Plant Manager

AAK AB; Hull and East Yorkshire; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading food processing company is seeking a Plant Manager to oversee manufacturing functions at their Hull site. The ideal candidate will have a degree in a relevant field and significant experience in operations management within food manufacturing. Key responsibilities include ensuring safety, driving performance improvement, and developing a team to achieve operational excellence. This role offers an opportunity to be part of a collaborative environment focused on continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in plant or operations management within a food, chemical, or process manufacturing environment.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing standards, procedures, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Solid understanding of operational excellence and evidence-based decision making.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of managers and professionals to achieve operational excellence.
• Drive performance through collaborative leadership, engaging teams around a clear and inspiring vision.
• Ensure safe work expectations are understood and embedded across all teams.
• Deliver safe, efficient, and compliant production performance.
• Drive continuous improvement in manufacturing efficiency and product quality.

Skills

People-centered leadership

Change management

Performance improvement

Safety adherence

Data analysis

Commercial acumen

Education

Degree in Engineering, Chemical, Mechanical, or Food Science

Job description

About AAK

Everything AAK does is about Making Better Happen™. We specialize in plant-based oils that are the value-adding ingredients in many of the products people love to consume. We make these products better tasting, healthier, and more sustainable.

At the heart of AAK’s offer is Customer Co-Development, combining our desire to understand what better means for each customer with the unique flexibility of our production assets, and a deep knowledge of many products and industries — including Chocolate & Confectionery, Bakery, Dairy, Plant-based Foods, Special Nutrition, Foodservice and Personal Care.

Our 4,000 employees support our close collaboration with customers through 25 regional sales offices, 15 dedicated Customer Innovation Centres, and more than 20 production facilities. Listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and with our headquarters in Malmö, Sweden, AAK has been Making Better Happen™ for more than 150 years.

About the role

AAK is seeking a collaborative and results-driven Plant Manager to lead the manufacturing functions across both the Refinery and Packing areas at the Hull site. Reporting to the Site Director Hull, the Plant Manager will be responsible for all production activities at site ensuring they meet the organisation’s short- and long-term business objectives and are conducted in accordance with relevant food safety, quality, health, safety, and environmental standards.

You will contribute to strategic planning and decision‑making at an executive level, developing and implementing production systems and processes that align with AAK’s vision, business objectives, and ongoing cultural journey.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of managers and professionals to achieve operational excellence.
• Drive performance through collaborative leadership, engaging teams around a clear and inspiring vision.
• Take a proactive approach to safety, ensuring that safe work expectations are understood and embedded across all teams.
• Delivering safe, efficient, and compliant production performance.
• Driving continuous improvement in manufacturing efficiency, product quality, and operational standards.
• Engaging and developing the operations team to achieve excellence in safety, cost, and reliability.
• Ensuring production activities are aligned with strategic business objectives and AAK’s operational excellence principles.
• Establish production budgets and monitor costs to optimize resources while meeting volume, quality, and safety targets.
• Create a culture where people feel confident discussing safety and looking after one another.
• Evaluate and recommend investments in technology, equipment, and systems to enhance manufacturing capabilities.
• Build and manage effective relationships with key suppliers and external partners.

About you

We are looking for a results‑focused leader with a proven track record of driving change and performance improvement through strong, people‑centered leadership.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Degree‑level qualification in a relevant discipline (Engineering, Chemical, Mechanical, or Food Science).
• Proven experience in plant or operations management within a food, chemical, or process manufacturing environment.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing standards, procedures, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience contributing to operational (short‑term), tactical (1–2 years), and strategic (3–5 years) business planning.
• Solid understanding of operational excellence and evidence‑based decision making.
• Ability to analyse complex data, identify key performance drivers, and translate insights into actionable improvements.
• Strong commercial acumen and ability to balance technical and business priorities.