Operations Director

The Operations Director owns end-to-end supply chain performance at GIS International, from procurement and vendor management to logistics, warehousing, and customer delivery. This is a hands-on leadership role that combines operational rigor with genuine team development.

You will be expected to build, not just manage: co-constructing processes with your teams, developing individual capabilities, and creating an operations function that supports GIS's growth ambitions.

This role is 60% internal (team leadership, process structuring, cross-functional alignment) and 40% external (customer interface, supplier relationships, program-level operations).

This is not a coordination role. We are looking for someone who:

• Has managed operations teams directly in environments where resources were constrained and pragmatism mattered as much as methodology
• Brings structure without bureaucracy, able to design frameworks that teams actually use
• Is recognised by their people as someone who made them better, not just someone who got results
• Navigates ambiguity without needing perfect clarity to move forward
• Understands that authority at GIS is earned through relationships, not titles

Main responsibilities

Team Leadership and Development (Priority 1)

• Build and sustain a high-performing operations team, close to the ground, accountable, and growing
• Coach and develop team members individually; actively create conditions for people to take ownership
• Bridge between field teams and management, translating strategic direction into operational clarity
• Manage conflict constructively; address performance issues directly and fairly

Operations and Supply Chain

• Own end-to-end supply chain: procurement, vendor management, logistics, warehousing, order fulfilment
• Drive VMI implementation and optimize inventory levels across programs
• Streamline processes using appropriate technology and digitalization, fit for our scale
• Ensure compliance with Incoterms, ISO processes, safety requirements and legal obligations

Performance and Continuous Improvement

• Define and track KPIs that matter: inventory turnover, cost savings, fulfillment cycle time, customer satisfaction
• Lead cost reduction initiatives (TCO approach) without compromising service quality
• Identify and implement operational improvements with the team, not for the team
• Maintain green-level customer satisfaction across GIS operations
• Foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement to enhance performance and competitiveness

External Relationships

• Interface with key customers on operational matters, credible and solution-oriented
• Manage supplier and carrier relationships; lead contract negotiations
• Represent GIS operations in program-level reviews

The profile we are looking for

Experience

• 10 to 15 years in supply chain, logistics, or operations, with direct team management throughout
• Background in mid-size organizations (50 to 300 people) where you had to make things work with limited resources
• Demonstrated experience building or restructuring an operations function, not just inheriting a mature one
• International exposure, ideally including emerging markets or multi-country operations
• Experience with ERP and supply chain systems and reporting tools

Leadership Qualities

• Leads through proximity, visible, accessible, trusted by the people you manage
• Develops others deliberately; you can name people you have grown and explain how
• Co-constructs solutions rather than imposing them; earns buy-in before demanding execution
• Resilient under pressure; maintains composure when things go wrong and finds a path forward
• Challenges upward when needed, with facts, not frustration

Mindset

• Brings answers, not just diagnoses; proactive on solutions, not only on problems
• Comfortable operating in an environment that is still building its processes
• High personal standards without creating a culture of fear around imperfection
• Curious about the business beyond operations, commercially aware and strategically grounded

Language Requirements

• English: Full professional proficiency (working language)
• French and/or Dutch: an asset given our Benelux base of operations
• Additional languages relevant to customer programs: valued

Cultural fit

• Multicultural teamwork and clear communication in an international context
• Curious mindset towards problem solving and efficiency
• Energy and willingness to learn inside the industrial environment
• Ambassador of etiquette towards internal and external stakeholders

What do we offer

We offer a diverse job in an international, multicultural environment with a competitive salary and extralegal benefits