Operations Director

Context of the Position

Plextek is seeking an Operations Director to be a critical part of the cultural changes that are sought in driving the company’s diversification along with its growth and profitability.

The new Operations Director will play a crucial role in implementing these changes, ensuring that Plextek remains competitive and innovative in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

Reporting to the CEO, this role is part of the senior management team, with overall responsibility for the engineering and project management functions, as well as IT and quality, encompassing the majority of the company’s personnel.

The Operations Director will be fundamental to the success of the company’s growth and diversification efforts, driving cultural and operational changes to achieve the company’s ambitions.

Working closely with the CTO and Sales teams, the Operations Director will support the strategic roadmap for new technologies and their commercialisation within new markets.

A significant focus will be on IP creation and exploitation as well as the day-to-day operations of an established fees-for-time technical consultancy.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate a track record of:

• Proven experience in senior engineering roles, having managed a team of at least 30, with ideally a minimum of 5 years working in a consultancy environment at some point in their career.
• Leading change management to realign an established company with ambitious strategic goals.
• Providing strong leadership and direction, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and personal development.
• Identifying opportunities for process improvement and implementing best practices and innovative solutions to drive operational excellence, efficiency, and quality.
• Possessing strong business acumen to make informed decisions, manage budgets, and facilitate further strategic opportunities for growth and expansion.
• Cultivating strong relationships and enabling collaboration and effective teamwork across functions.
• Overseeing project portfolio management, including project execution, budgets, and quality standards.
• Managing resources, including utilisation, productivity, and associated metrics.
• Routinely interacting with clients to support sales efforts.

This is a pivotal role for Plextek, requiring a dynamic and experienced leader to guide the company through its next phase of growth and transformation.

Key Responsibilities

• Contribute fully as a key member of the Management Team
• Drive wide-ranging cultural changes to enable Plextek to rapidly meet its ambitious growth and diversification targets
• Collaborate with other department heads and senior management to align project objectives with strategic business goals and foster a highly collaborative and dynamic environment.
• Lead and manage all aspects of operational delivery to ensure timely project delivery and high-quality outcomes, including the development and implementation of project schedules, resource allocation plans, and budget management.
• Monitor and report on the progress of projects.
• Conduct regular reviews and audits of project outcomes against initial specifications and quality standards to drive improvements in future projects.
• Promote a high-performance and ambitious culture.
• With the support of the commercial teams, develop and maintain relationships with customers.
• Promote a high-performance and ambitious culture.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2:1 Engineering first degree from a well-respected (upper quartile) institution
• Minimum 15 years’ experience in industry
• Extremely likely to have had experience working in a fees-for-service environment

Attributes

• Able to build strong and trusting relationships through open and transparent communication
• Team player with the ability to guide and mentor more junior team members
• Self-motivated and able to work under own initiative with excellent attention to detail
• Passionate and committed to delivering a high standard of work
• Resilient and always finds a way to succeed

Are you who we’re looking for? Apply now using the form, or get in touch for confidential discussion.

Your new career starts here with Plextek.