Head of Operations

Hydro Group manufactures bespoke subsea cable and connector assembly engineering for the oil and gas, marine renewable energy and defence industries.

We are certified to ISO 9001 and 14001:2015 to design and manufacture subsea electrical and optical connectors, electrical pressure hull penetrators, associated subsea electrical cable terminations, installation of electrical and optical connectors, specialist underwater and harsh environment electrical and optical composite cables, tethers and umbilicals. Our products are precision-engineered to withstand the harshest environmental conditions.

Objectives / Scope

To define and implement strategy to deliver all department and associated business objectives: 

• Maintain operational performance ensuring the business unit is operating within agreed margins and that financial, production performance, deliveries are met On Time and In Full (OTIF), within clients’ requirements and to agreed quality standards.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement across all operational functions by implementing structured CI methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma), identifying and eliminating inefficiencies, and fostering cross-functional collaboration. Ensure measurable improvements in productivity, cost-efficiency, and process quality, with a goal of achieving year-on-year operational performance gains.
• Develop, implement and manage business wide capacity planning system, ensuring that all schedules are aligned, within defined capability and adequately reflect site capability with realistic lead times.
• Ensure the people strategy is in place to identify and action the correct level of trained resource available to deliver against business needs, whilst keeping overtime to a minimum.

Main Responsibilities

GENERAL

• Ensure the group maintains product quality to ISO 9001, environmental standards to ISO 14001, Health and Safety methods to ISO 18001.
• Ensure reporting takes place for all accidents, incidents, near misses or unsafe situations via immediate line manager or member of the senior management team.
• Ensure all personnel work to the required procedures and processes to meet the company target of zero LTI’s. This includes all on-site visitors, clients, staff, etc.
• Ensure that agreed training and operating plans are in place and adhered to within the department.
• Ensure all non-conformance's are actioned in a timely manner, with appropriate corrective actions in place.

SUPPLY CHAIN

• Develop and manage operational strategy for business.
• Ensure that the optimal strategic stock level is in place with robust management in line with forecast plan.
• Engage with the supply chain team to identify and implement strategic stock holding with required vendors, minimising work in progress (WIP) and stock holding to improve business cost efficiency.
• Continually review historic production performance and identify optimal stock holding levels with associated lead times. 

FINANCIAL

• Provide financial interface, ensuring that appropriate focus is in place on margins and actions to improve return on sales (ROS). 
• Develop and implement operational and financial objectives and cascade throughout the operations team. Monitor and report performance, ensuring improvement plans are in place for off-target performance.
• Ensure that review of planned vs actual takes place and that lessons learned are implemented to improve business performance.
• Ensure appropriate meetings, actions and reporting structure is in place to maintain performance focus throughout the operations team.
• Monitor payment and invoice management to reduce Work in Progress (WIP) to a minimum. 

DEPARTMENTAL REPORTING

• Operational Department performance reporting.
• Introduce controls and measures to effectively measure and manage the performance of the department. Develop and maintain internal Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) aligned to the business strategy and demonstrate an improving trend.
• Collate and maintain financial, quality and operational performance reporting.
• Manage all budgets - opex and capex - within agreed values and timescales. 

CAPACITY PLANNING & CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

• Oversee and manage client deliverables for the business.
• Develop and maintain the overall master programme aligned to internal production capacity and capability.
• Ensure robust interface is in place with the sales, engineering and operations team and that the overall programme is aligned to business capacity and capability.
• Ensure all commitments are delivered in line with business process and systems. Monitor Group performance against defined process and interface with department heads or individuals to resolve non-conformance in a timely manner.
• Report on product delivery performance: risk, quality, finance and time, modelling alternative scenarios and countermeasures to mitigate or correct under-performance.
• Design, implement, and own a company-wide continuous improvement strategy aligned with operational goals and business objectives.
• Introduce and embed structured improvement frameworks such as Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and 5S to drive efficiency and eliminate waste.
• Lead lessons learned events and ensure improvements are identified and implemented in subsequent projects.

BUSINESS TECHNICAL DILIGENCE

• Ensure from an operational perspective quotations, specifications and designs are fully aligned to business strategy and capability, as the focal point for company collaboration.
• Oversee the technical interface for all pre-production activities and ensure that the required due diligence is in place for all designs prior to order acknowledgement.
• Mange robust interfaces, meeting schedules and reporting to ensure that the production plan is up to date and accurate, whether day to day or longer term.
• Engage with the Sales and Engineering teams to ensure all deliverables are to the agreed standard, time frame and handover criteria. 

BUSINESS COHESION

• Co-ordinate, manage and monitor cross department functions to ensure alignment in all areas and high standards are maintained throughout.
• Work with the supply chain team to ensure that all external deliverables and manufactured items are delivered to specification and in line with the required project schedule.
• Ensure a primary point of contact for the sales team is in place for client updates, communication, reporting and co-ordinating any required resolution of issues.
• Develop robust communication lines for timely upwards and downwards communication and information within the business, as soon as it is available.

CULTURE

• Assist with and promote a continual improvement culture within the department, including 5s.
• Develop and improve standards of production efficiency, costs controls, product quality and customer service.
• Support team members in building a positive approach to work and encourage team member participation in anticipatory proactive problem solving.
• Record and monitor production performance and drive reduction in non-productive time (equipment and labour).

ANY OTHER APPROPRIATE TASKS THAT MAY BE REQUIRED TO SUPPORT THE WIDER BUSINESS

Skills

• Good communication skills and effective team player. 
• Computer literate and proficient with Microsoft office. 
• Ability to maintain an effective customer relationship. 
• Stakeholder management. 
• Excellent organisation skills with an ability to develop creative solutions to problems. 
• Ability to lead, motivate and develop a diverse team of staff. 
• Ability to work under pressure and on own initiative.