Chemical Lane, Longport, Stoke-on-Trent, ST6 4PB
Full time
Permanent
Experienced Process Chemist in the Hazardous Waste Sector? Ready to Run a Site Within the Next 1-2 Years?
Stoke-on-Trent | Full Time | Development Route to Site Manager
Castle Environmental is a leading hazardous waste treatment business operating specialist treatment facilities across Stoke-on-Trent, Ilkeston and Cardiff. We are looking for a technically exceptional process chemist to become the technical lead and number two to our Site Manager at Stoke-on-Trent, with a structured pathway to progressing into the Site Manager role within 12-24 months.
We are looking for someone who can bring deep hazardous waste treatment chemistry expertise, strong technical judgement and the ambition to lead. You may already be a Senior Chemist, Process Chemist or Technical Lead and be ready for the next step in your career.
Site management experience is not required. Technical excellence and ambition is.
The Opportunity
You’ll become the site’s leading authority on treatment chemistry, waste processing and technical compliance. You’ll be the person the team turns to when a process isn’t behaving as expected, a difficult waste stream needs assessing, or a technical decision could significantly impact site performance, profitability or compliance.
Alongside leading the technical function, you’ll work closely with the Site Manager and follow a structured development programme designed to develop your leadership, commercial and operational management capability, preparing you to take responsibility for running the Stoke facility within 1-2 years.
What You’ll Do
- Be the site’s technical authority for hazardous waste treatment chemistry, process performance and waste processing.
- Optimise treatment processes through effective dosing, batching, blending and waste routing decisions.
- Provide technical leadership on difficult, unusual and non-conforming waste streams.
- Lead waste classification activities (WM3) and oversee laboratory operations and analytical data integrity.
- Act as the site’s specialist on environmental permitting, discharge consent and technical compliance.
- Lead technical interactions with the Environment Agency and support regulatory inspections and audits.
- Run process trials, pilot projects and management of change activities.
- Lead and develop the site chemists and process team.
- Deputise for the Site Manager and progressively take on broader operational and leadership responsibilities.
What We’re Looking For
- Degree qualified in Chemistry or a closely related scientific discipline.
- Significant experience within UK hazardous waste treatment operations, ideally 7+ years.
- Proven expertise in treatment chemistry and large-scale waste processing.
- Strong knowledge of WM3 waste classification, environmental permitting and COSHH.
- WAMITAB COTC Level 4, or close to achieving it.
- Experience leading, mentoring or supervising technical teams.
- Ambition to progress into a Site Manager role within the next 12-24 months.
- Chartered status or working towards chartership.
- NEBOSH General Certificate or IOSH Managing Safely.
- Experience of process trials, plant commissioning or process optimisation.
- Experience working directly with the Environment Agency.
This Role Is Ideal For Someone Who...
- Knows hazardous waste treatment chemistry inside out.
- Enjoys solving complex technical and processing challenges.
- Wants more responsibility and leadership exposure.
- Has reached a ceiling in their current technical role.
- Is looking for a genuine route into site leadership without needing previous Site Manager experience.
What We Offer
- A senior-level technical leadership role with genuine influence over site performance.
- A structured and supported route to becoming Site Manager within 1-2 years.
- Exposure to commercial decision‑making, projects, budgets and operational leadership.
- The opportunity to shape the future of a growing hazardous waste treatment operation.
- Competitive salary depending on experience
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