Operations & service delivery
Running day-to-day operations to a consistent standard, with clear routines, priorities and accountability across busy sites and teams.
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Operations manager CV
Stuart Savage — operations and customer experience leader, Kennington, London. Multi-site service delivery, safety-critical compliance, supplier and logistics control, and structured project delivery across transport, hospitality, retail and e-commerce.
Core competencies
Customer experience & service recovery
Holding a clear standard for how customers are treated, communicating openly when problems arise and working through difficult situations calmly.
Strategic project planning & delivery
Scoping work, planning the sequence, coordinating the moving parts and taking responsibility through to handover.
Suppliers, procurement & logistics
Coordinating suppliers, stakeholders, procurement and deliveries so that plans hold up against real-world constraints.
People leadership & training
Leading and training teams, setting performance standards and supporting people to work to them.
E-commerce, fulfilment & digital operations
Experience across online fulfilment, stock, dispatch and customer service in a consumer business.
Commercial awareness & cost control
Cost awareness, cost control and practical P&L understanding gained from both managed and owner-led operations.
Governance, compliance & improvement
Health and safety, risk awareness, process design and steady improvement of how work gets done.
Professional experience
Founder & Managing Director
Operational & Spatial Design Group — London & Home Counties
Mar 2019 – May 2026 · Savage Bespoke Ltd, Stuart Savage Landscaping, The Moonlight Garden Design Co.
- Governed end-to-end commercial operations, supply chain logistics and physical delivery for complex, high-value structural installations across three concurrent brands, holding primary accountability for on-site health and safety compliance, risk assessments and team rostering.
- Negotiated high-value supplier contracts and managed client stakeholders under tight budgetary constraints.
- Maintained a record of zero site accidents across concurrent projects, with a 4.9/5 customer satisfaction rate.
- Introduced a proprietary digital spatial modelling approach that helped reduce delivery timelines by 20%.
- Concluded a planned, solvent operational wind-down of the remaining businesses in May 2026, closing supplier accounts and completing client handovers in an orderly sequence.
Assistant Manager
The Dog House Pub — London
Aug 2018 – Apr 2019 · High-volume events and compliance
- Led end-to-end high-volume event operations, including the full holiday and Christmas programme.
- Authored the food safety manual and implemented structured daily checks, training staff to standard.
- Directed shift operations, customer experience recovery and fast-paced public service.
- Managed supplier negotiations and daily stock control to reduce commercial waste.
Expeditions Leader
Transcontinental Botanical Investigation — South America & Asia
Jul 2017 – Aug 2018 · Self-directed 18-month expedition
- Designed and executed an 18-month global expedition studying international landscapes.
- Managed international travel logistics, border-crossing protocols and multi-currency budget controls in low-infrastructure environments.
- Secured independent research grant funding for a five-month residency in remote areas of the Colombian Amazon.
- Completed high-altitude mountaineering and route planning in the Andes (4,750m) and Himalayas (3,210m).
Interim Project Manager
Transitional Assets — London
Jan 2016 – Jun 2017 · Commercial launch portfolio
- Managed a portfolio of independent commercial launch projects, directing local logistics, fleet dispatch and site scheduling.
- Developed operational workflows and customer acquisition approaches to scale new business launches.
- Launched and scaled local street-food operations, establishing early-stage supply chains and structured handovers.
Food & Beverage Manager
No1 Lounges Ltd — Heathrow Airport
Sep 2015 – Jan 2016 · Safety-critical transport environment
- Led frontline passenger operations and safety compliance in one of the world's busiest regulated transport environments.
- Managed crowd flow and passenger welfare during periods of intense airport traffic and flight delays.
- Maintained compliance with Civil Aviation Authority security protocols and airport safety guidelines.
- Acted as the central point of authority for customer recovery, de-escalating stressed passenger complaints calmly.
Head of Online (Contract)
The Capital Hotel, supporting The London Bakery Co. — London
Jun 2015 – Sep 2015 · Fulfilment and dispatch
- Optimised digital order fulfilment, dispatch workflows and delivery vehicle scheduling.
- Redesigned delivery route logistics, cutting turnaround times and improving fleet utilisation.
- Improved dispatch accuracy and reduced missed delivery windows.
Head of Corporate Sales
Vital Ingredient (UK) Ltd — London
Jun 2014 – Feb 2015 · B2B distribution network
- Built the organisation's first B2B distribution and delivery network across London.
- Managed corporate stakeholder relationships and negotiated commercial service level agreements.
- Designed delivery route logistics and structured fleet scheduling, establishing a new revenue stream.
Branch Manager & Head of Online
The Hummingbird Bakery — London
May 2011 – Jun 2014 · Retail operations and e-commerce
- Directed daily retail operations for high-turnover flagship locations, owning rotas, inventory pipelines and daily financial audits.
- Led and trained customer service teams of up to 20 staff on operational standards and safety compliance.
- Doubled e-commerce revenue within a 12-month period through targeted digital workflow integration.
- Redesigned the digital order dispatch system and optimised delivery fleet routing.
General Manager
YO! Sushi — London
Jan 2010 – May 2011 · High-volume hospitality
- Held full accountability for a team of up to 40 service and kitchen employees, shift patterns, P&L controls and health and safety compliance.
- Designed staff scheduling and task allocation to align with peak footfall.
- Monitored stock control, supplier pipelines and waste management to protect margins.
- Consistently achieved maximum external audit ratings for health, safety and hygiene compliance.
Store Manager & Drive-Thru Trainer
Starbucks Coffee Company — UK & Seattle, WA, USA
Aug 2006 – Jan 2010 · International secondment
- Selected for an international secondment to Starbucks global headquarters in Seattle, working with senior executive leadership on service-flow optimisation and queue mechanics.
- Managed high-volume branch operations, inventory controls and staff rostering for multi-million pound locations.
- Co-authored the European Drive-Thru Training Manual, defining metrics for queue progression and layout logistics.
- Trained, onboarded and coached over 100 frontline service employees in customer care, safety and coordination.
Graphic Designer
Wardell Armstrong LLP — UK
Jul 2001 – Sep 2004 · Infrastructure and planning consultancy
- Worked with structural engineers and environmental consultants on technical graphics, terrain blueprints and environmental impact assessments.
- Produced reports and planning documentation supporting major infrastructure and regeneration schemes.
- Maintained strict quality control across multi-disciplinary project databases.
Education and professional qualifications
Professional Diploma in Garden Design
British Academy of Garden Design · 2019
Continued professional development combining creative design with technical planning, environmental knowledge and structured project delivery.
BA (Hons) Graphic Communications
University of Wales Institute, Cardiff · 2004
Foundations in visual communication, technical presentation and project coordination that continue to support operational leadership and customer engagement.
Note on founder-led businesses: Savage Bespoke Ltd, Stuart Savage Landscaping and The Moonlight Garden Design Co. completed a planned, solvent operational wind-down in May 2026. They are recorded here as evidence of operational ownership, site logistics and structural project delivery.