Senior Ops Lead - Central Operations

Job description

Senior Operations Lead (Central Operations)

Location: London SE1 (Hybrid – min. 2 days in office)

Salary: £55,000 – £65,000

About Us

At Lean Kitchen Network (LKN), we're not just making food — we're redefining the culinary landscape.

We partner with global brands like Twisted, Heinz, Doritos, PepsiCo, and Unilever to create and scale innovative food concepts. With 300+ locations across the UK, we work with kitchen operators, hotels, universities, and retailers to turn everyday spaces into high-performing food destinations.

We’re now entering our next phase of growth — building the systems, data infrastructure, and operational engine to scale faster and smarter.

The Role

We’re looking for a Senior Operations Lead to sit at the centre of the business — owning how we use data, systems, and processes to drive performance.

This is a high-impact, generalist role that blends operations, commercial thinking, and data. You’ll work across supply chain, partner performance, onboarding, and central reporting — while also helping us build a more scalable, tech-enabled operation.

This role is ideal for someone who is:

• Operationally strong
• Commercially aware
• Curious about data, automation, and AI
• Excited to build and improve systems in a scaling business

What You’ll Be Responsible For

Operations & Performance

• Drive operational performance across our network of partners, brands, and sites
• Identify gaps, inefficiencies, and opportunities to improve revenue and margin
• Support rollout and onboarding of new sites and initiatives
• Work cross-functionally across supply chain, commercial, and ops teams

Data, Reporting & Insights

• Own and evolve central reporting across the business
• Build and/or manage dashboards (e.g. Looker Studio, Power BI)
• Translate data into clear insights and actions for internal teams
• Define what should be tracked — KPIs, benchmarks, and performance frameworks
• Work with (or help build) a data/analytics function to deliver reporting needs

Systems, Processes & Scale

• Identify and implement better systems and processes across the business
• Improve operational workflows to support scaling to hundreds of locations
• Lead continuous improvement projects across operations and supply chain
• Ensure consistency and structure in how we operate centrally

Automation, AI & Future Capability

• Identify opportunities to introduce automation and AI into workflows
• Explore tools such as AI agents, automated reporting, and process automation
• Help the business become more efficient through smarter use of technology
• Stay close to emerging tools and trends, and apply them pragmatically

(Note: deep technical expertise isn’t required — but strong curiosity and practical application is key)

Leadership & Collaboration

• Work closely with the Operations Director and senior leadership team
• Help define priorities and execute key strategic projects
• Manage stakeholders across partners, suppliers, and internal teams
• Manage and guide data/analyst resource(s)

What We’re Looking For

• Experience in a senior or mid-senior operations role (hospitality, food, retail, or similar fast-paced environments)
• Strong commercial instincts — you understand what drives revenue and margin
• Comfortable working with data, dashboards, and performance metrics
• Experience with tools like Looker Studio, Power BI, Excel, or similar
• Systems thinker — you enjoy improving how things work, not just running them
• Interest in automation, AI, and using technology to improve operations
• Able to operate as a generalist across multiple areas (ops, supply chain, data, onboarding)
• Strong communicator with the ability to influence and align teams
• Hands-on, pragmatic, and comfortable in a scaling business

Important Note on the Role

We recognise this role covers a broad scope — including data, systems, and emerging technology.

While we don’t expect a deep specialist in every area, we are looking for someone who:

• Understands how these pieces fit together
• Can lead, prioritise, and problem-solve across them
• Is excited to learn and build in a fast-moving environment

Why Join LKN?

• Be part of one of the UK’s fastest-growing food platform businesses
• Work with globally recognised brands and major partners
• Play a key role in shaping how we scale the business
• High ownership, high autonomy, and real impact
• Opportunity to build future-facing capabilities (data, automation, AI)

If you’re excited by building systems, improving performance, and helping scale a modern food business — we’d love to hear from you.

Extra information

Status

Open

Education Level

Secondary School

Location

City of London

Type of Contract

Full-time jobs

Published at

03-04-2026

Profession type

Logistics jobs

Full UK/EU driving license preferred

No

Car Preferred

No

Must be eligible to work in the EU

No

Cover Letter Required

No

Languages

English