Operations Manager - Protos in Ince

JOIN US IN MAKING A REAL DIFFERENCE TO THE WORLD WE LIVE IN!

Who are ENCYCLIS?

ENCYCLIS, (formally known as Covanta Europe), is a leader in the energy from waste industry and we are looking for our next talented individual to join us on our continuous mission of achieving brilliant things!

We generate sustainable electricity for homes and businesses from non-recyclable waste.

The ash from the process is also recycled to become building materials, and metals are recovered for re-use.

Our facilities are some of the most advanced in the world!

They boast new, state of the art equipment and tools, ensuring safety is at the heart and its people are set up for success.

You will be joining a team of highly skilled, diverse individuals and a business that applauds their successes, loves idea sharing and values its people.

We offer fantastic benefits here!

Where you will be working Protos Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) will provide 500,000 tonnes of annual treatment capacity for non-recyclable waste when it becomes operational in 2026.

Health and Safety - Our highest priority

Nothing is more important than safety.

It is the first of our company values.

A safe, healthy, risk-aware workplace improves the wellbeing of our team, our partners, the local community we serve and the planet we must protect.

We set stringent standards and strive to go even further, every day.

The Protos facility, which is now in commissioning, is located near Ellesmere Port in Cheshire, within the Protos strategic energy and resource hub.

In processing non-recyclable residual waste, the Protos ERF will generate up to 49.9 megawatts of electricity - enough to power 75,000 UK homes.

Protos ERF will be the home of the UK’s first full-scale carbon capture facility for Energy-from-Waste

As part of a programme led by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, our Protos carbon capture and storage (CCS) plant has been selected as a lead project.

Work to build the CCS plant is already underway and when it starts operating in 2029, it will prevent up to 370,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere - the equivalent of taking 200,000 cars off the road.

Encyclis also operates facilities in Bedford and Loughborough, with another facility under construction in Walsall.

Join us in our mission to create a sustainable future by applying for a position at Encyclis. Be part of the innovative Protos team and help shape the future of energy recovery.

The Opportunity

Encyclis are dedicated to the safe, efficient and sustainable recovery of energy from waste.

We develop and operate energy recovery facilities that combine technical expertise with state‑of‑the‑art equipment to optimise efficiency, performance and safety.

Our facilities process residual waste that would otherwise be landfilled, generating sustainable baseload electricity and supporting the circular economy.

This role operates within an Encyclis Energy Recovery Facility and is a key member of the site leadership team, responsible for ensuring safe, compliant and efficient operational performance.

The Opportunity Reporting to the Plant Manager, the Operations Manager will lead the operational management of the facility through the coordination and supervision of the day‑to‑day activities of the Operations Department.

The role is accountable for plant availability, performance, safety, environmental compliance and people leadership, ensuring operational activities are delivered in line with the environmental permit, regulatory requirements and Encyclis standards.

The Operations Manager will work closely with the Maintenance Manager and wider site leadership team, as well as collaborating with peers across other Encyclis sites to share best practice and drive continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide visible leadership in health, safety and environmental performance, driving the reporting, investigation and resolution of all unsafe conditions, near misses, accidents and incidents, in conjunction with the HS&E function.
• Maximise plant availability and reliability within design parameters and in accordance with the environmental permit.
• Oversee safe and compliant operations including waste deliveries, residues management, traffic management, tipping hall and IBA hall activities.
• Ensure full compliance with environmental, health and safety legislation, including waste transfers, duty of care and hazardous waste consignments, as well as all corporate initiatives and directives.
• Support the Plant Manager in delivering operational excellence and overall O&M strategies, optimising cost and performance to meet and exceed Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and Key Performance Indicator (KPI) targets.
• Manage the operations budget and P&L, meeting or exceeding financial KPIs, and support the Plant Manager and Maintenance Manager in developing operational and maintenance budgets and strategies.
• Lead the development, retention and performance management of the maintenance team to build capability, resilience and succession.
• Lead the development and management of training for the Maintenance department, ensuring strict adherence to the training matrix to maintain compliance, certification, and consistently high standards throughout the team.
• Oversee daily inspections of plant machinery and equipment, monitoring activities to ensure adherence to safety, environmental requirements and standard operating procedures.
• Ensure team leaders, operators and Senior Authorised Persons (SAPs) are competent, trained and compliant with safe operating procedures, OEM instructions, Encyclis Safety Rules, Safe Systems of Work, ACOPs, SMIs and LMIs.
• Achieve and maintain Senior Authorised Person (SAP) status where required, assigning responsibilities to appropriate stakeholders.
• Develop, review and maintain Operational Safe Operating Procedures and LMIs, ensuring effective risk assessment, control measures and document governance within site systems.
• Review and interpret operational data, implementing procedural or operational changes to ensure safe, continuous and efficient plant performance.
• Work closely with the Maintenance Manager on plant improvement initiatives, corrective actions, defect management, outages and Root Cause Analysis (RCA) for significant issues.
• Develop operational proposals with justified costings to support CAPEX planning and project implementation.
• Ensure excellent standards of plant cleanliness and housekeeping, with clear ownership, area responsibilities and scheduled cleaning routines.
• Manage the operations staffing structure and shift rotas, leading recruitment, development, performance management and disciplinary processes in line with company policy.
• Be available for emergency or abnormal situation call‑outs and support effective incident response.
• Share best practice and continuous improvement opportunities across Encyclis facilities.
• Ensure all activities on site are carried out with the highest regard for the health, safety, environmental protection and wellbeing of employees, contractors and visitors.
• April 2026

Essential Criteria (or demonstratble equivealent experience)

• A technical degree, diploma or certificate (EU or equivalent), ideally in Mechanical, Electrical or Chemical engineering, or demonstrable equivalent technical and operational experience.
• Senior‑level experience in plant operations, including a minimum of five years’ supervisory experience within power generation, processing plant, specialty chemical or similarly regulated industrial environments.
• A strong general supervisory background across multiple disciplines, including oversight of maintenance support activities such as spare parts inventory and control, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Sound knowledge and practical experience of industrial safety, including Safety Rules and Safe Systems of Work (SSOW).
• Proven experience in recruiting, developing and training multidisciplinary operational teams.
• Demonstrated capability in managing operational and capital budgets, including performance and cost control.
• Experience in developing, writing and coordinating standard operating procedures, emergency procedures and safety procedures, ensuring full regulatory and operational compliance.
• Proven experience in producing production and operational performance reports.
• A strong working knowledge of industry technical standards.
• A proven track record in managing regulatory relationships, including engagement with the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive.
• High proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and reporting tools.
• A Technical Degree/ Diploma/ Certificate (EU) is required.

Want to know more about what we do?

Check out this video of one of our facilities, Rookery South in Bedford, here!

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