Plant Manager

Michael Page; Blackburn; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Michael Page is recruiting a Plant Manager for a Blackburn manufacturing facility serving automotive and industrial sectors. You will lead operations, drive safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people performance, and champion a culture of continuous improvement.

The role requires a proven leader with experience in automotive manufacturing, lean and Six Sigma, and a track record of delivering large-scale improvements while managing budgets and capital projects. Competitive package included.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience as Plant/Operations Manager in industrial manufacturing.
• Background in automotive manufacturing or OEM/supplier.
• Strong knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, and CI.
• Experience delivering operational improvements and budget management.
• Degree in Engineering/Manufacturing/Operations preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for the manufacturing facility.
• Drive SQCDP improvements across safety, quality, cost, delivery, and people.
• Lead and develop a high-performing management team.
• Implement Lean, CI, and Operational Excellence initiatives.
• Ensure production schedules and customer requirements are met.
• Manage budgets, cost control, and capex projects.
• Drive productivity, waste reduction, and accountability.
• Ensure health, safety, environment, and quality compliance.
• Collaborate with customers, suppliers and senior leadership.

Skills

Leadership

Lean Manufacturing

Six Sigma

TPM

Continuous Improvement

Budget management

Stakeholder management

Communication

Education

Engineering degree

Job description

Plant Manager role based in Blackburn. Working for a well established manufacturing company servicing the automotive and industrial sectors.

Our client is a well established automotive and industrial manufacturing company based in Blackburn.

Description

We are seeking an experienced and driven Plant Manager to lead our automotive manufacturing facility and deliver world-class operational performance. This is a critical leadership role responsible for ensuring safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people objectives are achieved while driving a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

Reporting to the Board, you will take full responsibility for plant performance, leading cross-functional teams across production, engineering, quality, maintenance, logistics, and health & safety.

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for the manufacturing facility.
• Drive improvements in Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, and People (SQCDP) performance.
• Lead and develop a high-performing management team and wider workforce.
• Implement Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, and Operational Excellence initiatives.
• Ensure customer requirements and production schedules are consistently achieved.
• Manage plant budgets, cost control initiatives, and capital investment projects.
• Drive productivity improvements and waste reduction across all manufacturing processes.
• Foster a culture of accountability, engagement, and employee development.
• Ensure compliance with all health, safety, environmental, and quality standards.
• Collaborate with customers, suppliers, and senior leadership to support business objectives and growth plans.

Profile

The successful candidate will be a proven manufacturing leader with experience operating within industrial manufacturing and ideally automotive production environments

• Significant leadership experience as a Plant Manager, Operations Manager, Manufacturing Manager, or similar senior role.
• Background within automotive manufacturing, Tier 1 supplier, OEM, or bespoke manufacturing industries
• Strong understanding of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, TPM, and Continuous Improvement methodologies.
• Excellent adherence to quality standards and involvement within this function
• Proven ability to deliver operational improvements and business transformation initiatives.
• Experience managing large, multi-disciplinary teams.
• Strong commercial awareness and budget management experience.Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Degree-qualified in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, or a related discipline (preferred).

Job Offer

£70,000 to £90,000 plus bonus, car package and benefits.