Interim Project Director

About the Opportunity

Interim Project Director - Coldstore Warehouse

Are you a passionate change agent who thrives on unlocking efficiencies and empowering teams?

We’re seeking a results-driven Project Director to lead the delivery of a fully automated coldstore warehouse facility near Bristol from design through commissioning and handover.

This senior role combines programme leadership, board-level stakeholder management, rigorous financial control, risk governance, and tight cross-functional integration with enterprise programmes such as S4/Hana and our new food manufacturing facility.

You'll be experienced in managing large scale warehouse projects and have a proven track record of working to budgets and meeting deadlines.

Key Performance Indicators

• Budget variance Final project cost within agreed tolerance.
• Schedule adherence Achievement of critical milestones and on-time commissioning.
• Safety and compliance Zero major HSE incidents; successful regulatory approvals and validation.
• Integration success S4/Hana and WMS interfaces delivered and stable at go-live.
• Stakeholder satisfaction Positive Board and operational sponsor feedback; timely executive decisions.

About Company

apetito is the UK’s leading food supplier to the health and social care sectors serving more than 1,300 care homes, health care and education settings.

Our meals are expertly crafted by our dieticians and chefs, and then frozen to lock in the goodness.

Wiltshire Farm Foods, our sister company, is the UK’s largest ready meal supplier cooking and delivering over 330 different delicious frozen ready meals across the UK.

Responsibilities

• End-to-end project leadership
• Programme planning and delivery
• Contract and supplier management
• Quality, HSE and compliance
• Commissioning and operational readiness
• Benefits realisation

Stakeholder Management and Governance

• Board-level engagement
• Governance and reporting
• Senior stakeholder relationships
• Escalation and decision facilitation

Financial Management and Risk Management

• Budget ownership
• Financial tracking and controls
• Commercial oversight
• Risk governance
• Contingency and scenario planning

Cross-Functional Integration and Systems Interfaces

• ERP and IT integration
• Coordination with Trowbridge manufacturing facility
• OT/IT convergence
• Change management and training

Eligibility

Essential Qualifications And Experience

• Degree in Engineering, Project Management, Construction Management, or related discipline.
• Prince2 Practitioner, PMP, or equivalent
• Proven track record of delivering large industrial automation or cold-chain projects (capital value typically £20m+)
• Significant experience in senior project leadership roles
• ERP integration experience Direct experience working with S4/Hana or major ERP/WMS integrations during capital projects

Essential Skills

• Board-level communication
• Financial acumen
• Risk and governance
• Technical understanding
• Leadership and influence
• Tools

Formal training in financial/project controls is desirable.

Due to the location, a full UK driving licence and access to your own vehicle are essential.

Benefits

• Free on-site parking
• Competitive day rate