Operations Manager

About the role

This role offers the chance to take ownership of day-to-day manufacturing operations , ensuring delivery across safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost objectives -while driving ongoing improvement in how we operate. You will work closely with cross-functional teams, including engineering, quality, supply chain, and commercial functions, to solve real operational challenges and continuously improve performance. This is an ideal opportunity for someone who enjoys: Leading from the front in a hands-on operational environment Driving continuous improvement and lean initiatives Building strong, accountable, and high-performing teams Working on precision products with real-world impact

Responsibilities

• Leadership & Team Development
• Lead, coach, and develop production teams
• Create a high-performance culture focused on accountability and engagement
• Ensure effective staffing, training, and capability building
• Operational Excellence
• Manage daily manufacturing operations in a high-mix, engineered products environment
• Deliver against key metrics across safety, quality, delivery, inventory, productivity, and cost
• Ensure production plans align with capacity, materials, and customer demand
• Continuous Improvement
• Drive improvement initiatives using the Novanta Growth System and lean principles
• Improve workflow, reduce waste, and enhance productivity and quality
• Use data and metrics to identify gaps and implement sustainable solutions
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Partner with engineering, supply chain, planning, and quality teams
• Remove operational barriers and improve end-to-end flow
• Support problem-solving across the value chain
• Supply Chain & Risk Management
• Support material availability and inventory optimisation
• Identify and mitigate operational and supply risks impacting delivery

Requirements

• Proven experience in operations or manufacturing leadership (typically 7+ years)
• Experience leading teams in high-mix or engineered product environments
• Strong understanding of operational KPIs across quality, delivery, and cost
• Demonstrated success with lean, continuous improvement, or business system frameworks
• A collaborative mindset with the ability to influence across functions
• Excellent leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills
• Experience in precision engineering, electronics, or electromechanical manufacturing would be highly advantageous.
• Why join Novanta?
• Work on technologies that make a real impact on people's lives
• Be part of a global, innovative organisation at the forefront of advanced manufacturing
• Lead meaningful change in an environment that values continuous improvement and ideas
• Collaborate with talented teams across engineering, operations, and commercial functions
• Opportunity for career growth across international markets
• Ready to make an impact?
• If you are an experienced operations leader looking to take ownership in a high-tech, fast-evolving manufacturing environment , we would love to hear from you.
• Apply now or reach out to Rebecca Pelham for a confidential conversation.

Benefits

Additional Information

Build a career powered by innovations that matter! At Novanta, our innovations power technology products that are transforming healthcare and advanced manufacturing-improving productivity, enhancing people's lives and redefining what's possible. We create for our global customers engineered components and sub-systems that deliver extreme precision and performance for a range of mission-critical applications-from minimally invasive surgery to robotics to 3D metal printing. Novanta is one global team with over 26 offices located in The Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Looking for a great place to work? You have found it with a culture that embraces teamwork, collaboration and empowerment. Come explore Novanta. Operations Manager - Robotics & Automation 📍 Cambridge, United Kingdom Help build the technologies that are transforming our world. At Novanta, our innovations power cutting-edge advances in robotics, medical technology, and advanced manufacturing - improving lives and enabling the next generation of precision-engineered solutions. As a trusted global technology partner, we design and deliver high-performance components used in mission-critical applications , from minimally invasive surgery to 3D printing. We are now looking for an experienced Operations Manager to lead manufacturing operations for our Robotics & Automation Inductive Encoder product line in Cambridge. This is a highly visible leadership role with the opportunity to directly influence performance, culture, and scalability in a complex, high-tech environment.

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