Chief Operating Officer jobs in United Kingdom

Description

G&H Phoenix, Denbighshire, UK

Regular travel to G&H Ilminster, customer sites, suppliers, and other G&H locations as required.

G&H is a world leader in optical designing, testing and manufacturing. As experts in the technology of light, G&H works with customers to provide optical systems, assemblies, and components for demanding applications.

Headquartered in Ilminster Somerset, UK with primary operations in the USA and Europe, G&H is recognised for the breadth of their acousto-optic, electro-optic, crystal-optic, fibre optic, and precision optic products. G&H is recognized as the preferred source for OEMs in the life sciences, industrial, and aerospace and defence industries, with a history of quality and excellence that dates back over seventy-five years.

Our success is built on innovation, precision, and the talent of our people. We are committed to developing capability at every stage of a career, from apprenticeships and graduate pathways through to leadership development.

G&H Phoenix is a key part of our Optical Systems Division, providing a full start to finish in-house service from raw glass slab material, cut discs and mouldings, right through to polished and coated finished optical parts, prisms and assemblies.

Joining us means becoming part of a forward-thinking organisation that values collaboration, continuous improvement, and the pursuit of operational and design excellence.

G&H Phoenix is seeking a dynamic and experienced General Manager to lead our high-growth, technically oriented business serving Commercial, Aerospace & Defence, and Industrial markets.

The General Manager will be responsible for executing business strategy, optimizing processes, and building a culture of high performance and continuous improvement.

This is a pivotal leadership role with full accountability for P&L, commercial development, production capabilities, quality, and delivery. We are looking for a strong leader who commands respect, thrives in boardroom environments, and can drive operational excellence in a fast-paced, agile business environment.

• Provide strategic leadership and overall accountability for site performance across Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Financial commitments.
• Drive profitability through cost reduction, operational efficiency, and working capital optimisation.
• Lead Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Engineering functions, with dotted-line responsibility for Finance and HR.
• Ensure order coverage for FY26 to support resource planning and revenue forecasting.
• Establish and monitor KPIs to identify performance trends and implement continuous improvement initiatives.
• Build a culture of customer focus, ensuring commitments are met across all markets served.
• Champion operational and design excellence, leveraging best practices internally and externally.
• Drive new product development aligned with corporate strategy and global market trends.
• Lead capital expenditure planning, organizational capacity building, and talent development.
• Foster a performance-driven culture with clear goals, accountability, and regular reviews.
• Ensure compliance with ISO/AS standards and uphold G&H values and brand integrity.

• Bachelor’s degree or Master’s in Engineering/Sciences, or significant experience in a highly technical organisation.
• Proven track record of delivering strong financial results with P&L responsibility in a manufacturing business.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in senior operations leadership, ideally within defence or industrial sectors.
• Knowledge of ISO & AS Quality standards, AS9000/9100, Telcordia, DFARS, ITAR (defence experience highly desirable).
• Strong business acumen with the ability to link operational KPIs to financial performance.
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to influence at all levels in a matrixed organisation.
• Demonstrated ability to build strong relationships with customers, including domestic prime contractors and international organisations.
• Highly organised, detail-oriented, and execution-focused.
• Inspirational leader with excellent team-building, motivation, and interpersonal skills.

This is a unique opportunity to lead a high-growth business within a global PLC, shaping its future direction and driving operational excellence. You will be at the forefront of innovation in optical technologies, working with world-class teams and customers across defence, industrial, and commercial sectors.

If you are a proven leader with the vision, resilience, and drive to thrive in a growth environment, we want to hear from you.

• Includes participation in competitive Management and Long-Term Incentive Plans
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays
• competitive employer pension contribution with salary exchange facility
• Private Health Insurance offered
• Enhanced employee assistance programme

Notes: This job description is not intended to be exhaustive in every respect, but rather to clearly define the fundamental purpose, responsibilities and dimensions for the role. Therefore, this job description does not describe any individual role holder. In addition to the contents of this job description, employees are expected to undertake all other reasonable and related tasks allocated by their line manager

The Company is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants for employment. The Company does not discriminate in employment opportunity or practices on the grounds of gender, race, religion or belief, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by national laws under which the Company operates.

Potential candidates should be aware that many of the employment roles at Gooch & Housego are subject to government security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities that you may have previously held and your place of birth, could restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation.

All UK applicants must, as a minimum, be able to successfully complete security vetting to the UK government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard, which includes a criminal record check being performed. Many roles may also require higher levels of security vetting to be completed, where applicants must typically have been continuously resident within the UK for the past five to ten years.