Engineering & Operations Director in Broadstone

Job Description

Operations & Engineering Director\nPoole, Dorset\nOperations & Engineering Director salary: £100,000 – £125,000\n\nPlease note: only applicants with the full-time, permanent right to work in the UK will be considered.\n\nOperations & Engineering Director Overview:\n\nLead Engineering and Operations with a strong focus on people, structure and accountability\nBring whole-product engineering leadership across NPI, lifecycle support, quality and compliance\nImprove prioritisation, delivery pace and project ownership across technical and operational teams\nStrengthen manufacturing, supply chain, quality and operational performance through better governance\nJoin the senior leadership team with planned progression toward Board-level responsibilityThis Operations & Engineering Director role reports directly to the Managing Director and is a strategically important senior leadership position within a growing, regulated manufacturing business in Poole. The Operations & Engineering Director will lead the integration of Engineering and Operations, bringing stronger structure, clearer ownership and better execution across product development, manufacturing, supply chain, quality, compliance and technical support. This is not just a technical role: the biggest priority is visible people leadership, coaching capability and the ability to bring organisation, urgency and accountability to talented teams that need stronger direction.\n\nThe Operations & Engineering Director role\n\n As Operations & Engineering Director, you’ll lead several senior reports across Engineering, Operations, Technical Support and potentially one other business function.

The role needs someone who can operate at Director level with real technical credibility, particularly around whole-product design, product development and engineering-led problem solving.\n\nThe business needs an Operations & Engineering Director who can improve how priorities are managed, how projects are tracked, and how teams communicate progress. There is plenty of capability already in the business, but the next step is better structure, stronger follow-through and more consistent accountability from concept through to production, delivery and lifecycle support.\n\n This Operations & Engineering Director position would suit someone from an SME or mid-sized manufacturing background who is used to owning the whole product and process, not just one narrow function. You’ll need to be commercially aware, technically strong, approachable and able to drive change in a way that earns buy-in from the team, rather than creating resistance.\n\nDay-to-day responsibilities of an Operations & Engineering Director\n\nLead and develop Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Quality, Compliance and Technical Support functions\nCoach and support senior managers, improving leadership capability, team structure and day-to-day accountability\nBring stronger prioritisation and project control across multiple engineering and operational workstreams\nEnsure key projects are tracked properly from start to finish, with clear owners, dates and escalation points\nStrengthen whole-product engineering capability across NPI, product development, lifecycle support and design improvements\nImprove integration between Engineering and Manufacturing so products are designed, transferred and built more effectively\nSupport technical decision-making around product design, manufacturability, compliance, quality and customer requirements\nImprove operational performance across OTIF, quality, inventory, manufacturing efficiency, cost control and engineering responsiveness\nLead continuous improvement across systems, processes and ways of working, including ERP/SAP improvements where relevant\nEnsure quality, compliance and regulatory requirements are embedded into engineering and operational decisions\nImprove right-first-time delivery by strengthening attention to detail around BOMs, handovers, rework, redesign and technical documentation\nBuild stronger governance around KPIs, reporting, capacity, project status, actions and operational risk\nWork closely with Sales, Service, Finance, HR and Business Systems to align technical delivery with wider business priorities\nSupport customer, supplier, auditor and partner discussions where senior technical or operational input is needed\nContribute to long-term business strategy as part of the senior leadership team, with progression toward Board-level responsibilityWhat they’re looking for - Operations & Engineering Director\n\nSenior leadership experience across Engineering and Operations within an SME or mid-sized manufacturing business\nStrong whole-product engineering background, with credibility across design, development, manufacturing and lifecycle support\nProven people leadership skills, including coaching senior managers, improving accountability and handling underperformance\nExperience bringing structure to technical and operational teams where prioritisation, planning or follow-through needs improvement\nAble to manage multiple projects and functions at once without losing sight of deadlines, risks and business priorities\nStrong understanding of regulated manufacturing, quality systems, compliance and product governance\nCommercial awareness and ability to balance innovation, quality, compliance, cost and customer delivery\nPersonable, approachable leadership style with the confidence to challenge constructively and build trust\nDegree-level background in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations or a related discipline, or equivalent senior-level experienceDesirable - Operations & Engineering Director\n\nERP/MRP improvement experience, ideally including SAP Business One or similar\nLean, Six Sigma or structured operational improvement qualifications\nMBA or recognised business qualification\nExperience working with Board members, investors or senior external stakeholders \n\n What’s on offer - Operations & Engineering Director\n\n Operations & Engineering Director salary: £100,000 – £125,000\n\n A senior leadership role with real scope to shape Engineering and Operations at executive level, not just maintain existing systems.\nAlso the potential to influence at Board level as the business continues to develop.\n\nA business with strong technical products, ambitious growth plans and a clear need for the Operations & Engineering Director to bring structure, pace and leadership impact.\n\nHow to apply for the Operations & Engineering Director position\n\n If you’re interested in this Operations & Engineering Director role, get in touch to talk through the opportunity and leadership scope.\n\nCall or message Hayden at Holt Engineering on (phone number removed)