Plant Director

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Lead and develop the Haddenham Site Operations teams to deliver business goals from a Safety, Quality, People, Service and Cost perspective.

- Continue to develop a positive, empowered Safety and Quality Culture on Site

- Lead the Journey To Excellence Programme to develop a Continuous Improvement Culture

- Develop and implement a three-year strategic plan, mobilizing resources to translate vision into action.

- Build strong relationships with Marketing, Engineering, Commercial, and R&D teams to understand business challenges and align operations with cost and efficiency objectives.

- Participate actively in the S&OP process to deliver superior cost, efficiency, and service performance.

- Manage working capital levels in line with business needs and commitments.

- Support commercial units through transformation, innovation, and service improvement initiatives.

- Lead a behavioural safety culture and, in collaboration with the EMEA HSE Manager, develop and deliver a three-year safety roadmap for the site.

- Ensure compliance with global and regional quality and food safety standards (AIB, BRC, EFSIS, ISO14001, etc.).

- Develop and deliver operational budget performance and COGS ownership, reporting results through agreed business KPIs.

- Identify and execute capital expenditure and cost optimization projects.

- Champion continuous improvement initiatives, including lean manufacturing, TPM, and CCI programs aligned with EMEA and Global strategies.

- Identify and implement cost improvement projects across manufacturing and distribution.

- Lead talent development, succession planning, and performance management in partnership with HR Business Partners.

- Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion and foster a culture of high employee engagement.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

- Graduate in Food Technology, Engineering, Science, or Supply Chain Logistics.

- Extensive experience in food manufacturing operations within international FMCG environments.

- Experience working within a range of business cultures; international assignment is a plus.

- Previous multi-country operating experience is a plus.

- Inspiring leader able to motivate, develop, and engage diverse teams.

- At ease to navigate in matrix organization and customer visits

- Experience leading major transformation projects (e.g. plant construction, SAP implementation, acquisitions) is a plus.

- Strong background in TPM and continuous improvement methodologies.

- Experience working with Unions or Works Councils on significant organizational changes is a plus.

- Strategic thinker with strong business and financial acumen.

- Results-driven and self-managed, with a hands-on approach.

- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, able to influence at all levels.

- Flexible and adaptable, capable of balancing strategic and operational priorities.

- Commercially focused, with proven ability to deliver performance through collaboration and innovation.

- Strong cultural awareness and ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment.