Head of Operations
Indexed description
Head of Operations
Location: On site at Birdham, near Chichester, with some travel if required to Bristows at our Crediton site in Devon
Montezuma’s Chocolates is a proudly British chocolate brand known for bold flavours, ethical sourcing, and doing things differently. From exciting product innovation, we combine creativity with commercial discipline to deliver chocolate, that creates our loyal following.
As we enter an exciting new phase of growth across D2C, brand collaborations and retail, we are looking for a Head of Operations to lead our operational capability, ensuring we scale up and deliver excellence without compromising on quality or values.
The Role
As Head of Operations, you will have end‑to‑end responsibility for Montezuma’s operational performance and act as the main point of contact at the Birdham site.
This is a senior leadership role, reporting to the Board, and is central to the future of the business, combining commercial strategic thinking with hands‑on operational, people focussed leadership. You will work with the other Senior leaders, challenging and supporting them to deliver our products efficiently, safely, and to the highest standards.
Key responsibilities:
- Oversee the full manufacturing operation including Planning, Production, Technical, Packing, Logistics, supply chain and Engineering
- Support with any Operational needs at our Bristows site if and when required
- Own the operational strategy, KPI’s and performance reporting
- Drive efficiency, continuous improvement and cost optimisation without compromising quality
- Ensure compliance with all food safety, quality and regulatory standards (BRC, HACCP, Soil Association etc)
- Collaborate closely with Commercial, Retail, Finance, NPD and Marketing to support growth and delivery
- Lead, inspire and develop the Operational teams
- Support capacity planning, forecasting and long term scalability initiatives
- Management of engineering, maintenance, and contractors
- Ensure Health & Safety and Quality compliance and standards are met at all times
- Oversee the achievement of required audits and certification
About You
- Brand-first thinker. You care deeply about how our products look, feel, and land and how they are produced
- You instinctively understand what works (and what doesn’t)
- Commercially aware. You know what drives growth and how to operationally execute this
- Creative and proactive. You bring ideas and solutions, not just being reactive
- Hands-on. Happy to both think big and get stuck in
- Strong communicator with a collaborative mindset
- A genuine team player – you enjoy working as a team and being around people
- Strong leadership qualities that inspire and bring people on board with you
- Experience of operations management within a food manufacturing environment with technical understanding
- Experience of working within a BRC manufacturing environment would be advantageous
- Understanding and experience of working in an SME and the challenges that exist
Why Join Montezuma’s?
- Be part of an ambitious growth journey
- Work in a creative, fast-moving, and entrepreneurial environment
- Have real ownership and impact from day one
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