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Department Purpose and Contribution to Company Objectives
The Operations department is integral to ensuring that the company delivers high quality, great tasting products that satisfy customer demands, on time and in full, across all locations. The team efficiently transforms raw ingredients into ready to heat or ready to eat finished goods, maintaining food safety and people safety standards. This department plays a vital role in the company's financial success by driving operational efficiency, producing cost-effective products, and meeting customer KPIs. As a central component of the business, Operations helps achieve overall company objectives, including meeting production targets, maintaining profitability, and ensuring consistent product quality across all facilities.
Team Culture and Dynamics
Collaboration and teamwork are at the heart of the Operations department across the entire business. The department operates with a “one fail, we all fail” mindset, ensuring that success is shared across all teams and locations. Managers are encouraged to think in terms of win-win scenarios and adopt a can-do attitude, promoting a positive working environment where every team member is committed to mutual success. Cross-functional initiatives such as Kaizen (continuous improvement) and leadership lean development programs are implemented across the business, ensuring that collaboration extends beyond the Operations team to include departments like Quality Assurance, Supply Chain, and Logistics. These initiatives provide employees with the opportunity to work together across sites, share best practices, and drive ongoing improvements.
A Day in the Life
A typical day in the Operations department is dynamic and varies across the different business locations, but core activities remain consistent. The day begins with cold start procedures following hygiene checks, ensuring a clean and safe environment. Teams across all sites set labour based on the production plan and liaise with departments such as QA, material control, intake, and cook rooms to ensure everything runs smoothly. Adherence to operational routines and rituals, such as line monitoring and production schedules, is critical to ensuring that products are delivered on time and within standard cost parameters. Coordination with multiple sites and teams is key to meeting companywide production and distribution goals.
Key Challenges
The Operations department faces several challenges across the business, including maintaining consistent ingredient quality, ensuring machinery reliability, and developing and upskilling staff to meet evolving production needs. With multiple sites operating simultaneously, ensuring that all locations adhere to the same high standards can be particularly challenging. The department must also navigate varying local regulations, manage logistics effectively, and handle fluctuations in demand. Overcoming these challenges requires robust communication between sites, regular equipment maintenance, cross-site training programs, and a focus on continuous improvement to ensure high operational performance across the entire business.
Expectations from New Hires in the Operations Department
New hires joining the Operations department can expect to be part of a fast-paced and collaborative environment. They should be hard-working, detail-oriented, and adaptable, with the ability to thrive in a team-focused setting. New employees will undergo a comprehensive onboarding process that includes site familiarisation, safety training, and an introduction to the company’s quality standards. They will gain hands-on experience in basic line operations and develop an understanding of how their role contributes to the wider operational success of the business. This foundation sets the stage for future development, with opportunities for growth in more advanced roles across the broader business.