Blown Film Extrusion Manager in Northampton

Salary: From £45,000 (negotiable, depending on experience)

Location: Desborough, Northamptonshire

Job Type: Permanent, Full-time

Department: Extrusion Production

Reporting To: Production Manager

Shift Pattern: 8:00am–5:00pm, Monday to Friday.

Povoas Packaging is a privately owned, family-run polythene manufacturer and a recognised leader within the UK industry. With a strong reputation for quality and reliability, we are committed to operational excellence, continuous improvement and ongoing investment in the latest extrusion technology. Our production facility is equipped with high-performance machinery, including advanced multi-layer extrusion lines, enabling us to deliver consistently high-quality products to our customers.

Due to recent growth and investment, we are seeking an experienced Extrusion Manager to take ownership and responsibility of our state-of-the-art Blown Film Extrusion Department, driving performance and quality.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide overall leadership and management of the Extrusion Department team.
• Liaise with HR and the Production Manager on employee matters, including attendance, absences, performance, development and grievance issues.
• Maintain appropriate staffing levels, including the effective management of overtime to maximise production efficiency.
• Ensure all team members operate safely, efficiently and cost-effectively, identifying and implementing training and development requirements where necessary.
• Lead, motivate and support staff, fostering strong working relationships and a positive team culture.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and one-to-one meetings, setting objectives, monitoring progress and supporting employee development.
• Promote high standards of attendance, conduct and accountability across the Department.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance operational performance, efficiency and employee engagement.
• Work effectively and maintain working relationships alongside operators, Team Leaders, Conversion and Print Managers, Company Directors, Engineers (external and internal) and planning teams.

Health and Safety, Quality and Compliance:

• Ensure individual and team compliance with all Health & Safety, Quality and Environmental policies, procedures and legislative requirements.
• Work closely with HR and relevant stakeholders to ensure all safety training, certifications, risk assessments and safe working procedures remain current and fully compliant.
• Promote a strong safety culture by encouraging best practices, hazard identification and continuous improvement in workplace safety.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant industry standards and certifications, including BRC, ISO and operational specific regulations.

Machine Performance and Maintenance:

• Monitor machine performance, production output and scrap levels, ensuring targets for quality and waste reduction are achieved.
• Conduct root cause analysis of equipment, process and quality issues, implementing corrective and preventative actions to minimise recurrence.
• Plan, coordinate and oversee production activities to ensure customer orders, delivery schedules and quality standards are consistently met.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance output and overall equipment effectiveness, while reducing waste, downtime and operating costs.
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical, mechanical and process-related issues across all blown film extrusion lines, ensuring minimal disruption to production.
• Collaborate with Maintenance and Engineering teams (internal and external) to optimise machine reliability.
• Analyse production data and performance metrics to identify opportunities for improvements.
• Ensure machinery is operated and maintained in accordance with manufacturer guidelines, company procedures and regulatory requirements.

Improvement and Development:

• Support capital investment projects, including the introduction of new equipment, technologies to enhance operational performance.
• Contribute to new product development initiatives.
• Identify improvement opportunities to increase productivity and efficiency.
• Evaluate operational and workforce effectiveness, implementing improvements.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging employee involvement.

The Ideal Candidate:

• Experience within a blown film extrusion manufacturing environment, with a strong technical understanding of the extrusion process, machinery and operations.
• Strong knowledge of industry standards including BRC, ISO, Health & Safety and quality management systems.
• Strong leadership and decision-making skills.
• People management skills with the ability to motivate and build lasting, professional relationships.
• A commercially aware mindset, focused on maximising efficiency, reducing waste, controlling costs and maintaining high-quality standards.
• Comfortable working on the factory floor and engaging directly with production teams to drive performance and resolve issues.
• Excellent problem-solving skills, with experience in root cause analysis and implement corrective and preventative actions.
• The ability to collaborate with Production, Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, HR and Company Directors to achieve objectives.
• A continuous improvement mindset, with a commitment to driving operational excellence.