Head of Operations (Maternity Cover)

Description

REFY ships to customers and retailers across four regions out of three third party logistics sites. This is a 12 month maternity cover for the Head of Operations, holding that network to standard and moving it forward.

Department

Operations

Employment Type

Fixed Term Contract

Location

Manchester

Key Responsibilities

Operations & Service Levels

• Own daily DTC and B2B order flow across all sites.
• Ensure DTC dispatch is on time, accurate and within mispick tolerance.
• Ensure B2B is delivered on time and in full against contracted and internal standards.
• Provide daily site forecasts and resolve live issues quickly.
• Lead peak readiness and execution for Black Friday, Cyber Monday and NPD launches.

3PL, Courier & Cost Performance

• Manage 3PL relationships and performance across the UK, USA and EU, alongside key courier partners.
• Hold each site to SLA through weekly scorecards and monthly KPI reviews. Audit logistics invoices against contracted rates and challenge discrepancies.
• Own the operations budget, reduce cost per order and cut warehouse transfers year on year.
• Keep the network costed for future market launches.

Inbound, Supplier & Freight Flow

• Own inbound delivery performance, supplier readiness, ex-factory timelines, freight forwarder relationships, routing and rates.
• Improve inbound on-time receipt, damage rate and SLA adherence.
• Keep air freight to exceptions.
• Fix paperwork and transfer issues so receipts land clean first time.
• Ensure customs, duty and import compliance across every lane, including duty drawback where relevant.

Retailer Compliance, B2B & Customer Experience

• Own retailer vendor requirements across all 3PLs, including full paper trail, bill of lading and packing list compliance, and EDI adoption where possible.
• Reduce chargebacks and shortages year on year, and challenge incorrect claims.
• Maintain order fill rate with no cuts.
• Own returns and RTV processing across DTC and B2B.
• Protect the customer delivery promise through on-time delivery, delivery CSAT and Trustpilot performance.

Brand, Partner & Sustainability Standards

• Treat fulfilment as part of the brand experience, from packaging and presentation to the checkout promise.
• Hold logistics partners to REFY standards in product handling, packing, working practices and communication.
• Bring site teams closer to the brand through training, visits and transparency.
• Keep sustainability and cost visible across packaging, last mile and freight decisions.

Team, Systems & Reporting

• Lead a team of four through two managers across supply planning, inbound logistics and fulfilment.
• Continue team development throughout the cover period, ensuring the team is further forward after twelve months.
• Support clean handovers at both ends of the cover period.
• Own NetSuite, EDI and AI connectors, keeping the function working from one set of tools and data.
• Report weekly to the Commercial & Operations Director on risk, cost and decisions needed.
• Work closely with Commercial Planning on dispatch execution: they own the plan, this role runs the suppliers and sites that deliver it.

Skills, Knowledge And Experience

Essential

• 9+ years in operations, fulfilment or logistics in a multi-channel consumer business, with DTC and B2B both in scope.
• Track record of holding third party logistics partners to a service level, and fixing it when they miss.
• Experience running dispatch across more than one region and more than one site.
• Strong retailer compliance experience: EDI, retailer portals, bills of lading and packing lists, chargebacks and shortage disputes.
• Inbound and freight experience: forwarders, rates, routing, customs and duty.
• Comfortable owning an operations budget and challenging an invoice line by line.
• Holds a partner to standard without the relationship turning adversarial, and treats their team as an extension of ours.
• A proven people leader who develops a team rather than holding it steady.
• Experienced with NetSuite or a comparable ERP and with Shopify, and comfortable using AI tools day to day.

Desirable

• Beauty, prestige or premium consumer experience, and knowledge of Sephora, Space NK or Boots operational standards.
• Experience running a third party logistics tender, or onboarding a new site.
• Available at short notice and comfortable in a fixed term role.

OUR PERKS

• 25+ Days Holiday: Start with 25 days and earn an extra day for every year of service, up to 5 additional days.
• Extra Holidays: Option to buy up to 5 additional days.
• Sabbatical Leave: Take up to 3 months off after 4 years of service.
• Community First Day: A day to support a cause you love.
• Bonus Scheme: Rewards for your hard work and success.
• Family Leave: Enhanced support for new parents.
• Salary Sacrifice Pension: Plan for your future with a 5% employer contribution through our salary sacrifice pension scheme.
• EV Scheme: Drive electric with salary sacrifice options.
• Financial Coaching: Guidance to boost your money mindset.
• Flexible Religious Holidays: Flexibility to honour days that matter to you.
• Flexible Working: Flexible start and finish times, with the option to work one day per week from home.
• REFY Product Perks: An annual allowance, exclusive discounts and the chance to try new REFY products before they launch.
• Regular Social Events: Team-building days and seasonal parties.
• Career Growth: Tailored training and development opportunities.
• Vitality Health Insurance: Health coverage with added benefits.

This is a 12-month Fixed-Term contract.

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