Head of Manufacturing

Wienerberger AG; Cork; On-site; EUR 77,000 - 94,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension Scheme

Social Club with events

Marriage/ Civil Partnership / Fertilty

Job summary

Pipelife Ireland, a Wienerberger division, invites applications for Head of Manufacturing at the Little Island site in Cork. You will lead manufacturing performance, safety, quality and delivery, partner with the Operations Director, and drive a KPI-driven culture of operational excellence.

This site-based role offers opportunities for career development and cross-functional collaboration as you embed Lean principles, 5S, and continuous improvement across production lines, while ensuring optimal

Qualifications

• Strong manufacturing leadership in a high-volume production environment.
• Degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations or equivalent.
• Proven track record of improving manufacturing performance.
• Experience implementing continuous improvement/Lean programmes.
• Knowledge of OEE, downtime analysis and performance management.
• Experience developing supervisors and production leadership teams.
• Strong safety leadership and excellent communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide visible leadership to maintain a strong safety culture.
• Establish clear performance expectations across production lines.
• Drive improvements in productivity, OEE, output and labour efficiency.
• Lead a structured continuous improvement programme across manufacturing.
• Embed Lean manufacturing principles, 5S standards and root cause problem solving.
• Work with Engineering and Maintenance to improve equipment reliability.
• Drive effective use of KPIs, visual management and digital dashboards.
• Develop frontline leadership capability across supervisors and team leaders.
• Identify capability gaps and implement training and development plans.
• Ensure effective workforce planning and utilisation of labour resources.

Skills

Strong manufacturing leadership

Improving manufacturing performance

Continuous improvement / Lean

Safety leadership

Excellent communication

Stakeholder management

Education

Degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations or equivalent

Tools

MES

Digital manufacturing systems

Shop-floor visualisation tools

Job description

Join us as our Head of Manufacturing in Little Island, Cork

Pipelife Ireland is a division of wienerberger UK & Ireland. Pipelife is Ireland’s leading manufacturer of plastic piping systems, drawing on over 50 years of experience developing innovative products for the domestic, industrial and agricultural sectors.

About the role

As a Head of Manufacturing you will be a key member of the site leadership team, leading manufacturing performance and continuous improvement across the operation. You'll work closely with the Operations Director to strengthen safety, quality, cost and delivery performance while building a visible, KPI-driven culture that supports operational excellence.

Duties also include:

• Provide visible leadership to maintain a strong safety culture across manufacturing
• Establish clear performance expectations across production lines, shifts and teams
• Drive improvements in productivity, OEE, output, labour efficiency and schedule adherence
• Lead a structured continuous improvement programme across manufacturing
• Embed Lean manufacturing principles, 5S standards and root cause problem solving
• Work with Engineering and Maintenance to improve equipment reliability and reduce downtime
• Drive effective use of KPIs, visual management and digital manufacturing dashboards
• Develop frontline leadership capability across supervisors and team leaders
• Identify capability gaps and implement training and development plans
• Ensure effective workforce planning and utilisation of labour resources

This role supports our commitment to safe, efficient and high-quality manufacturing. Your contribution will help deliver reliable products for our customers while creating sustainable improvements across the factory.

There are opportunities for career development, cross-functional collaboration and involvement in wider operational improvement initiatives.

This is a site-based role

About you

Essential

• Strong manufacturing leadership experience within a high-volume production environment
• Degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations or equivalent experience
• Strong track record of improving manufacturing performance
• Experience implementing continuous improvement or Lean manufacturing programmes
• Knowledge of OEE, downtime analysis and performance management
• Experience developing supervisors and production leadership teams
• Strong understanding of safety leadership
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills

Desirable

• Experience improving equipment reliability and preventative maintenance disciplines
• Experience with MES, digital manufacturing systems or shop-floor visualisation tools
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability

About our Benefits

• Salary from €85,000 (depending on experience)
• Pension Scheme
• Social Club with various events throughout the year (Summer BBQ, Christmas Party, Trivia nights, Fota Wildlife Park Family Day, Santa Meet and Greet for Kids, Kids Colouring Competitions etc).
• Marriage/ Civil Partnership / Fertility Support Leave
• Enhanced Compassionate Leave
• Education Assistance
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Refer a Friend Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Employee Profit Participation Plan - Free Shares

About us

wienerberger UK & Ireland is building for what's next - delivering full building envelope solutions for the built environment. Uniting leading brands and expertise, we empower our partners to create lasting impact, with quality products, technical support, and a shared commitment to progress.

Join us as a Head of Manufacturing and help us shape tomorrow - because we're building for what's next - and that starts with you.

The closing date for this role is subject to change and may be closed earlier than advertised