Operations Manager

Job Title: Operations Manager

Salary: Competitive, benchmarked to the role and confirmed at interview

Location: West Midlands, UK (onsite, floor-based)

You have led a team, kept production moving, and made the calls that keep a line running when things go wrong. Now you are ready for the title to match. This is a genuine first step into an Operations Manager role, with real scope and a direct line into how the business is run day to day.

Why this role

This company has grown fast on the back of a small number of people carrying broad, overlapping responsibility. This role exists because that has to change. It is a deliberate shift: a hands-on Operations Manager who takes full ownership of daily production and supply, so decisions get made on the floor rather than escalated upward. That frees the Head of Global Operations to focus on strategy and international growth, not day-to-day firefighting. It is a role built around real trust and real responsibility from day one.

What you''ll do

You will take tactical ownership of daily production output, floor-level decisions, and coordination across production, planning and supply. You will lead and develop four direct reports, covering production planning and inventory, production engineering, the production team, and quality, making sure each has clear focus and proper support. You will own the weekly production planning cycle and drive the data discipline behind it, keeping the ERP system accurate through daily component consumption and same-day order completion. You will resolve issues at the floor level, work closely with purchasing on component coverage, and keep sight of the export logistics behind shipments to European and US markets. You will report weekly on production performance and risk, and drive continuous improvement across the operation.

About the company

This is a fast-growing, direct-to-consumer vehicle manufacturer, based in the West Midlands, with a small international team and showrooms across the UK and the US. Around five years into full production, it exports to multiple markets and is scaling its operational structure to match its growth. Processes are established but still evolving, and the culture rewards people who get stuck in rather than manage from a distance.

About you

You have two to four years'' experience in a supervisory, team leader or production and operations role, and you are ready to step up. You are hands-on by instinct, comfortable on the floor daily and making real-time calls. Experience with an ERP or MRP system, ideally Business Central, is required or strongly preferred, and exposure to export or international logistics is an advantage. You will have worked across both production and inventory or supply chain, not just one, and you communicate clearly and confidently across engineering, quality and production teams.

Rewards & growth

This role carries genuine scope to grow as the business scales, equity from day one, including the potential to build out your own team as volume increases. You will have a direct line into how decisions get made at the top, and the chance to shape how this operation runs as it grows internationally.