Plant Manager

Biffa; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading waste management company seeks a Plant Manager in Birmingham to oversee site operations, lead health and safety initiatives, and ensure compliance with environmental standards. The role involves financial management and team development in a fast-paced environment. Ideal candidates will have experience in hazardous waste or treatment stations and strong leadership skills. The company offers generous benefits and a supportive culture focused on career development.

Benefits

Ongoing career development

Generous pension scheme

Retail and leisure discounts

Holiday and travel discounts

Life cover

Qualifications

• IOSH Managing Safely or equivalent is essential.
• Experience in managing operational teams in a regulated environment.
• Knowledge of site permitting and ISO standards is crucial.

Responsibilities

• Lead health, safety, and environmental performance efforts.
• Ensure compliance with permits and legal requirements.
• Manage site operations to meet service KPIs.
• Control site finances and achieve budget targets.
• Oversee staffing and performance management.
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives.

Skills

Leadership in safety performance

Operational efficiency expertise

Financial management

Team development

Continuous improvement champion

Education

Degree in Chemistry, Engineering, or related science

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Make a difference as a Plant Manager – lead safe, efficient, and compliant site operations.

A quick look at the role

Reporting to the Regional General Manager, you’ll take full ownership of day-to-day operations at our site in West Midlands.

With safety, health and environmental standards front and centre, you'll drive operational efficiency, boost financial performance, and deliver outstanding service to both internal and external customers. You’ll lead from the front, developing your team, pushing innovation, and unlocking the site’s full potential, all measured through clear KPIs.

Success in this role means strong collaboration with the Regional General Manager and the Project and Maintenance Manager, while fostering a proactive, high-performance culture across your sites.

Your core responsibilities.

• Lead on health, safety, and environmental performance by reducing incidents, enforcing site rules, and carrying out investigations or disciplinaries where needed.
• Ensure compliance with permits, licences, and legal requirements by achieving zero EA CAR scores, no discharge breaches, and no reportable emissions or long-term waste stock.
• Manage site operations efficiently by planning treatments, quoting customers, reviewing bookings, and eliminating non-value-adding activities to meet service KPIs.
• Control site finances by managing treatment, disposal, labour, and maintenance costs to meet and exceed budget targets and monthly P&L performance.
• Oversee staffing, work schedules, and performance management, ensuring clear goals, effective resourcing, and collaboration with the Site Manager and wider team.
• Champion continuous improvement by engaging the workforce, providing feedback, maintaining standards, and developing staff through training and hands-on experience.

Requirements

Our essential requirements.

• IOSH Managing Safely (or equivalent) is essential; COTC Level 4 in hazardous waste treatment and transfer is highly desirable.
• Experience managing operational teams in a fast‑paced, regulated environment; hazardous waste or treatment / transfer station experience is desirable.
• Degree in Chemistry, Engineering, or a related science is preferred but not essential.
• Good working knowledge of site permitting, risk assessments, and ISO standards (9001, 14001, 45001), with confidence in leading investigations and disciplinaries.
• Proficient in MS Office, with strong organisational skills and the ability to manage a mixed‑skills team effectively.

Benefits

And here’s why you’ll love it at Biffa.

• Ongoing career development, training and coaching – Because if you don’t grow, we don’t grow.
• Generous pension scheme.
• Retail and leisure discounts.
• Holiday and travel discounts.
• Life cover.

Changing the way people think about waste.

At Biffa, we love working with waste. Whether we’re turning it into sustainable power, finding new ways to recycle it or simply keeping it off the streets, we believe every day is an opportunity to improve the lives of millions. It’s a view that’s shared by our 11,500+ people around the country, who trust us to provide them with a career that’s always rewarding, often challenging, but never dull.