Overview
Head of Operations & Planning Jobs in London, England, United Kingdom at Wild Idol
Title: Head of Operations & Planning
Company: Wild Idol
Location: London, England, United Kingdom
Location: Mayfair, London (Office Based)
Reporting to: CEO
Leadership Team: Senior Leadership Team (SLT)
Join Wild Idol
Wild Idol is redefining celebration with a new generation of premium alcohol-free sparkling wines. As one of the fastest-growing brands in the category, we're building a globally recognised luxury brand that's changing the way people celebrate.
We're looking for an experienced Head of Operations & Planning to join our Senior Leadership Team and lead the operational engine behind our ambitious growth across the UK and international markets.
This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who thrives in a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment and enjoys building scalable operations while working closely with sales, marketing and finance.
The Role
Reporting directly to the CEO, you will own the operational strategy and day-to-day execution across supply chain, production, planning and logistics, ensuring the business delivers exceptional service whilst maintaining operational efficiency and financial discipline.
You will play a critical role in supporting Wild Idol's continued expansion and ensuring consistent product availability across all markets.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead all operational planning across the UK and international markets.
- Own inventory management, providing weekly stock reporting across depots and export markets.
- Manage relationships with dry goods suppliers, ensuring continuity of supply and delivering cost efficiencies.
- Own the Cost of Goods (COGS) budget and report performance against the annual financial plan.
- Ensure compliance with all alcohol-free category regulations, certifications, labelling and product requirements.
- Oversee global stock movements and work closely with logistics partner Distilled Drinks on warehousing, transport and supply chain operations.
- Partner with production facilities in the UK and Germany to maximise efficiencies and improve operational performance.
- Support new product development and identify opportunities to expand the Wild Idol portfolio.
- Contribute to annual business and brand planning across domestic and export markets.
- Build strong relationships with retail partners on forecasting, supply and merchandising.
- Act as the operational link between sales teams, export distributors and production partners.
- Support the delivery of commercial activations across retail, digital and trade channels.
- Ensure cross-functional execution of trade plans across supply chain, retail, buying and commercial teams.
- Monitor cash flow and work closely with finance and logistics partners to ensure debtor management aligns with company policy.
About You
You'll be a commercially minded operations leader who enjoys solving complex challenges and building processes that enable growth.
You'll ideally have:
- 5+ years' experience in Supply Chain and Operations within the drinks industry.
- Strong experience across operational planning, production, international distribution and supply chain management.
- Experience managing international cross-border logistics.
- Knowledge of wine production and route-to-market channels.
- Strong commercial awareness and an understanding of how operations supports brand growth.
- Knowledge of key regulations affecting the drinks industry and the ability to navigate them effectively (e.g. EPR, DRS, etc.).
- Experience working closely with marketing and sales teams.
- Confidence working with digital business systems and operational reporting.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Outstanding organisational and project management skills.
- A proactive, entrepreneurial mindset with a willingness to roll up your sleeves.
- Working knowledge of Zoho would be useful but not essential.
- French and/or German language skills would be advantageous but are not essential.
Qualifications
Bachelor's degree or equivalent industry experience.
What We Offer
- Competitive salary (dependent on experience)
- Opportunity to join the Senior Leadership Team of one of the UK's most exciting premium drinks brands.
- A genuine opportunity to shape the future of a fast-growing international business.
- Office based in the heart of Mayfair, London.
If you're excited by building a category-leading premium brand and want to make a real impact, we'd love to hear from you.
Send resume and cover letter to: [email protected]
To learn more about Wild Idol, visit www.wildidol.com or follow @wildidol.official on Instagram.
