Jobs in Essington

Plant Manager - West Midlands

My client is a well-established FMCG manufacturer operating within a highly automated production environment. The business has a strong focus on operational excellence, quality, safety and continuous improvement, supported by sophisticated automated manufacturing processes.

The role

We are seeking a hands-on Plant Manager to take responsibility for the day-to-day performance and continuous improvement of a highly automated manufacturing operation in the West Midlands.

This is a broad operational role, with responsibility extending beyond production into Health & Safety, Maintenance, Facilities and Lean/Continuous Improvement.

The successful candidate will be comfortable being close to the operation, working alongside production and engineering teams, identifying opportunities for improvement and driving solutions through to implementation.

Key responsibilities

Lead the day-to-day manufacturing operation, ensuring production targets, quality standards and customer requirements are consistently achieved.

Take overall responsibility for Health & Safety across the operation, promoting a strong and proactive safety culture.

Work closely with engineering and maintenance teams to maximise equipment reliability, availability and performance.

Lead and develop PPM (Planned Preventative Maintenance) initiatives to improve asset reliability and reduce unplanned downtime.

Oversee site facilities, ensuring the plant remains safe, compliant and operationally effective.

Drive Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives across the operation.

Identify and eliminate waste, inefficiency and recurring operational issues through structured problem-solving.

Work hands-on with automated production lines, understanding the interaction between equipment, processes and people.

Develop robust processes and standards to support consistent production performance.

Maintain a strong focus on quality and customer service, particularly within an FMCG environment supplying major retailers.

Candidate requirements

The successful candidate is likely to have:

Proven managerial experience within an FMCG or highly automated manufacturing environment.

A strong engineering background, ideally combining a relevant academic qualification with substantial hands-on engineering experience.

Practical experience working with automated production lines and manufacturing equipment.

A strong understanding of maintenance principles, with experience of developing and leading PPM programmes.

Demonstrable experience of Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies.

A hands-on approach, with the credibility and confidence to work directly with production and engineering teams.

Experience of working within a fast-paced FMCG environment where quality, efficiency and customer service are critical.

Experience of manufacturing products supplied to major UK retailers.

Strong leadership and communication skills, with the ability to engage teams and drive change.

A practical, commercially aware approach and the ability to make decisions quickly in a manufacturing environment