Head of Operations

Aquarate are an exciting and fast-growing Subscription/SaaS software business predominantly selling to the Health and Care and HQ'd in the Liverpool/Northwest. We are fast emerging as the market leader in our sector.

We have launched a ground-breaking subscription-based product/service that changes the way hydration is managed for the most vulnerable in our community and are building a reputation for making great products and software that our customers love. In the last 12 months, sales and market interest has accelerated significantly. We value our employees and offer great career opportunities working within a vibrant and totally energised team.

Due to continued growth, we are looking to for the right person to lead our operations area of the business. Reporting directly to the CEO, in this role you will manage the day to day running of the business, upkeeping good relationships with our manufacturers, ensuring our products reflect the quality customers expect of a premium brand. You will be responsible for sourcing, negotiations, contracting and ongoing supplier appraisals, as well as ensuring the manufacture of all our finished goods meet our business supply plan.

You will need to be results driven and striving for continuous improvement. You are a strong collaborator with excellent communication, have strong analytical skills and will enjoy working in an environment where every week presents a different challenge. For the right ambitious candidate there is opportunity for this role to grow into COO within the organisation.

Key Responsibilities

● Overall day-to-day maintenance of the operations of the business including becoming our ERP superuser.

● Support and drive operational activity in close collaboration with and supported by Sales & Operations Planning, Procurement, and Logistics and Fulfilment.

● Monitoring, reporting and reconsolidating of stock in consignment in marketplace and warehouse

● Coordinate and manage the supply product to align with the sales forecast. Manage supply risks and escalate where necessary.

● Purchase order management.

● Develop and implement efficient inter-departmental workflows and establish protocols to maintain these processes.

● Collaborating with the team to understand our ever growing customer needs and how we can better our service(s).

● Help implement new procedures and training inline with the the company’s strategies, goals and objectives.

● Align and standardise 3PL ways of working. supported by KPIs and performance reviews.

● Lead the tendering/contracting process for all 3PLs within the Market, understand market offerings for alternative providers for 3PL services.

● Understand customer propositions and expectations within the market, and align the Logistics function to support.

● Ensure 3PL capacity matches market requirements over the lifetime of the contract, especially at peak periods. Provide meaningful forecasts in order to make 3PL organise its space and operations.

● Monitor all supply chain costs and develop KPI’s and develop a strategic supply chain plan to mitigate cost increases and seek cost reductions.

● Identify process changes for improving Logistics and other Supply Chain topics optimising cost and increasing productivity. Ensure Continuous Improvement mentality is championed and implemented. Ensure all processes are optimised, documented and followed.

Required Skills

● Strategic Sourcing – managing sourcing activity related to technology, from supplier selection through to contract negotiation and ongoing management, ensuring that these are aligned to business objectives and in compliance with our procurement process and internal policies.

● Relationship Management – acting as a trusted business advisor to functional leaders and service owners across Aquarate, to develop the right procurement strategy for each engagement which will deliver the best outcomes and value for Aquarate.

● Risk Management – particularly through the negotiation of robust contracts, and the ongoing development of best practice procurement processes incorporating supply chain sustainability considerations.

● Have experience in leading supply & demand planning work process improvement projects and able to find opportunities for work process efficiency improvements.

● 5-8 years’ experience in a supply planning environment, preferably in the consumer goods or consumer electronics area.

● A strong understanding and commercial awareness of the total supply chain including sales operations and demand planning

● Contract negotiation and delivery - work with suppliers to track performance to contract and, when required, lead negotiations with new suppliers.

● Develop a Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) model and implement it with key suppliers.

● Get hands-on with our current products to ensure that our OEM’s are producing products to

meet the high quality expectations our premium brand commands.

● Managing capacity constraints in line with the business plan and working with CMs to ensure

we have enough capacity to meet business objectives.

● Develop and manage a supply plan and rolling forecast which will allow us to meet

expectations during this exciting period of rapid growth.

● Ensure effective new product introductions and end of life plans to maximise cost savings.

● Review proposed product improvements with our Engineering team and implement approved

changes with our OEMs through Engineering Change Orders.

● Ensure traceability throughout the supply chain, of revisions, batches and UDIs (Unique

Device Identification) to support the regulatory requirements.

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: £55,000.00-£65,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Flexitime
• Work from home

Schedule:

• Flexitime
• Monday to Friday

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Liverpool: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Liverpool