TL;DR
An operations director job description UK should clearly set out purpose, outcomes, who the role reports to, and the scope of authority (people, process, budget) — so candidates and hiring managers align from day one.
This 2026 UK template includes core responsibilities, key KPIs, and a practical interview scorecard, plus a note on when to use a fractional COO instead of hiring full-time.
Last updated: 2026-07-16
If you’re writing an operations director job description UK, you’re usually at a tipping point: growth has outpaced the operating system. The business needs predictable delivery, fewer firefights, and clear ownership across operations.
In 2026, UK firms are under continued cost pressure (including financing costs) and can’t afford fuzzy accountability. A strong job description is one of the fastest ways to reduce mis-hires and shorten time-to-impact.
This guide gives you a practical Operations Director job description you can lift into your advert, plus guidance on structure (based on Acas templates) and what to watch for around candidate data handling (UK GDPR/ICO).
What does an Operations Director do (UK)?
An Operations Director (sometimes titled Head of Operations or Operations Lead) is accountable for turning strategy into repeatable execution. They design how work flows through the business and make sure customer promises are delivered consistently.
In most SMEs, the role sits between the MD/CEO and functional teams (production, service delivery, logistics, customer operations, quality, facilities). It typically owns cross-functional planning, continuous improvement, and operational risk.
Done well, an Operations Director reduces variability: fewer late deliveries, fewer urgent escalations, tighter cost control, and better visibility of what is really happening week to week.
Operations Director reporting line and scope (use this in your JD)
Acas suggests a job description should clearly state the role’s main duties and who the employee will report to. Use that structure for senior hires too.
- Reports to: Managing Director / CEO (or COO in larger firms)
- Direct reports: Production/Service managers, Logistics/Warehouse, Customer operations, Quality/H&S (as applicable)
- Budget: operational opex and (often) capex sign-off within agreed limits
- Decision rights: process changes, resource allocation, supplier choices within policy
- Interfaces: Sales (handover), Finance (cost and forecasting), HR (capacity and training)
Key responsibilities (job description template)
Tailor the bullets below to your industry, but keep the language outcome-focused (what success looks like), not activity-focused.
- Own operational planning and weekly performance rhythm (forecast, capacity, delivery, blockers)
- Lead continuous improvement across end-to-end processes (customer request → fulfilment → invoice)
- Build and maintain operational KPIs, dashboards, and management reporting
- Improve on-time-in-full (OTIF) and service quality; reduce rework and repeat issues
- Manage operational cost base, supplier performance, and procurement governance
- Oversee operational risk, compliance, and business continuity planning
- Develop managers: coaching, standards, accountability, and succession planning
- Partner with Sales and Finance on pricing assumptions, delivery promises, and margin protection
Essential skills and experience
- Proven experience leading multi-team operations in a scaling organisation
- Comfortable with data: can define KPIs, run performance reviews, and diagnose root causes
- Strong stakeholder management with MD/CEO and functional heads
- Clear written communication (SOPs, dashboards, decision logs)
- Track record of improving delivery, quality, cost, or customer outcomes
- Practical understanding of health & safety and operational risk (industry dependent)
KPIs for an Operations Director (examples you can include)
Choose a small set that matches your operating model. The best KPI set is one your leadership team will actually use every week.
- On-time-in-full (OTIF) / SLA achievement
- Cycle time / lead time (order to delivery; ticket to resolution)
- Capacity utilisation (and overtime / agency usage)
- Cost-to-serve and unit cost trends
- First-time-right / defect rate / returns
- Stock accuracy / inventory turns (where relevant)
- Health & safety incidents and near misses
- Customer complaints / escalations and root-cause closure rate
How to interview and assess candidates (simple scorecard)
For senior operations hires, you’ll learn more from how someone thinks than from polished CV statements. Use a structured scorecard so you’re comparing like with like.
- Case exercise: ‘Here are last month’s KPIs and two customer escalations — what do you do in week one, week four, and by day 90?’
- Process mapping: ask them to map one core workflow and identify constraints
- People leadership: examples of underperformance handling and manager development
- Commercial judgement: how they balance service levels, cost, and margin
- Data maturity: what metrics they would introduce and why
Salary, day-rate context and hiring economics (UK, 2026)
If you’re weighing full-time vs flexible leadership, it helps to anchor on the wider cost of capital environment. The Bank of England’s monetary policy page notes a current Bank Rate of 3.75% (maintained in June 2026), which keeps borrowing costs meaningful for many SMEs.
That context tends to push businesses to prefer faster ROI and shorter payback periods — one reason some firms use interim or fractional operational leadership to stabilise delivery before committing to a permanent hire.
When a fractional COO is a better fit than hiring an Operations Director
If you need senior operational leadership but don’t yet have the scale for a full-time role, a fractional COO can deliver the operating cadence, KPI system and manager coaching in a focused engagement. See our Fractional COO services page for what this looks like in practice.
Common triggers include: rapid growth, inconsistent delivery, too much founder involvement in day-to-day operations, or a need to fix planning/capacity within 8–12 weeks.
Frequently asked questions
What should be included in an Operations Director job description UK?
At minimum: purpose of the role, main duties, and who the person reports to — plus practical measures of success. Acas provides free job description templates that emphasise those headings, which you can adapt for a senior operations hire.
Does an Operations Director need to be hands-on or strategic?
In a growing SME, it’s both. You want someone strategic enough to design the operating system, but hands-on enough to run weekly performance rhythms, fix blockers, and coach managers.
What’s the difference between an Operations Director and a COO?
Titles vary. In many UK SMEs, ‘Operations Director’ is effectively the COO role. In larger organisations, a COO may have a broader remit across functions and may sit closer to the board.
What data protection steps should we take during recruitment?
Treat candidate information as sensitive business data: be clear about how you use it, restrict access, and keep it only as long as necessary. The ICO’s employment guidance highlights recruitment and selection, including automated decision-making and record keeping, as a key compliance area.
Ready to find your Operations Director (or fractional COO)?
If you need senior operational leadership quickly, we can introduce an experienced Operations Director or fractional COO who can start within one week. You’ll get a same-working-day response, no long-term tie-ins, and senior support from £1,795/month — get in touch to discuss what ‘good’ looks like for your business.
