Manufacturing Plant Manager in Stockport

Allied Bakeries are owned by Associated British Foods. ABF is a diversified international food, ingredients and retail group with sales of £20.1bn and 138,000 employees in 56 countries. It has significant businesses in Europe, Africa, the Americas, Asia and Australia. Our sister companies in ABF UK Grocery produce products under many market‑leading household brands, including Jordans, Ryvita, Pataks, Blue Dragon and Silver Spoon. We are proud of our brands: we make the top 10 UK grocery brand Kingsmill as well as Allinson’s and Sunblest. You’ll know us best through our white, wholemeal and seeded market‑leading loaves, as well as Kingsmill 50/50, the nation’s favourite Healthier White, and our delicious pancakes, crumpets, hot cross buns and other bakery products.

The success of our business depends on having the right people on the team. We are incredibly passionate about our business, but it isn’t for the faint‑hearted – it is pacey and demanding so our people need to have a positive attitude and want to work inclusively. We take massive pride in what we do, not least in how colleagues based in our bakeries and depots have one of the best safety performance records in the industry.

Our Grocery Service Centre, based near Liverpool, is a hub for transactional activity across multiple ABF companies within the ABF Grocery division. Supporting some of our well‑known brands such as Kingsmill, Pataks, Blue Dragon, Jordans, Ryvita and Silver Spoon, amongst others. We deliver Shared Service activities across a wide range of disciplines including Customer Services, Consumer Care, Finance, Payroll, HR and IS.

If you’re looking to join a business that is passionate, encourages you to be the best you can be, and values its people, we would love to hear from you.

Overview Of Role

Location: Stockport. Full‑time (Monday–Friday). Are you a driven manufacturing leader ready to take ownership of performance, people, and continuous improvement? We’re looking for a Plant Manager to lead a fast‑paced production environment, delivering excellence across safety, quality, cost and service – while building a high‑performing, engaged team. This is your opportunity to make a real impact, drive operational success and shape the future of manufacturing on site.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary
• Great benefits package (including holidays, pension, private health care and more)
• Monday to Friday working pattern – supporting work‑life balance
• Career development opportunities in a growing, forward‑thinking business
• A culture that values leadership, innovation and continuous improvement

What You’ll Be Doing

• Deliver world‑class performance: own production output and achieve ambitious performance targets
• Drive efficiency, OEE and cost control while optimising plant capacity
• Deliver profit delivery plans and maximise operational performance
• Champion health, safety and quality; lead a safety‑first culture, ensuring compliance and continuous improvement
• Manage audits, risk assessments and incident investigations
• Drive quality standards, reduce customer complaints and maintain compliance
• Build and lead exceptional teams: motivate, coach and develop your team to achieve their full potential
• Deliver performance reviews, training plans and workforce development
• Manage absence, performance and disciplinary processes
• Drive continuous improvement and change: lead and sponsor continuous improvement initiatives
• Embed best practices and a “clean as you go” culture
• Support NPD activity, trials and capital/equipment projects
• Collaborate across the business: work closely with cross‑functional teams to deliver exceptional customer service, communicate effectively and ensure alignment and operational success
• Accountable for delivering across health & safety, people, performance, quality & food safety, service and continuous improvement

The Right Person

Essential

• Lead by example with a “Safety First” message and demonstrate a good standard of health and food safety record with an awareness of environmental factors.
• Good understanding of manufacturing systems and procedures and knowledge of safety standards; sustainably delivering continuous improvement.
• Focus on results, with the ability to operate and make decisions effectively.
• Experience in a managerial operations role in a commercially challenging environment with strong leadership skills; confident, open and honest style of communicating.
• Evidence of accepting and driving ownership and accountability to drive team performance and quality output.
• Strong customer focus, always willing to go the extra mile to deliver good service.
• Lateral thinker with good critical reasoning skills, capable of identifying opportunities for improvement and delivering pragmatic solutions with high commercial acumen.
• Self‑starter with the energy and determination to set standards and drive quality, performance and change.
• PC literate, including working ability with Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint and Word; capable of using management systems.
• Numerate with the ability to analyse and communicate clear, concise information.

Advantageous

• Previous experience in a FMCG company.
• Budgetary skills.
• Preferably educated to degree or equivalent standard.

Why Join Us?

• Lead from the front and make a visible impact every day.
• Be part of a team focused on excellence and growth.
• Take your career to the next level in a high‑impact leadership role.