Chief Operating Officer

Overview

Operational Strategy & Leadership: translate business strategy into scalable operational capability and execution plans aligned with rapid commercial expansion to support a customer base largely in Asia and also Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East. Take full ownership of all operations after contract award, ensuring successful project execution through commissioning, handover, and ongoing customer support. Lead end-to-end operations including production planning, procurement, supply chain, logistics, and quality assurance. Build and manage an operations organisation capable of manufacturing large filtration systems (hundreds per year) within 12–18 months. Work with the executive team to drive operational KPIs, efficiencies, and performance improvements. Act as a key member of the executive leadership team. Identify, evaluate, and secure manufacturing partners in the UK, Asia, and other regions as required with strong engineering capabilities and capacity for large industrial systems. Oversee technology transfer to ensure partners can produce to specification, cost, and quality targets. Establish scalable assembly, testing, and QA workflows for regional and customer requirements. Build a global supply chain strategy optimized for cost, lead time, reliability, and risk management. Oversee manufacturing strategy to ensure quality, efficiency, and scalability. Own sourcing and supplier qualification for critical components, including mechanical assemblies, filtration elements, structural components, and instrumentation. Implement supplier performance management processes, audits, and quality control mechanisms. Develop redundancy and dual-sourcing strategies to mitigate supply chain risks that support growth in Asia while maintaining UK operational security. Build and scale local operational presence in target markets with partners, teams, and service capability. Establish regional hubs or partnerships for installation, maintenance, and after-sales service. Navigate local regulatory, cultural, and commercial environments effectively. Translate engineering designs into commercially manufacturable products with clear documentation, BOMs, and workflows. Support product standardisation and modularisation to reduce manufacturing complexity and cost. Collaborate with engineering teams to resolve manufacturability issues and drive continuous improvement. Develop a global service and maintenance model to support installed systems. Build recurring revenue streams through service contracts and upgrades. Ensure long-term system performance and customer satisfaction. Establish an operational framework, including ERP/MRP, inventory management, logistics, and quality management systems. Manage UK operational activities including pilot manufacturing, warehousing, and supply chain operations. Oversee international logistics including shipping, customs, compliance, and distribution into Asian markets. Recruit and lead a high-performing operations team across procurement, production engineering, supply chain, and quality. Create a culture of accountability, safety, continuous improvement, and cross-functional collaboration. Provide strong leadership to support the company’s growth trajectory and evolving organisational structure. Own and implement best-in-class health, safety, and environmental standards across all operations. Ensure compliance with UK and international regulations, including site-specific requirements. Lead on building a strong safety culture across internal teams and partners.

Requirements

• Proven experience in a senior operations leadership role within industrial engineering, water treatment, filtration, or complex manufactured equipment.
• Demonstrated track record of scaling international operations from low-volume to commercial production.
• Strong expertise in managing manufacturing partners, supply chains, and complex assemblies.
• Experience building supply chains and vendor networks including in Asia.
• Deep understanding of quality systems, compliance, safety, and industrial manufacturing best practices.
• Ability to translate high-level engineering concepts into repeatable, scalable manufacturing processes.
• Excellent leadership, strong commercial/financial acumen and stakeholder management skills.
• Willingness to travel internationally 20% – 30%.

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