Plant Director

Schwarz Produktion; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Executive remuneration package

Private medical insurance

Company car

Job summary

Schwarz Group is seeking an executive plant leader for its UK site to drive end-to-end operations across highly automated bottling lines, groundwater extraction facilities, and an automated warehouse. The role carries full accountability for site performance and budgets.

The successful candidate will have 5–10+ years of high-speed FMCG leadership, an engineering/management degree, and strong qualifications in Six Sigma and PRINCE2, with advanced German language skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a technical/management field is essential.
• Six Sigma Black Belt or CI qualification is required.
• PRINCE2 Practitioner accreditation is required.
• 5–10+ years of operational and plant leadership in high-speed FMCG manufacturing.
• Advanced German language skills are preferred.

Responsibilities

• Act with entrepreneurial ownership and legal accountability for the UK plant.
• Oversee daily operations across automated bottling lines, groundwater extraction, technical services, and warehouse.
• Drive site performance against KPIs (OEE, OTIF, scrap, cost-per-unit) and manage budgets and CapEx.
• Lead and mentor a site leadership team (Production, Maintenance, SCM, QA, HSE) with a culture of high performance and psychological safety.
• Lead energy-efficiency and sustainability programmes to support decarbonisation goals.

Skills

Leadership experience

Strategic thinking

Budgeting

German language proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business Management or related technical discipline

Tools

Six Sigma Black Belt / Master Black Belt

PRINCE2 Practitioner

Job description

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Act with overall entrepreneurial ownership and legal accountability for the UK plant.
• Oversee daily operations across our highly automated bottling lines, ground-water extraction facilities, technical services, and automated high-bay warehouse.
• Drive site performance against key manufacturing KPIs (OEE, OTIF, scrap, cost-per-unit). Own and manage operational budgets, capital investments (CapEx), and continuous cost-reduction initiatives.
• Lead, mentor, and inspire a site leadership team (Production, Maintenance, SCM, QA, HSE), embedding company values, succession planning, and a culture of high performance and psychological safety.
• Lead energy-efficiency and sustainability programmes across gas, electricity, and water extraction to support group-wide decarbonisation goals.

WHO YOUR ARE

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business Management or a related technical discipline is essential; an MBA or equivalent master's qualification is desirable.
• Certified Six Sigma Black Belt / Master Agent or equivalent CI qualification.
• PRINCE2 Practitioner accredited or equivalent.
• 5-10+ years of proven operational and plant leadership experience within high-speed FMCG manufacturing.
• advanced German language skills
• Decisive strategic thinker, strong commercial instinct, collaborative team builder.

OUR OFFER

• An executive role of a flagship, high-investment manufacturing site.
• Competitive executive remuneration package (depending on experience), 8% employer pension contribution, single private medical insurance, fully expensed company car, healthcare cash plan, EAP, access to a savings and discounts portal and much more
• The autonomy of local site direction coupled with the stability and resources of Europe's largest retail and production network.
• Opportunities for international career development within the wider Schwarz Group.