Manufacturing Site Director in Cockermouth

About James Walker

James Walker is part of the James Walker Group of Companies, who are a successful global Industrial organisation supplying high performance sealing products and solutions. With state-of-the-art material technology skills, the James Walker Strategic Business Unit (SBU) of the James Walker Group specialises in the provision of sealing solutions (elastomers, polymers, composites, engineering plastics, high nickel alloys). Our worldwide group of companies has operations, sales and service entities across Europe, Middle East, India, Australia, New Zealand, SE Asia, South Africa and North and South America.

Your Role

Responsible for James Walker’s largest UK manufacturing site, you will lead a transformative journey. As the Cockermouth Site Director, you won’t just lead operations—you’ll shape the future of our facility and drive innovation. We are looking for someone who can manage investment and refurbishment without affecting product quality or production. This is your chance to make a significant impact by steering our site, collaborating with cross functional leaders and driving employee engagement. You will deliver World Class performance across the James Walker & Co site and business, and act as the leader of the James Walker Group Elastomer Centre of Excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Chair cross functional meetings of all functional leaders on site.
• Lead and drive employee engagement and enablement across all teams on site, to improve overall business performance.
• Manage the relationship with the Union; chair Union Meetings, deal with disputes and lead T&Cs and wage negotiations.
• Ensure the site delivers a right first time, quality product to customers.
• Deliver World Class performance at the Cockermouth site, driving Lean/CI initiatives to raise productivity, quality and customer service levels whilst reducing cost.
• Develop and implement a site manufacturing strategy which is aligned to the James Walker Group and SBU strategic plan.
• Be a key sponsor for the successful site deployment of the new end-to-end IT system (Project Keystone utilising Syteline 10).
• Maintain registration to Health & Safety, Quality and Environmental Management Systems.
• Ensure the highest levels of health and safety are maintained by employees, contractors and visitors at the Cockermouth site.
• Work closely across all functions of the business and ensure the matrix management structure works effectively for the business and supports the delivery of the business goals.
• Work with external stakeholders to develop James Walker relationships and standings within the local community.

About you

Essential Experience

• Demonstrate strong and impactful leadership, motivation and drive.
• Experienced in Manufacturing Planning.
• Demonstrated experience as successful manufacturing Operations/Site Manager.
• Able to contribute to the strategic development of a business and develop and execute strategy.
• Demonstrated delivery of a step change in performance within a manufacturing business.
• Demonstrated delivery of a step change in site HS&E performance.
• Has led CI/Lean/Operational Excellence projects to successful conclusions.
• Understands what World Class Management Operating Systems looks like.
• Site size - minimum direct HC of 150.
• Elastomer experience (mixing, extrusion, and vulcanisation processes).

Preferred Experience

• Black belt in Lean/6 Sigma.
• Has led CI/Lean/Operational Excellence deployment across a site.
• Has helped shape, deploy and optimise an ERP solution across a business.
• Experience of successful complex capital project management and delivery.
• Experience of high variety, low volume, bespoke manufacturing for critical applications.

Qualifications

• Essential Experience: Degree level qualification (or equivalent).
• Preferred Experience: NEBOSH Recognised Project Management qualification.