Operations Director

Lees of Scotland was established in 1931, and today produces a range of products under both the Lees brand name and UK Retailers Private labels. The products include snowballs, teacakes, meringues and confectionery bars.  Operating out of an 82,000 sq ft purpose-built premises in Coatbridge, Lees is an important employer in the local area.  The Company supplies a wide range of customers from major retailers to local wholesalers predominately within the UK and by introducing new products and developing existing lines the business has grown significantly over the last 15 years.

The company is looking to make a significant appointment of an Operations Director.  This key role in the business reports directly to the Chief Executive and is responsible for setting and controlling operational targets aligned with business objectives, driving accountability and improvement.  The Operations Director has overall responsibility for over 200 employees across Production, Engineering, QA/Technical, Health and Safety and HR. It is envisaged this will become a full Board appointment after 6 months.

The Operations Director will:

• Be a strong and credible people manager, able to implement change where necessary and drive a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence
• Provide leadership to the Engineering team and prioritise key tasks including setting up improved PPM and proposing capital projects that will deliver improvements to factory performance
• Play a key role in the introduction of new products, optimisation of existing products and the identification, evaluation and introduction of new technologies
• Be financially focused working to reduce overall labour costs as % of sales, and have strong reporting and budgeting skills, with a high level of attention to detail
• Work with Supply Chain on Planning requirements and their impact on factory/labour performance
• Foster strong, influential relationships at all levels internally and externally

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a successful Scottish business and to be a key enabler of the continued growth and success of the business.

To apply, please send your CV to Ailsa Sutherland at FWB Park Brown at fwb@fwbparkbrown.com