Operations Director

Operations Director

Somerset

Highly Competitive Salary

 

Somerset Larder produces fresh food and meals to go using locally sourced ingredients from all over the west country. Our philosophy is to nourish the community with amazing produce, to employ local people and to train apprentices for future careers in the catering and hospitality sector.

We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Operations Director to lead and integrate a diverse portfolio of services, including logistics, facilities, projects, catering, and culinary operations.

This is a senior leadership role with full accountability for operational performance, commercial outcomes, and service excellence. You will play a critical role in shaping and delivering strategy, while ensuring seamless alignment between operational infrastructure and culinary delivery.

The successful candidate will bring strong commercial acumen, proven leadership of multi-disciplinary teams, and the ability to operate effectively within complex, client-driven environments.

As Operations Director, you will lead the end-to-end delivery of all operational services, ensuring they are efficient, compliant, and aligned to business objectives. You will be responsible for driving profitability, enhancing performance, and delivering exceptional client and customer outcomes.

A key focus of the role is the integrated leadership of both operational and culinary functions, ensuring effective collaboration between logistics, production, and service delivery to achieve a best-in-class catering operation.

Person Specification

• Proven experience operating at senior leadership or Director level within a complex operational environment
• Demonstrated ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams, including both operational and culinary/food production functions
• Strong commercial acumen with a track record of delivering financial and operational performance
• Strategic thinker with the ability to translate vision into effective execution
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence at all levels
• Significant senior leadership experience in operations within catering, hospitality, facilities, or a related sector
• Strong knowledge of Health & Safety and Food Safety regulations within a catering or similar environment
• Experience leading integrated operations across logistics, facilities, and service delivery functions
• Experience delivering mobilisation, transformation, and continuous improvement programmes
• Strong IT and systems capability, including operational and asset management systems

Desirable

• Relevant leadership or management qualification (e.g. ILM Level 5+ or equivalent)
• Advanced Health & Safety qualification
• Experience in large-scale contract catering or similar industries
• Experience of the design and compliance of new catering facilities

Somerset Larder Values:

• Togetherness – Collaborate and support one another
• Nurture – Develop people and capability
• Pride – Deliver excellence in everything we do
• Planet – Operate responsibly and sustainably