Head of Operations (fixed-term maternity cover contract)

Who we are

In a world where old school soft drinks, unnecessary food waste & outdated business practices are a thing of the past, DASH is at the forefront of a new wave of healthy soft drinks. We infuse our super tasty waters with real wonky fruit. That's the bent, crushed, misshapen fruit that supermarkets say no to.
Finally, a drink to feel good about. No sugar, no sweeteners, no worries.

DASH launched in 2017 & has quickly become the market leading brand in a category that has grown over 150% YoY in the UK. DASH has an industry-leading DTC platform, & in 2024 will sell 35 million cans in 20+ international markets with notable retailers including: Sainsbury's, Tesco, Waitrose, Ocado & M&S.

We are incredibly proud to say that we are a Certified B Corporation. We always intend to use our business as a force for good, & now it's official.

Job role:

We are looking for a Head of Operations to oversee all the links in DASH's supply chain, from the farmers' fields to our customers' shelves. This is a fixed term maternity cover contract for up to 12 months, reporting into the Operations Director, ideally starting in early April. In addition to direct responsibility for change management, you will manage the team responsible for R&D, Conversion & Logistics. Fundamentally the Head of Operations ensures that DASH drinks are available to our customers without compromising our quality & financial targets. The functional areas covered by the role are:

1. Planning: From the 24-month demand plan through to the 6-month production plan, & to the detailed production schedule.
2. Procurement: Forecasting & contracting for DASH's extracts, flavours & packaging ensuring timely delivery to meet production.
3. Production: On Time In Full fulfilment of DASH's production schedules balancing conversion, logistic & inventory costs.
4. Logistics: From factory gate through our Business to Business & Direct to Customer warehousing & distribution for both domestic & export markets.
5. Research & Development: New Product Development & Quality Assurance to guarantee that our suppliers are delivering against clear specifications & that we meet all regulatory requirements.
6. Sales & Operational Planning: Working cross functionally to ensure that we have the right product range & pipeline to fuel DASH's growth ambitions.
7. Forecasting: Collaborate with finance & suppliers to generate operations budgets.
8. Reporting: Own the Operations DASHboards ensuring timely reporting of key performance & financial metrics against targets & budgets.
9. Sustainability: Tracking DASH's performance against our sustainability targets and keeping us compliant with legislative changes.
10. Line management: Lead, motivate & grow the DASH operations team.

Experience we are looking for:

1. A supply chain professional with experience leading outsourced manufacturing & logistics operations in the UK food & beverage sector.
2. Leadership & development of individuals & teams.
3. Sound understanding of the P&L, supply chain costs & the levers that can be pulled to ensure delivery & improvement.
4. Ability to analyse the data from metrics, make recommendations for change & implement them.
5. Appreciation of where Operations sits within a business & the interactions required with other functions.
6. Understanding of how the supply chain feeds into wider sustainability & impact ambitions.

About you:

1. An effective leader that can manage an operations team in a high growth, rapidly evolving business.
2. Able to take a balanced long-term view, seeing the patterns in operations metrics & proactively anticipating problems before they arise.
3. Calm under pressure, inspiring confidence in those around you when things go wrong.
4. Rapidly able to drill down to the root cause of an issue, analyse potential fixes, identify the right course of action & implement it.
5. Has a data led approach to problem solving understanding the relationships & consequences of decisions.
6. Understands how the links in the supply chain fit together, their innate tensions & interactions within & beyond the operations remit.

What we can offer:

1. Competitive salary
2. Hybrid working with minimum three days in the office a week
3. 25 days holiday a year
4. Classpass and Headspace subscriptions
5. Work phone
6. Enhanced family-friendly policies
7. Free tasty breakfast in the office
8. Regular social events with the team
9. Dynamic and supportive working environment
10. As much DASH as you can drink!

DASH's commitment to diversity and inclusion:

DASH Water is committed to employing a diverse workforce and providing a supportive environment for employees from all backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability or age. If there is anything we can do that will help you submit an application and take part in the application process, please contact us first at