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Explore our vision: Incredible, effortless recruitment
£80k-£120k
Typical base salary
12 wks
Replacement guarantee
Strategic and operational
They set direction and can still fix this quarter. Look for both, since many have only one.
P&L and cost ownership
Ask what operational cost or margin they owned and improved.
Leadership at scale
They lead managers, not machines. Probe how they've built and led a leadership team.
How to run the hire
1. Agree the mandate
Decide what the Director must deliver - efficiency, growth, transformation - and the measures.
2. Match the scale
Target people who've operated at your size, since the job differs hugely by scale.
3. Source through networks
Senior operations leaders come from introductions and headhunting.
4. Use a strategy presentation
Have the shortlist present an operations plan for your business.
5. Reference deeply
Confirm delivery, cost impact and how they led their teams.
Fees typically run 20-25% of first-year salary, capped and agreed upfront.
Nothing is due until your hire starts, and for the most senior briefs we can discuss a retained approach.
Around 8-14 weeks.
Scope clarity is the biggest driver - the more precisely you define the mandate, the faster and cleaner the search.
An Operations Director owns the operational strategy and performance of the business - sites, production, cost, quality and the management team.
They sit on the leadership team and are accountable for how efficiently the business delivers.
Yes. A Director sets strategy and owns the operation at board level; a Manager runs the day to day.
The Director leads the managers, so we search for a very different calibre of candidate.
Try: Tell me about an operational transformation you led.
What operational cost or margin have you owned?
How do you build a strong leadership team? and What would you do first in our business?
Yes. We handle discreet and replacement searches at Director level regularly, approaching candidates directly rather than advertising.
Tell us about your role and a specialist engineering recruiter will call you. No fee until your hire starts.
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