Operations Manager

KP Snacks; Tanfield Lea; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading snack manufacturer seeks an Operations Manager to provide strategic direction and lead operational excellence at their Tanfield site. The role requires extensive experience in FMCG manufacturing and a hands-on leadership style. You'll drive alignment with lean methodologies, manage P&L, and foster a culture of continuous improvement while leading a team of over 120 colleagues. Excellent benefits include an annual car allowance and comprehensive healthcare support.

Benefits

Annual car allowance of £7,500

Annual bonus scheme

Comprehensive healthcare support

KP Pension Plan

25 days holiday plus options to buy more

Online platform for benefits and discounts

Qualifications

• Extensive experience as an Operations Manager in FMCG manufacturing.
• Proven ability to lead change and build self-sufficient teams.
• Strong business acumen to drive improvement.
• Knowledge of Health & Safety for food manufacturing.
• Experience in lean methodologies deployment.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for Operations.
• Lead and coach site line structures.
• Deliver against OGSM/CBN targets and KPIs.
• Manage operational performance and P&L.
• Drive engagement and empowerment across a large team.

Skills

Operations management

Change leadership

Financial acumen

Hands-on leadership

Lean methodologies

Team coaching

Education

Experience in FMCG manufacturing

Job description

Operations Manager

Tanfield (Home of Penn State Pretzels) On‑site | Monday - Friday

Join our snack‑loving team

We’re looking for an Operations Manager to join us at KP Snacks. If you’re ready to bring your ideas to the table, grow your skills and be part of a team that values what makes you, you – this could be your next big move.

About the role

As Operations Manager, you’ll provide strategic direction for our Operations function at KP Tanfield, aligning with our Intersnack Working System (IWS) and lean methodologies. You’ll lead the site through the Autonomous Maintenance (AM), Progressive Maintenance (PM) and Initiative Management (IM) pillars, striving for zero loss and 100% engagement. This is a highly visible leadership role where you’ll combine hands‑on involvement with long‑term strategic thinking. You’ll focus on building capability, strengthening processes and embedding a culture of continuous improvement, while taking full responsibility for operational efficiency, capability development and capital project delivery as a key member of the site leadership team.

What’s in it for you?

• Annual car allowance of £7,500

• Annual bonus scheme, with a strong track record of overachievement

• Comprehensive healthcare support – including Medicash Health Cash Plan or Private Healthcare, Digital GP, Best Doctors second opinion service and specialist cancer care

• KP Pension Plan – contribution matching up to 7% of your salary

• 25 days holiday, plus the option to buy more

• KP4ME – our online platform for benefits, discounts, wellbeing tools and more

What will you be doing?

• Provide strategic leadership for Operations, driving alignment with IWS and lean principles

• Lead and coach site line structures, building capability and fostering a culture of ownership and accountability

• Deliver against OGSM/CBN targets and a robust set of KPIs, ensuring continuous improvement across SQCPDM metrics

• Take full responsibility for operational performance, including P&L management and circa £4M controllable costs

• Manage and deliver capital projects, ensuring efficiency and compliance with Health & Safety and Technical standards

• Drive engagement and empowerment across 122 colleagues, operating 24/5 on a complex site producing 42 SKUs across multiple lines

• Champion IWS pillars (AM, PM, IM) and lead pillar activity to embed sustainable processes

Who are we?

We’re KP Snacks, part of the Intersnack family. Across more than 30 countries, over 15,000 of us work together to make the snacks people love – from Hula Hoops to McCoy’s. In the UK, we’re a team of around 2,400 colleagues, based across seven sites and our Slough HQ. We’re proud of our close‑knit culture, where we speak up, celebrate differences and push boundaries together.

We’re committed to inclusion

We’re building a workplace where everyone belongs. If you don’t tick every box, we’d still love to hear from you – your unique perspective could be just what we need. And if there’s anything we can do to make the process easier for you, just let us know.

We’d love to hear from you if you bring:

• ensive experience as an Operations Manager in FMCG manufacturing, with strong exposure to engineering and project management

• Proven ability to lead change and build high‑performing, self‑sufficient teams – moving away from micromanagement

• Strong business acumen and ability to use financial data to drive improvement

• Knowledge of Health & Safety and Technical requirements for food manufacturing

• Hands‑on leadership style with the resilience and confidence to influence at all levels

• Experience deploying lean methodologies (IWS or similar) and delivering operational excellence

• A track record of coaching and developing teams, promoting cross‑functional collaboration and driving engagement

• Ability to balance short‑term priorities with long‑term strategic goals