Operations Director

Exclusive Mandate via Motiva Recruitment

Motiva Recruitment is partnering with a high-growth, technology-enabled healthcare organisation to appoint a UK Operations Director to lead and scale a complex, high-throughput, regulated fulfilment operation.

This is a board-facing, enterprise level leadership appointment with full P&L accountability for the UK site. The successful candidate will bring proven experience operating at Director/GM level, with a track record of scaling live logistics environments beyond 10,000 orders per day while leading teams of 100+ across both high-growth scale-ups and mature operational settings.

The UK Operations Director will assume end-to-end responsibility for a high-volume distribution and fulfilment centre engineered to support 35,000+ orders per day.

The core brief is clear:

• Stabilise and optimise a live 10k+ orders/day operation.
• Architect the systems, structure, and automation required to scale materially beyond current volumes.
• Lead a workforce of 100+ employees through disciplined growth.
• Embed robust operational governance, compliance, and performance management.
• Deliver sustainable improvements in throughput, cost per order, accuracy, and SLA adherence.

This is a “four walls” leadership role encompassing operational strategy, execution, people, technology, facilities, compliance, and logistics partnerships.

Success will be measured through scalable performance: higher volumes, lower error rates, improved productivity, strong employee engagement, and operational resilience under peak pressure.

This is a full-time, UK-based, on-site position.

• Full operational ownership of receiving, processing, verification, packing, and outbound distribution.
• Define and execute the roadmap from current volumes to 20k+ and 35k+ orders per day.
• Implement structured KPI governance across throughput, quality, labour efficiency, cost per order, and service performance.
• Ensure cold chain integrity, physical security, and stock control meet the standards required for high value regulated inventory.
• Build contingency frameworks for peak demand, operational risk, and volume volatility.

• Direct and develop a workforce exceeding 100 employees in a fast-paced, multi-shift environment.
• Build a strong layer of operational leadership beneath you (managers, supervisors, shift leads).
• Establish disciplined operating rhythms, clear accountability structures, and performance management frameworks.
• Lead workforce planning aligned to volume forecasts and automation strategy.
• Foster a culture of high standards, pace, candour, and operational excellence.

Candidates must demonstrate significant experience managing large operational teams within logistics, warehousing, or fulfilment environments.

• Redesign layouts and workflows to optimise flow and eliminate friction points.
• Map end-to-end processes and rebalance stations to maximise throughput.
• Introduce structured scale-up phases that maintain control and compliance.
• Create scalable SOPs and operating playbooks suitable for multi-site replication.
• Apply data-led decision-making to remove bottlenecks before they impact service.

Experience scaling live distribution environments beyond 10,000 daily orders is essential.

• Evaluate and implement robotics and automation solutions with clear commercial ROI.
• Integrate technology across picking, verification, packing, and cold-chain handling where appropriate.
• Balance innovation with operational reliability whilst prioritising stability over experimentation.
• Lead vendor selection, commissioning, and change management for automation initiatives.
• Ensure automation reduces manual load, error rates, and unit cost sustainably.

Hands‑on experience implementing warehouse automation or robotics in complex environments is highly desirable.

• Own outbound carrier performance and SLA management.
• Build resilient partnerships with parcel carriers and 3PL providers.
• Develop peak and contingency planning frameworks.
• Improve first‑attempt delivery success and exception…