Interim operations director
Interim operations director for hardware and manufacturing
Hands-on cover for production, supply chain, quality and delivery — full-time, for a defined period, starting in weeks. Led by Dr Gareth Mills, DBA, MBA, MSc, CEng.
The remit
What the role covers
An interim operations director owns the operational function outright: the plan, the suppliers, the quality system and the management rhythm that holds them together.
Production and delivery
Schedule adherence, capacity planning, line performance and the escalation route when a build slips. Daily control of the numbers that decide whether product ships this month.
Supply chain and sourcing
Supplier performance, dual sourcing, lead-time and inventory policy, contract manufacture and logistics — including recovery when a single supplier is holding the business hostage.
Quality and compliance
Closed-loop quality, non-conformance and corrective action, supplier audits, ISO 9001 and UKCA/CE routes — built as a working system, not a folder of procedures.
Team and cadence
A management rhythm the team can run without you: daily control, weekly review, monthly S&OP, and a scorecard that shows the truth early enough to act on it.
The full range of operational ground covered is set out on the capabilities page.
Common questions
Interim operations director — what buyers ask
- What does an interim operations director do?
- An interim operations director takes full-time charge of production, supply chain, quality and delivery for a defined period — covering a vacancy, recovering a failing operation or leading a change programme. The role is hands-on and carries line accountability rather than an advisory brief.
- Interim operations director or interim COO?
- An operations director runs the operational function — make, buy, ship, quality. A COO carries a wider remit across the whole business, including commercial interfaces, organisation design and board-level accountability. Smaller businesses often need the operations director role; scaling businesses with several functions to align usually need the COO.
- What does an interim operations director cost?
- UK day rates for this engagement run £900–£1,300 depending on scope, sector and urgency, with no recruitment fee, notice period or equity dilution.
- How quickly can an interim operations director start?
- Typically two to four weeks from the first conversation, and faster where the situation is critical.
If the remit is broader than the operations function, see interim COO. For ongoing part-time leadership instead of full-time cover, see what a fractional COO is.
Next step
Book a discovery call
Thirty minutes to establish the gap, the timetable and whether this is the right fit.
1. Pick a time
30 minutes, by video or phone. Times shown are UK time over the next two working weeks.
No time selected yet.