Plant Director

Meg Derby; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

8% employer pension

Private medical insurance

Fully expensed company car

Healthcare cash plan

EAP

Discounts portal access

Job summary

MEG Derby seeks an experienced operations leader to own the UK plant, overseeing automated bottling lines, water extraction facilities, and a high-bay warehouse. You will drive performance against KPIs, manage budgets and CapEx, and lead a cross-functional leadership team including Production, Maintenance, SCM, QA, and HSE.

The ideal candidate holds a Bachelor’s in Engineering or Business, an MBA is desirable, and a Six Sigma Black Belt or PRINCE2 qualification with 5-10+ years in high-speed

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business Management or related technical discipline.
• MBA or equivalent master’s qualification is desirable.
• Six Sigma Black Belt / Master Black Belt or CI qualification.
• PRINCE2 Practitioner accredited or equivalent.
• 5-10+ years of proven operational and plant leadership in high-speed FMCG manufacturing.
• Advanced German language skills.

Responsibilities

• Act with overall entrepreneurial ownership and legal accountability for the UK plant.
• Oversee daily operations across automated bottling lines, groundwater extraction facilities, technical services, and automated warehouse.
• Drive site performance against KPIs (OEE, OTIF, scrap, cost-per-unit); manage budgets, CapEx, and cost-reduction initiatives.
• Lead, mentor, and inspire a site leadership team (Production, Maintenance, SCM, QA, HSE) with a focus on values, succession and psychological safety.
• Lead energy-efficiency and sustainability programmes across gas, electricity, and water extraction to support decarbonisation goals.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Commercial acumen

German language

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Business

MBA or equivalent qualification

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.