management and tiered accountability.
• Create a high-performance culture with clear ownership and accountability.
• Develop and mentor operational leaders and succession plans.

SQDCIP Excellence:

• Own site SQDCIP performance.
• Drive KPI management and problem solving.
• Lead root cause and corrective action processes.
• Ensure performance is visible, measured and sustained.

Continuous Improvement:

• Champion Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement.
• Lead value stream improvement activities.
• Reduce waste, improve productivity and increase capacity.
• Implement standard work, visual management and problem-solving disciplines.

Delivery and Planning:

• Improve OTD / OTIF performance.
• Reduce arrears and past-due orders.
• Improve production flow and schedule adherence.
• Drive capacity planning and execution.

Cost and Inventory:

• Reduce operational costs.
• Improve labour productivity and machine utilisation.
• Drive inventory reduction and WIP control.
• Improve working capital performance.

Engineering and Manufacturing Leadership:

• Provide strong technical leadership across machining and manufacturing processes.
• Challenge current methods and introduce best practice.
• Work closely with Engineering, Quality, Maintenance and Supply Chain functions.

Ideal Candidate

Essential:

• Proven manufacturing leadership experience.
• Strong precision engineering and machining background.
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary teams.
• Demonstrable SQDCIP leadership.
• Strong say-do culture.
• Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement expertise.
• Strong understanding of production planning, capacity management and operational KPIs.
• Track record of improving OTD, productivity, quality and cost.
• Strong people leadership and coaching capability.

Highly Desirable:

• Aerospace, defence, industrial or complex manufacturing experience.
• Experience of turnaround, transformation or operational improvement programmes.
• Knowledge of value stream management.
• Experience introducing visual management and daily accountability processes.