Site Manager

Career Choices Dewis Gyrfa Ltd; Widnes; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading waste management company in the UK seeks a Site Manager to oversee day-to-day operations of a processing facility. The role ensures compliance with health and safety regulations, manages operational budgets, and leads a team. Applicants should have proven experience in operational leadership within processing or recycling environments. The ideal candidate must be adept in safety management and financial oversight, focusing on sustainability and operational excellence.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in operational leadership.
• Experience leading teams in high-risk environments.
• Strong understanding of waste/recycling operations.

Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with health and safety legislation.
• Oversee material processing and transport activities.
• Recruit and develop high-performing teams.

Skills

Operational leadership

Safety management

Compliance

Team leadership

Financial management

Education

Experience in a processing, recycling, or manufacturing facility

Financial and budget management

Tools

ERP systems

Power BI

Job description

Overview

Job Purpose The Site Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operational management of Pandas processing facility. This includes ensuring safe, efficient, and compliant delivery of all plant operations from material processing and transport, to maintenance, compliance, and people leadership. This role is also accountable for aligning site performance with the company's recycling strategy, sustainability commitments, and commercial targets.

Key Responsibilities

• Health, Safety, Environmental & Compliance: Lead a proactive safety-first culture across the site, ensuring zero-harm principles are embedded.
• Ensure full compliance with H&S legislation, EA permits, environmental regulations, and internal policies.
• Oversee health & safety of all personnel and third-party visitors.
• Deliver safety briefings, toolbox talks, and participate in the SHEQ working group.
• Ensure all Safe Systems of Work and Risk Assessments are in place, understood, and followed.
• Coach and guide the team on accident reporting, investigations, and continuous safety improvement.

• Operations & Plant Management: Oversee all material processing, recovery, transport, and final disposal activities.
• Maximise plant availability, throughput, and output quality within compliance and cost constraints.
• Lead site planning and review meetings to align daily activity with strategic KPIs.
• Ensure preventative maintenance of all fixed and mobile plant, working closely with engineering.
• Liaise with logistics to ensure timely movement of material in accordance with offtake agreements and permits.
• Drive continuous improvement, innovation, and productivity optimisation across the site.

• People Leadership & Development: Recruit, induct, and develop site personnel to build a high-performing, safety-conscious team.
• Ensure sufficient staffing levels across all shifts.
• Deliver regular training, coaching, competency assessments, and performance reviews.
• Set clear objectives and maintain a culture of accountability, engagement, and development.
• Approve payroll submissions and ensure compliance with workforce planning processes.

• Financial & Commercial Responsibility: Control site operational budgets, costs, and resource utilisation.
• Contribute to financial forecasting and reporting.
• Balance site efficiency with quality, compliance, and profitability objectives.
• Support the implementation of commercial agreements by ensuring operational capability aligns with contractual outputs.

• Strategic Execution & Stakeholder Collaboration: Support delivery of site and regional strategic plans, including sustainability and digitalisation goals.
• Work closely with other Site Managers, Engineering, Compliance, SHEQ, and Commercial teams.
• Maintain strong relationships with regulators, partners, and key external stakeholders.
• Represent the site at regional processing and planning meetings.

Key Accountabilities

• Operational compliance with legislation, permits, and company policies
• Leadership of a safe, engaged, and capable on-site team
• Delivery of site KPIs including throughput, quality, and cost efficiency
• Maintenance of a compliant and well-maintained plant
• Contribution to strategic and continuous improvement initiatives
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Zero-harm and compliance with HS&E standards
• Site production and output targets
• Labour cost efficiency and utilisation
• Audit outcomes (internal, external, EA)
• Operational uptime and asset reliability
• Team development, retention, and engagement metrics

Qualifications & Experience

• Essential: Proven experience in operational leadership in a processing, recycling, or manufacturing facility. Strong track record in managing safety, compliance, and plant performance. Experience leading teams in high-risk environments. Strong understanding of waste/recycling operations and environmental regulation. Financial and budget management experience. Effective communicator with strong planning and decision-making ability.
• Desirable: Experience in site permit management and working with the Environment Agency. WAMITAB Certificate of Technical Competence (COTC). Knowledge of ERP or operational data systems (e.g. Power BI, CMMS).

Personal Qualities

• Confident, pragmatic leader with strong coaching and mentoring ability
• Resilient under pressure and solutions-focused
• Collaborative mindset and excellent interpersonal skills
• Highly organised, commercially aware, and detail-oriented
• Passionate about sustainability, safety, and operational excellence

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