Project & Operations Manager (part-time contractor)

Mimica is seeking an organised and proactive Project & Operations Manager as a part-time contractor to support the planning, coordination and delivery of customer trials for our award-winning smart food spoilage labels. Initially the need is in August and September with future scope for other projects.

This is a flexible part-time role working closely with our commercial and product teams to coordinate customer trials from planning through to execution. You'll act as the bridge between customers, suppliers and Mimica's internal teams, combining project management, customer coordination and hands-on operational support to bring pioneering food waste-reducing technology into real production environments.

About us

At Mimica, we’ve developed a range of award-winning labels, called Bump, that tell you exactly when food spoils, based on storage conditions. Our mission is to radically reduce unnecessary food waste caused by the current expiry date system. We work in partnership with international food companies and their suppliers to integrate our solutions into their packaging.

Our company values are core to the way we operate and guide our decision-making. We’re looking for someone to support our current team of 9 to help transition our products from pilot trials into commercial deployment.

You

We’re looking for somebody passionate about sustainability, making a difference to food waste and who wants to be part of a fast-paced tight-knit startup culture.

You'll be highly organised, calm under pressure and happy rolling up your sleeves to ensure customer trials run successfully.

As one of our company values is diverse expertise, we embrace applicants from all walks of life.

You should have:

• Around 3-5+ years experience in project management, operations or customer delivery roles
• Excellent organisational and planning skills
• Experience managing multiple stakeholders and projects simultaneously
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills
• A practical, hands-on mindset with excellent problem-solving abilities
• High attention to detail
• Willingness to travel to customer manufacturing and packaging sites, primarily in the North.

Nice to have, but not essential:

• Experience within food manufacturing, FMCG or packaging
• Experience delivering manufacturing trials or implementing new products into customer operations
• Understanding of production lines or manufacturing operations
• Experience coordinating with suppliers
• Basic technical understanding of engineering and scientific concepts
• Experience working within fast-paced startup or SME environments
• Full UK driving licence

The role

• Planning and managing customer trials from initial planning through to completion
• Coordinating customers, suppliers and Mimica's internal teams to ensure successful trial delivery
• Managing project plans, timelines and product iterations, aligning customer expectations with internal development timelines
• Feeding back customer operational limitations to the product team
• Developing practical solutions to deliver manual and small-scale production trials with minimal disruption to customer operations
• Providing hands-on support, including manual application where required, during trial setup and kick-off at customer manufacturing sites
• Collecting and analysing trial data, customer feedback and survey results

Work hours

This is a flexible part-time role, with working hours varying depending on customer trial activity. The role is primarily project-based, with periods of low activity between customer trials and more intensive involvement during trial planning and execution.

Typical involvement may include:

• Trial planning: Approximately 4-8 hours per week in the weeks leading up to a customer trial.
• Trial delivery: Several full working days during the week before, throughout the trial kick-off and the initial trial period, including on-site customer support where required.
• Post-trial: Ongoing support to coordinate follow-up activities, analyse trial outcomes and plan next steps.

We anticipate an increased level of activity through to the end of September as multiple customer trials are delivered, with ongoing freelance opportunities as new customer projects arise.

Remuneration

Expected rate: £30-£45 per hour, depending on experience.