Director of Operations

Level:
Salary band:
Location: Remote / On Site / Hybrid

At Automata, we're on a mission to transform how scientists work by making automation accessible to every lab in the world. We believe that by giving labs the power to automate, we can unlock discoveries that will shape the future of life sciences—from diagnostics and drug discovery to synthetic biology.

But we’re more than just a company disrupting the industry—we're a team of innovators, problem-solvers, and creators passionate about empowering scientists. Our LINQ platform combines hardware and software to streamline workflows, making lab automation fast, flexible, and affordable. This means our customers can focus on groundbreaking research, while we take care of the rest.

Why Work at Automata?

• Impact: Your work will directly contribute to advancements in science and medicine, supporting labs around the globe as they push boundaries in research and innovation.

• Innovation: You’ll be part of a team solving complex problems (seriously, no one else has figured out how to do this yet), using cutting-edge technology (we have robots).

• Growth: We invest in our people. Whether through hands-on experience, professional development, or collaborative projects, you’ll grow both professionally and personally.

• Community: Join a diverse, passionate team that values collaboration (golf on a Thursday, Soccer once a month, movie nights whenever we fancy it).

We are looking for a Director of Operations whose mission is to be The architect of how Automata’s Operations organisation works: designing, documenting and embedding the processes, tools, reporting and operating cadence that let a leaner Customer Success, Supply Chain & Procurement and Pre-Sales organisation deliver more for our customers and scale without headcount growing in step.

Why is this role important for Automata?

Automata is scaling the number of labs we automate faster than the teams that deliver and support them. That only works if the way Operations runs changes with it: documented ways of working, shared tooling and reporting, a clean specification handoff from Pre-Sales to delivery, and a supply chain that runs on process rather than heroics. This role owns that redesign to enable a leaner organisation that delivers a better customer experience and growth that no longer requires headcount to grow with it.

In this role you will be responsible for:

• Operating model and transformation: Own the design and roll-out of how Operations works across Operations, lead and manage cross-functional tiger teams against a 12-month roadmap with named outcomes.

• Customer Success operating system: Partner with Customer Success leadership to set the standard for planning, executing and reporting customer deployments and the tooling to run it; build the KPI set (time-to-go-live, utilisation, cost-to-serve, renewal health) and the review cadence around it.

• Pre-Sales: Work with leadership to redesign scoping and requirements documentation so every deal hands to delivery with a complete, costed, agreed specification; standard templates, approval gates, and a measured reduction in post-sale rework and change orders.

• Supply Chain & Procurement: Work with the Director of Supply Chain & Procurement, streamline order-to-install, demand planning and procurement workflows; deliver cost, lead-time and working-capital improvements.

• Operating cadence, data and reporting: Own the Operations KPI tree, dashboards and the weekly/monthly operating review; make the data trustworthy, then make it the basis for decisions.

• Capability: Document SOPs and build the playbook so improvement continues without you.

What it takes:

• 10+ years in operations, business operations or operational excellence, 3+ at Director or senior-manager level, in a scaling B2B company that ships physical product with field installation and support (robotics, instrumentation, capital equipment, lab automation).

• Has led at least one cross-functional operations transformation end to end (operating model, process, tooling, reporting), ideally through a restructure or rapid scaling.

• Process design toolkit (Lean/Six Sigma, value-stream mapping) plus programme discipline: roadmaps, governance, RACI, change management.

• Knows the chain from quote to install to renewal: pre-sales scoping, S&OP, procurement, project delivery, customer success. Has owned or rebuilt a requirements/specification (URS/SOW) process.

• Analytical and financial acumen: KPI trees and dashboards, cost-to-serve, services margin, working capital; can write a business case.

• Fluent in CRM, ERP, project/PSA and BI tooling; has led a system selection and implementation.

• Leads through influence: aligns Director-level peers and runs a matrixed team with no line authority.

• Clear communicator from field engineer to board; writes well.

• Travel around 15–20% to internal sites and the London HQ.

Nice to haves:

Life science/diagnostics/lab-automation domain and GxP or ISO 9001/27001 exposure; Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or PMP; experience inside a business-system culture (DBS, PPI); hands-on Salesforce, NetSuite or CPQ configuration; field service and install-base operation

What gets us excited?

We’re passionate about the future of Technology and Automation and our growing success is built upon like minded individuals who share our passion.

Excited about cutting edge technology? At Automata - and the production team in particular - we are at the bleeding edge of robotics and automation, delivering working, tailored solutions to our customers at a regular cadence.

If this sounds like a good fit and have tick the right boxes, you will love having the opportunity to build something that immediately adds value.

UK Team Benefits:

🍎 Vitality Health Insurance

👀 Eye Care

🚗 Salary Sacrifice - EV

🚲 Salary Sacrifice - Bike & Tech

🧘🏼‍♀️ Wellbeing & Support

☀️ Wellbeing & Development Allowance

💙 Spill & Employee Assistance Programme

😊 Additional Leave

👵🏼 Pension Scheme

🫂 Group Life & Critical Illness cover

We are an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Discrimination of any kind based on race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status is strictly prohibited.