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- Tasks: Lead and inspire teams in a fast-paced manufacturing environment while driving operational excellence.
- Company: Join CHEP, a certified Top 17 Global Employer with a focus on safety and sustainability.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, annual bonus, private healthcare, and flexible working options.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by leading change and developing high-performing teams.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in leadership roles within manufacturing or logistics, with a focus on continuous improvement.
- Other info: Dynamic role with excellent career growth opportunities and a supportive culture.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 75000 £ per year.
Location: Pontefract, WF8 4QD
Type: Full-time, Permanent
Are you an experienced people leader with a passion for driving operational excellence, leading through change, and building high-performing teams? Do you thrive in fast-paced manufacturing environments and bring a strong safety-first, continuous-improvement mindset? If so, we’d love to hear from you.
CHEP is seeking a Site General Manager (internally this role is called ‘Plant Manager’) to lead our Pontefract Service Centre Operations. This is a pivotal leadership role where you’ll champion our culture of safety, sustainability, and customer focus, while delivering strategic objectives and driving transformation across the site.
You’ll be fully accountable for operational performance, employee engagement, cost control, and continuous improvement, ensuring the plant meets and exceeds quality, efficiency, and customer expectations. Success in this role requires strong, adaptable leadership, the confidence to have courageous conversations, and the ability to develop people and performance in equal measure.
Key Responsibilities- Lead, inspire, and develop large, diverse teams through significant operational and cultural change, maintaining engagement and performance in a dynamic environment.
- Demonstrate adaptive people leadership, flexing management style as required, from coaching and support, to firm direction and performance challenge, to keep programmes and operations on track.
- Take full ownership of team capability and development by identifying skills and performance gaps through data and observation, creating and delivering clear development and action plans, and tracking progress to ensure measurable and sustained improvement.
- Drive a strong safety-first culture, ensuring compliance, engagement, and continuous improvement in health, safety, and wellbeing.
- Deliver operational KPIs across safety, quality, service, cost, and productivity in a highly automated manufacturing environment.
- Lead Cost Operations and Continuous Improvement initiatives, identifying and delivering measurable savings and efficiency gains through; Process optimisation and waste elimination, smarter resource deployment and productivity improvement, standardisation and sustainable ways of working.
- Build and deliver robust improvement plans supported by clear data, business cases, and measurable outcomes, ensuring benefits are sustained.
- Own site budgets and financial performance, balancing cost discipline with operational effectiveness and long-term sustainability.
- Engage and influence key stakeholders, including site leadership, central functions, and trade unions, to successfully embed change.
- Minimum 5 years’ experience managing large teams in a fast-paced manufacturing, logistics, or industrial environment.
- Proven track record of leading through change and delivering results in automated or high-volume operations.
- Demonstrable experience in people development, with clear examples of personally driving capability improvement through structured action plans and follow-through.
- Strong background in Continuous Improvement and cost optimisation, with evidence of tangible, quantified outcomes.
- Experience of budget ownership, stakeholder management, and working effectively in unionised environments.
- Confident and authentic leader, able to balance empathy with accountability and handle challenging conversations with clarity and fairness.
- Strategic thinker with strong problem-solving and financial acumen.
- Exceptional communication, coaching, and influencing skills.
- Certified Top 17 Global Employer
- Annual bonus (typically 15%) based on company and individual performance
- Car allowance
- Generous share scheme
- Private healthcare (family cover)
- Flexible working options
- 25 days holiday + statutory holidays, with the option to buy/sell up to 5 additional days
- 10% company pension contribution
- Life Assurance
- Employee Assistance Programme
Ready to Apply? Submit your CV tailored to this opportunity, highlighting your leadership impact, change delivery, and operational achievements. We look forward to welcoming you to the team.
Site General Manager in Pontefract employer: CHEP
Contact Detail:
CHEP Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Site General Manager in Pontefract
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the industry, attend local events, and join relevant online groups. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its culture. Understand their values around safety and continuous improvement, and think of examples from your experience that align with these. This will show you're not just a fit on paper but also in practice.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your leadership stories! Be ready to discuss how you've led teams through change and improved operational performance. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers and make them impactful.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining our team at CHEP.
We think you need these skills to ace Site General Manager in Pontefract
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored specifically for the Site General Manager role. Highlight your leadership experience, change management skills, and any operational achievements that align with what we’re looking for.
Showcase Your People Skills: We want to see how you’ve developed teams in the past. Include examples of how you've inspired and engaged large teams, especially during times of change. This will show us you can lead effectively in a dynamic environment.
Quantify Your Achievements: When detailing your experience, use numbers and data to back up your claims. Whether it’s cost savings, efficiency gains, or team performance improvements, quantifying your achievements helps us see the impact you’ve made.
Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for this exciting opportunity. We can’t wait to hear from you!
How to prepare for a job interview at CHEP
✨Know Your Leadership Style
Before the interview, reflect on your leadership style and how it aligns with the role of Site General Manager. Be ready to share specific examples of how you've adapted your approach in past roles to inspire and develop diverse teams, especially during times of change.
✨Showcase Your Continuous Improvement Mindset
Prepare to discuss your experience with continuous improvement initiatives. Bring concrete examples of how you've driven operational excellence and cost optimisation in previous positions, highlighting measurable outcomes that demonstrate your impact.
✨Emphasise Safety and Compliance
Since this role champions a safety-first culture, be prepared to talk about your commitment to health and safety standards. Share instances where you’ve successfully implemented safety protocols or improved compliance within a manufacturing environment.
✨Engage with Stakeholders
Think about how you've engaged with various stakeholders in your past roles. Be ready to discuss your strategies for influencing key players, including site leadership and trade unions, to drive change and achieve operational goals.