Director of Plant Operations

About the role

This is a senior enterprise leadership position reporting to the Executive Leadership Group. You will have full end‑to‑end accountability for safe, efficient and high‑performing manufacturing at a large, complex site within a leading food manufacturing organisation.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and develop a workforce of more than 350 employees, fostering a culture of safety, accountability and continuous improvement.
• Define and execute an operational vision aligned with the broader business strategy and long‑term growth plans.
• Own the full P&L for site operations, optimizing labour, materials and overhead to meet budgeted performance.
• Drive operational excellence through lean manufacturing, structured problem‑solving and disciplined continuous‑improvement methodologies.
• Lead master planning, capital investment prioritisation and major infrastructure and equipment projects.
• Oversee end‑to‑end operations across manufacturing, engineering, quality, people, supply chain and finance.
• Own the safety agenda, embedding a proactive, risk‑based approach that makes safety non‑negotiable.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory, environmental and quality standards including ISO, BRC, HACCP and MSQA.
• Build leadership capability at all levels through structured development, coaching and succession planning.

Required profile

• Extensive senior leadership experience within FMCG, food manufacturing or complex industrial environments.
• Deep expertise across core operational disciplines such as manufacturing, engineering, quality, supply chain, finance and people.
• Proven success in driving performance through lean, continuous improvement and structured problem‑solving.
• Strong track record of safety leadership and cultural change.
• Commercial acumen with hands‑on experience managing P&L and delivering against budgeted targets.

Required skills

• Lean manufacturing
• Continuous improvement (CI) methodologies
• Structured problem‑solving
• ISO standards
• BRC certification
• HACCP compliance
• MSQA standards