Head of Operations (Fashion) at a Premium Nigerian Menswear Brand – Elvaridah

Job Title: Head of Operations (Fashion)

Location: Lekki phase 1, Lagos
Employment Type: Full-time; Mondays-Fridays 9:00am-6:00pm (Onsite), Saturdays (Remote)
Reports To: Founder / CEO / Creative Director
Department: Operations

Role Summary

• The Head of Operations will be responsible for ensuring that the company's operational engine runs efficiently, consistently and profitably, from order handover through production, quality control and delivery.
• The Head of Operations is responsible for the day-to-day operational performance of.
• The successful candidate will coordinate people, production, quality control, inventory, logistics and workflow to ensure that every confirmed order is produced to required standard and delivered within the agreed timeframe.
• The role requires a highly organised, commercially aware and hands-on leader who can manage people, identify bottlenecks, enforce standards and create systems that reduce dependence on the Founder.
• The Head of Operations should not merely react to operational problems. They are expected to anticipate them, prevent them and continuously improve the way operates.

Key Responsibilities
Production Management:

• Oversee the complete production workflow from confirmed order handover to finished garment.
• Plan and coordinate production schedules based on deadlines, priority and available capacity.
• Assign jobs appropriately across tailors, cutters, embroidery/monogram operators and other production personnel.
• Monitor progress of all active orders and identify delays before they become critical.
• Ensure production teams understand specifications, deadlines and quality expectations.
• Coordinate outsourced or specialist production activities where applicable.
• Ensure urgent and priority orders are appropriately scheduled without compromising the wider production pipeline.

Quality Control:

• Establish and enforce quality standards across production.
• Ensure garments are inspected at appropriate stages of production.
• Identify finishing, fitting, construction, embroidery and workmanship defects before garments reach customers or the showroom.
• Ensure rejected garments are returned for correction promptly.
• Track recurring quality issues and identify their root causes.
• Hold relevant staff accountable for repeated quality failures.
• Work with the Founder/Creative Director to continuously improve quality standards.

Order Fulfilment:

• Receive properly documented orders from the Sales & Client Experience team.
• Verify that all required information is available before production begins.
• Ensure customer measurements, fabric requirements, design specifications and deadlines are properly documented.
• Maintain accurate order status throughout the production cycle.
• Ensure completed orders are properly packaged and prepared for delivery or collection.
• Coordinate with the Sales & Client Experience team regarding order readiness and customer communication.

Inventory & Materials:

• Oversee production-related inventory and material availability.
• Monitor fabrics, trims, packaging materials and other production consumables.
• Identify potential shortages before they affect production.
• Maintain accurate records of materials issued and consumed.
• Reduce unnecessary wastage, loss and material discrepancies.
• Coordinate procurement requests with the appropriate management personnel.

People & Team Management:

• Supervise production and operational personnel.
• Monitor attendance, punctuality, productivity and conduct.

Set clear expectations for team members:

• Allocate responsibilities according to competence and workload.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and provide feedback.
• Identify training requirements.
• Recommend disciplinary action where necessary.
• Build a culture of accountability, professionalism and attention to detail.

Process & Systems Improvement:

• Develop and maintain clear operational SOPs.
• Identify recurring operational problems and implement solutions.
• Improve workflow between Sales, Operations, Production and Quality Control.
• Ensure operational information is accurately captured in designated management systems.
• Reduce unnecessary founder involvement by creating repeatable systems.
• Regularly review operational processes and recommend improvements.

Logistics & Delivery:

• Coordinate dispatch, deliveries, collections and relevant logistics.
• Ensure customers receive accurate information regarding order readiness and delivery.
• Monitor delivery timelines and resolve logistics issues promptly.
• Maintain appropriate records of completed deliveries and collections.

Reporting:

• The Head of Operations will provide regular operational reports covering:
  • Orders in production
  • Orders completed
  • Orders delayed
  • Orders awaiting information/materials
  • Production capacity
  • Quality-control failures
  • Rework
  • Delivery status
  • Staff attendance/productivity

Inventory concerns:

• Major operational risks
• Recommended corrective actions

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Performance will be measured against, among others:

• On-time order completion rate
• Production turnaround time
• Quality-control pass rate
• Rework/defect rate
• Number of delayed orders
• Accuracy of order-status records
• Production productivity
• Inventory accuracy
• Material wastage/loss
• Staff attendance and productivity
• Customer complaints attributable to operational failures
• Successful implementation of operational improvements

Authority & Escalation:
The Head of Operations is expected to independently manage routine operational decisions.

• Issues should be escalated to the Founder/CEO when they involve:
  • Major financial commitments
  • Significant customer disputes
  • Major production failures
  • Serious staff disciplinary matters
  • Brand-sensitive issues
  • Significant supplier disputes
  • Decisions that materially affect strategic direction
  • Exceptions to established company policies

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent professional experience preferred.
• Minimum of 2–4 years' relevant experience in operations, production management, fashion/apparel manufacturing, retail or a comparable environment.
• Experience managing production teams is strongly preferred.
• Experience in a fashion/tailoring/apparel business is highly advantageous.
• Demonstrable experience implementing or improving operational systems.
• Strong knowledge of workflow management, quality control and production planning.

Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is:

• Highly organised and structured.
• Strong at managing people and deadlines.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced fashion/production environment.
• Detail-oriented without losing sight of the bigger picture.
• Firm but fair in managing staff.
• Proactive rather than reactive.
• Commercially aware.
• Comfortable using digital workflow and productivity tools.
• Strong at reporting and documentation.
• Able to identify problems and independently propose solutions.
• Capable of holding people accountable.
• Comfortable working closely with a Founder/Creative Director while progressively taking ownership of operations.