About The Whisky Exchange Founded in 1999 by Sukhinder and Rajbir Singh, Speciality Drinks Group is a fast-growing and world-renowned international spirits company. It was one of the first multi-channel, multi-market global drinks distributors and is a leader in its field. Now made up of four group companies, it is an independently managed business and a recent addition to the Pernod Ricard Group since November 2021. We pride ourselves on our imagination, creativity and ability to source and sell fantastic spirits across the globe. We love what we do and we would love you to come and join us. The Opportunity We have an exciting opportunity for an Operations Director to join us here at The Whisky Exchange / Speciality Drinks. As a senior strategic partner in the business, you will own the development and execution of the operational footprint strategy whilst providing leadership to the Warehouse, Logistics, Compliance, Facilities and H&S Managers, ensuring increased organisation capability and optimising costs. The role is crucial in supporting the execution of the business strategy. You will deliver strategic business partnerships with functional heads to provide industry leading operations best practice. You will be responsible for driving collaboratively key strategic projects and a continuous improvement culture including ensuring we have an expansion plan for future demands. You will be responsible for the management of Warehouse operations (40,000 sq. ft. warehouse) and for delivery of, annually, 210,000 online orders to 40 countries and 55,000 on-trade orders in the UK. You will also be responsible for Facilities, Compliance, and H&S, with 4 direct reports and a broader team of circa 80 people. Your Unique Contribution Strategic Lead the development and execution of the operations strategy in alignment with our future ambitions, fostering a high-performance culture. In particular, evaluate the opportunity to open new warehouses overseas to support international expansion Ensure the operations strategy has a robust plan which is communicated to the management team, with clear goals and deliverables Drive innovation to ensure we are future-proofing our environment Partner with key stakeholders, in particular Supply Chain, Commercial, Online Business, Whisky.Auction to understand supply and demand and work as enabler to drive quick and effective delivery to the end consumer Drive the H&S and Compliance strategies working with key partners to deliver Operational Highlight operations challenges and solutions to the Deputy MD Drive and improve the performance of an 80 employee B2B and D2C Warehouse Forecasting and overall management of the Operations budget Engage direct reports to deliver the operational strategy and objectives through effective teamwork Work with the management team to identify areas to improve and create efficiencies whilst maintaining a safe environment Work with the H&S Manager to establish clear governance for H&S and internal control standards Oversee the delivery of the highest quality safety standards throughout the warehouse to ensure the development of a 'Quality Safe Place to Work' culture Work in collaboration with the Warehouse Manager to develop the Warehouse and logistic operations, owning the deployment of the strategy Build and lead supplier relationships for warehouse and the office including oversight of logistics including fleet management Work with the Compliance Manager, liaising with Legal to ensure all processes are compliant Oversee and manage the office improvement plans in collaboration with the Facilities Manager Cultural As a Senior Leader in the business, ensure we are fostering a positive, inclusive and high performing culture that aligns with our vision and values Drive and adopt the organisation's change agenda Create and maintain a working environment where individuals feel able to speak up, offer ideas, challenge respectfully and feel valued Demonstrate inclusive behaviours by actively and consistently engaging, coaching and showing great leadership to all team members to gain their commitment Show ability to involve, engage and develop understanding of good behaviours whilst building operational excellence Ensure that the right team structures are in place, resourced by the right people Your Blend of Talent Track record of site and team management, ideally B2B and e-commerce (potentially UK & international) Experience in managing a site-based operation at scale with complexity Have experience with project and change management methodologies Experience/knowledge of compliance and H&S, including any relevant qualifications Excellent communication skills, stakeholder engagement, leading and driving change Valuing people mindset with strong adherence to H&S guidelines Proven success in driving and maintaining operational best practice Strategic and operational mindset with a focus on collaboration Key Behaviours Strategic Mindset Planning & Alignment Nimble Learning Planning & Prioritising Consumer Centric Deliver through Collaboration Tech Savvy Benefits of joining The Whisky Exchange Fun Stuff Staff Discount at The Whisky Exchange | Tastings | Product Education | Access to Events | Cycle to Work Scheme Serious Stuff EAP | Great Parental Leave Policies | Life Cover | Private Medical Insurance Feel Good Stuff S&R Initiatives | Career Development | Responsib'All Day | Employee Networks | Flexi Work | 25 Days Holiday (plus Bank Holidays) We're committed to diversity and inclusion. We promote diversity and inclusion throughout our business. In our teams, we proactively foster a diverse work force and an inclusive culture - an environment where we can truly be ourselves. We will assess your application for this role based on your skills, experiences and achievements, not your gender, age, ethnic or educational background or any other such factors. Please feel free to leave these off your CV and application form if you so wish.