Operations Leader
- Job ID
- Job ID 76310
- Team
- Team Tech
- Location
- Location Hemel Hempstead
- Salary
- Salary competitive
- Posting Date
- Posting Date 03/07/2026
- Apply Before
- Apply Before 09/07/2026

Summary
A great opportunity to join our nights team at our Hemel Hempstead Warehouse.
Pay: £15.78ph + 11% London Weighting and applicable shift premiums.
Shift available: Wed/Thur-Sat 2000-0800.
The role:
As an Operations Leader, you are the heartbeat of our daily warehouse activity. You’ll be the person who turns high level plans into reality by clarifying tasks, motivating the team, and acting as the first point of contact for any queries on the floor. You’ll make a difference by ensuring our fast paced environment remains organised, safe, and efficient, ensuring every parcel gets to where it needs to go.
To help you hit the ground running, NEXT provides a comprehensive induction and ongoing support from our management team to ensure you feel confident leading your department.
What you’ll take on:
Your day to day will be varied and active, focusing on both people and performance:
- Leading the Shift: Conduct pre-shift briefs and end of shift handovers to ensure everyone knows exactly what is expected.
- Driving Performance: Monitor KPIs like UPH (Units Per Hour) and CPU (Cost Per Unit) to achieve our target of 97% OTIF (On Time In Full).
- People Management: Support your team through weekly performance discussions, Return to Work interviews, and managing absence or disciplinary matters fairly and consistently.
- Operational Control: Update daily planners and target monitors throughout the shift, accounting for all hours worked in your area.
- Safety First: Maintain a safe environment by conducting daily floorwalks, safety observations, and leading accident investigations when necessary.
- Staying Connected: Use tools like Yapster and internal chat to provide real time updates and resolve issues as they arise.
What you’ll bring:
We are looking for a grounded leader who can stay calm when things get busy. To succeed in this role, you’ll need:
- Supervisory Experience: A background in leading teams, ideally within a distribution or warehouse environment.
- Communication Skills: The ability to explain tasks clearly to your team and write concise reports.
- An Analytical Mindset: You should be comfortable with numbers and able to interpret performance data to improve results.
- Resilience: A flexible approach to work and the ability to lead by example under pressure.
- Practical Skills: You must be computer literate, hold a valid driving licence, and have a proven track record of solving day to day operational problems.
Benefits
- Sharesave scheme
- 25% off most NEXT, MADE*, Lipsy*, Gap* and Victoria's Secret* products (*when purchased through NEXT)
- Generous bonus scheme for many roles
- Restaurants with great food at amazing prices
- Access to fantastic discounts at our Staff Shops
- Free on-site parking
- 10% off most partner brands & up to 15% off Branded Beauty
- Hot deals and exclusive offers from over 3,500 retailers through our online benefits platform
- Financial Wellbeing - Save, track and enhance your financial wellbeing
- Apprenticeship - Grow and develop on the job whilst gaining a qualification
- Support Networks - Access to Network Groups to empower and celebrate each other
What's Next?
Apply
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Review
Offer
Team Overview
We are a global tech innovator and a software house inside a retailer. Our platforms power online journeys, store systems, and automated warehouses. Be part of a team that owns end-to-end delivery, shipping often, owning outcomes and keeping our customers moving.

Our brands
You’ve probably heard of NEXT, but did you know about our portfolio? Every brand in our offering brings a distinct story, attitude and community. Spanning contemporary lifestyle brands, established high street names and timeless collections, together they showcase the vibrancy of today’s retail world.
About NEXT
You know Next, but did you know we're a FTSE-100 retail company employing over 44,000 people across the Next group. We're the UK's 2nd largest fashion retailer and for Kidswear we're the market leader. At the last count we have over 450 stores, plus the Next Online and it's now possible to buy on-line from over 80 countries around the world! So we've gone global!





