Engineering Operations Manager in Nottingham

Please note that we are looking for someone from a heavy industry background who is prepared to be hands on when required but also able to stand back when needed.

Direct reports: Site Managers across eight operational sites, plus central operations support functions.

Location: Northampton with frequent travel across all UK sites.

Package: DOE

Contract: Permanent, full time

The company is one of the UK's leading plastics recyclers, operating eight sites that recycle PET, HDPE, LDPE and PP. The business turns post-consumer and post-industrial waste into high-value recycled materials and finished products, including:

• Food-grade rPET and food-grade rHDPE for packaging applications
• Washed rPET flake supplied to the thermoforming industry
• LDPE pellets and other recycled polymers
• Film and bags manufactured on in-house blown film lines

The business serves demanding customers, including major food, dairy and packaging brands, where quality, consistency and food-contact compliance are critical. The company is growing, with new capacity being commissioned and significant new contract opportunities in food-grade materials.

Purpose of the Role: This is a newly defined, hands-on operational leadership role. The Operations Manager will take responsibility for manufacturing performance across all eight sites and drive a step change in output, yield, product consistency and process discipline. We need someone who leads from the shop floor, not from behind a desk: visible on site, close to the process, and able to fix problems quickly while building the systems and people that stop them recurring. The Operations Manager will work closely with the Commercial Director to make sure operations can reliably deliver the volumes, specifications and quality that customers require.

Key Responsibilities:

• Production performance: Own safety, output, yield, uptime, quality and cost across all sites. Establish clear KPIs (e.g. OEE, throughput, yield, downtime, energy per tonne, cost per tonne) with daily and weekly performance reviews at every site. Lead turnaround of underperforming plants, including wash lines, extrusion, and blown film operations. Drive consistent, in-spec product, particularly for food-grade rPET and rHDPE, where customer approval depends on repeatable quality.
• Process improvement: Introduce and embed standard operating procedures, root cause analysis and continuous improvement (Lean / Six Sigma or equivalent). Improve process control across sorting, washing, decontamination, extrusion and film blowing. Work with Engineering Director to raise maintenance standards, move from reactive to planned and preventive maintenance, and reduce unplanned downtime. Support commissioning and ramp-up of new lines and sites to agreed timelines and performance targets.
• People and leadership: Lead, develop and hold accountable site managers, engineering and production teams. Set clear objectives and goals for every key operational role; make sure existing talent, including engineering resource, is properly directed and managed. Build a strong safety culture and ensure full compliance with health and safety legislation. Identify capability gaps and put in place training, succession and recruitment plans.
• Compliance and quality: Ensure effective fire prevention, emergency planning and combustible material management across recycling and storage operations. Ensure compliance with food-contact regulations, customer requirements and certifications (e.g. BRCGS Packaging, ISO 9001/14001/45001, EFSA/FSA food-contact approvals). Support customer audits, migration testing and product approval processes. Maintain environmental permits and waste regulatory compliance across all sites.
• Planning and cost: Work with the commercial team on sales and operations planning, feedstock sourcing and production scheduling. Manage operational budgets and capital expenditure, and build business cases for investment. Drive down conversion costs, including energy, water, labour and consumables.

Priorities for the First 12 Months:

• Priority 1: Visit and assess every site within the first 60 days; deliver a clear operational improvement plan with measurable targets.
• Priority 2: Stabilise and improve performance at all production facilities.
• Priority 3: Achieve consistent quality across all production facilities.
• Priority 4: Put a common KPI framework, reporting rhythm and SOP standard in place across the group.

Candidate Profile:

• Essential: Senior operations leadership experience (Operations Director, Head of Operations or senior multi-site General Manager) in plastics recycling, polymer processing, extrusion or a similar continuous process industry. Proven track record of turning around underperforming plants and delivering measurable gains in output, yield and cost. Strong technical understanding of plastic recycling and manufacturing processes. Hands-on, visible leadership style; comfortable on the shop floor and credible with operators and engineers. Experience of multi-site management and leading managers through change. Working knowledge of continuous improvement tools and structured problem solving. Strong health and safety leadership.
• Desirable: Experience with food-grade or food-contact materials, BRCGS Packaging and customer audits. Experience of commissioning new plant or production lines. Knowledge of UK waste and environmental regulation.

Personal attributes: Resilient and pragmatic, with a strong sense of urgency. Data-driven, but action-oriented. Clear communicator who builds accountability and trust. Willing to travel extensively between sites.