Head of Operations

• Newly created position
• Lead, coach, mentor to build a high performing culture
• Drive operational excellence

Wilsons Fruit and Vegetables, are a proudly family-owned business, built on quality, integrity, and community values, with a rich history, making them an icon of Ballarat. From humble beginnings, Wilsons Fruit and Vegetables are an award-winning business with a strong focus on providing exceptional customer service, providing premium fruit and vegetables and a large range of specialty items in their delicatessen and grocery departments. They are proud to support local farmers both here in Victoria and across Australia, giving customers access to the best produce possible.

To support Wilsons Fruit and Vegetables growth and ongoing evolution, the Head of Operations role has been established. With a focus on leading and optimising the end to end business operations, the Head of Operations is a pivotal leadership role, requiring a strategic mindset, strong commercial acumen while taking a proactive, on-the-floor approach; this isn’t an office or desk-based job!

The Head of Operations has responsibility across the business, from Retail and Wholesale, to Finance, Administration, Purchasing and Market plus Corporate Services. Wilsons Fruit and Vegetables is more than a retail store, it’s a complex business, operating close to 24 hours per day, 7 days a week. Hence, you’ll need to demonstrate your ability to lead a diverse range of business departments while being committed to the Wilsons Fruit and Vegetables strong customer focus and commitment to quality.

Responsible for the smooth, effective, and strategic operation of the business, the Head of Operations will ensure the people, systems, and processes deliver a premium customer experience while aligning with brand values and future goals. You’ll be a key leader and driver of continuous improvement initiatives, supporting growth and developing a high performance culture.

An overview of your key responsibilities include:

• Leading and managing the daily operations to achieve business goals
• Implementing and managing operational standards, systems, policies and procedures
• Oversee compliance; health and safety, food safety, human resources and employment, legal
• Lead, coach, mentor and develop team members to be the best they can be
• Drive employee engagement, retention, culture and performance initiatives
• Develop, implement and manage induction / onboarding and training programs
• Manage labour resources and workforce planning
• Contribute to the strategic planning, execute operational strategies and growth plans
• Analyse financial and operational data, provide dashboard reporting and make appropriate recommendations
• Develop, implement and measure performance against key indicators and business goals

About You
You’ll be a proven operations leader who thrives in a fast-paced, customer-driven environment. You understand the importance of balancing hands-on day-to-day leadership with strategic thinking, you are proactive and outcome focused. Being highly organised, financially literate, and comfortable leading diverse teams is second nature to you. Most importantly, you genuinely care about people; you are experienced in coaching, mentoring and developing people, creating a high performance culture with a commitment to providing an exceptional customer experience as the foundation.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Extensive experience in a senior operations role; you don’t need experience in retail or fruit and vegetables or grocery, Wilsons can teach you the product if you can bring the operations frameworks and people leadership skills to the table.
• Proven leadership and people management experience; coaching, mentoring, performance and culture development.
• Strong understanding of financial management and business performance metrics.
• Demonstrated ability to drive efficiency, manage change, and deliver results.
• Excellent communication, problem-solving, organisational and influencing skills.
• A values-driven approach aligned with family business culture.

Inspired? For further information, contact Ange Connor on 0407 833 152. To download a copy of the position description, please click the ‘Download Position Description’ button below.
To apply, please click the ‘apply for position’ button by close of business Monday 6th October 2025.