# Operations Director **Company:** [THX Ltd](http://jobs.workable.com/companies/v5ogoSp8T7mqoKwHqvTKFJ.md) **Location:** Bedford, United Kingdom **Workplace:** on site **Employment type:** Full-time **Department:** Operations [Apply for this job](http://jobs.workable.com/view/cef13a0b-db37-4842-952c-790654850054) ## Description ### **About THX** THX is a founder-led specialist plant and equipment hire business serving the fit-out sector, built on a simple promise: no ordinary hire experience. The business has grown revenue strongly year on year, operates a modern fleet with 95% of assets under five years old, and employs around 190 people. THX has a clear and ambitious growth plan across the next few years. This role exists to lead operations through that journey.  ### **The Role** **Reports To:** Managing Director **Location:** Bedford, on site (multi-site presence as THX grows) **Team:** Warehouse, Workshop, Transport and Health & Safety; c.140 operational staff via departmental managers **Seat:** Senior Leadership Team member ### **Role Purpose** To lead THX operations through a significant growth journey while materially improving operational efficiency, safety and customer experience. The Operations Director owns the operational P&L levers (operational wages, haulage, workshop cost, fleet availability) and is directly accountable for improving operational wage efficiency as the business scales. The role is a genuine player-coach position: strategic at the SLT table, hands-on in the yard, and a developer of the management team beneath it.  ### Key Accountabilities  Operational efficiency and EBITDA  - Own the operational cost base and drive a material reduction in operations wages as a percentage of revenue, without degrading service.  - Embed and improve the operational efficiency scorecard: trips per driver, inspections per head, NCRs (process errors), and on-time in-full delivery, reported monthly into the board pack.  - Design an operating model that grows revenue faster than operational headcount, so volume scales through process, planning and technology rather than bodies.  - Work with the Commercial Director to strengthen cross-hire partner performance and commercial outcomes.  Leadership and capability building  - Partner with the warehouse, workshop and transport managers to shape how the operation scales.  - Set clear KPIs and hold weekly operational cadence, feeding accurate data into the monthly board pack.  - Champion the HIRE values (Humility, Innovation, Refreshing, Energetic) and protect the THX customer experience as the business scales.  Fleet and asset performance  - Maximise return on the hire fleet: availability, utilisation, first-time fix, servicing schedules and asset lifecycle decisions in partnership with Finance and Procurement.  - Unlock the currently unutilised on-hire value potential identified in the fleet through better availability and turnaround.  Safety, compliance and infrastructure  - Own health and safety across all operational areas, ensuring compliance with UK regulation, FORS/transport requirements and industry best practice.  - Play a leading role in premises and depot decisions, ensuring operational needs shape the property strategy.  Process and continuity  - Document operational processes and systems so the business runs by method, not memory, and can withstand external scrutiny.  - Build a demonstrable multi-year track record of improving efficiency metrics across the operation.  - Partner with the Digital Transformation Director to automate operational workflows, with a bias to more volume through fewer touches. ## Requirements **Essential** - Proven senior operations leadership (Operations Director, Head of Operations or equivalent) in equipment hire, rental, plant, tool hire or closely related logistics-intensive businesses.  - Has operated at or scaled a business through a significant revenue growth phase, with demonstrable P&L accountability for operational cost lines.  - Track record of measurably improving operational efficiency: labour productivity, transport cost per drop, workshop throughput or equivalent.  - A genuine player-coach: credible at board level and equally credible on the depot floor, with evidence of developing inexperienced managers into strong ones.  - Strong data literacy: comfortable owning KPIs, building scorecards and presenting numbers confidently in a board environment.  - Deep understanding of warehouse, workshop and transport operations, including UK transport compliance and health and safety leadership.  **Desirable** - Experience in a private equity backed, owner-managed or high-growth environment, including exposure to operational due diligence.  - Experience of multi-depot expansion or greenfield site openings.  - Lean, continuous improvement or operational excellence methodology applied in a hire or distribution context.  - Experience implementing operational technology (telematics, routing, workshop management, ERP). ## Benefits ### **The Opportunity and Package** THX is a founder-led, fast-growing specialist hire business with a clear and ambitious growth plan across the next few years. This role offers a rare combination of SLT influence, genuine operational ownership and the chance to build the operations function that underpins the next phase of growth. The package comprises a competitive six-figure base salary, car allowance, performance bonus linked to EBITDA and operational efficiency, pension and benefits. For the right candidate there is scope to discuss long-term incentive participation aligned to the company's value creation plan, subject to performance and board approval.