Manufacturing Manager

Overview

In this role you will lead a large, high-performance manufacturing operation at a strategically important UK site within a global food manufacturer. You will drive safe, efficient production, ensure quality and regulatory compliance, and shape site performance through continuous improvement and people development. You’ll work closely with cross-functional teams and senior leadership to deliver growth and investment plans. This is a chance to make a tangible impact on a global business while leading a complex, safety-critical operation.

Pay / Benefits

• competitive salary
• performance bonus
• comprehensive benefits package
• significant investment programme
• career progression opportunities
• exposure to international operations

Responsibilities

• Lead all site manufacturing activities to ensure safe, efficient production
• Champion a world-class safety culture within a COMAH environment
• Deliver KPIs for productivity, quality, service, cost, and customer satisfaction
• Develop and execute manufacturing strategies aligned with site and business objectives
• Drive continuous improvement using Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, or equivalent
• Build, lead, and develop a large multi-disciplinary team
• Ensure compliance with food safety, quality, environment, and regulatory standards
• Collaborate with Engineering, Production, Supply Chain, Quality, HSE, and Commercial teams
• Lead change programmes, capacity improvements, and site investment projects
• Manage budgets and resources to maximise operational effectiveness and profitability

Key requirements

• Significant leadership experience in a regulated manufacturing environment (food, FMCG, chemicals, pharmaceuticals)
• Experience on a COMAH-regulated site, ideally Upper Tier
• Proven track record of leading large manufacturing teams
• Strong understanding of operational excellence and continuous improvement
• Proven ability to deliver improvements in safety, quality, productivity, and cost
• Strong stakeholder management and ability to influence at all levels
• Experience managing organisational change and cultural transformation
• Degree-level qualification in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, or related field (preferred)

• Strategic thinking with hands-on leadership
• Stakeholder management
• Change management
• Lean
• Six Sigma
• TPM (Total Productive Maintenance)

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