Operations Manager

Operations Lead, sustainable materials scale-up UK OR Italy Salary-highly competitive We're working with an early-stage sustainable materials company whose products are already used by some of the world's best-known luxury fashion houses. As they enter their next phase of growth, they're hiring their first dedicated Operations Lead to sit alongside the COO and build the operations function from the ground up. What the role involves

• Running inventory across multiple product lines and external manufacturing partners in Europe and Asia
• Managing international shipping end to end, working with forwarders, carriers and customs brokers
• Owning the operations systems, including selecting and rolling out an ERP
• Automating repetitive processes wherever possible
• Keeping communication with customers and suppliers fast and reliable
• Creating the processes and documentation a growing team will rely on What we are looking for
• 5-7 years in operations, supply chain or logistics, ideally with physical products or manufacturing
• Strong experience managing suppliers in China
• Fluent English, plus Mandarin or Italian; French is useful
• Confidence with no-code automation tools and AI
• Someone practical who takes ownership and fixes problems as they come up
• Based in or near a European timezone, with occasional travel to suppliers