Engineering Operations Manager

Position Operations Manager Please note that we are looking for someone from a heavy industry background who is prepared to be hands on when required but also able to stand back when needed. Direct reports Site Managers across eight operational sites, plus central operations support functions Location Northampton with frequent travel across all UK sites Package DOE Contract Permanent, full time The company is one of the UK's leading plastics recyclers, operating eight sites that recycle PET, HDPE, LDPE and PP.

The business turns post-consumer and post-industrial waste into high-value recycled materials and finished products, including: Food-grade rPET and food-grade rHDPE for packaging applications Washed rPET flake supplied to the thermoforming industry LDPE pellets and other recycled polymers Film and bags manufactured on in-house blown film lines The business serves demanding customers, including major food, dairy and packaging brands, where quality, consistency and food-contact compliance are critical.

The company is growing, with new capacity being commissioned and significant new contract opportunities in food-grade materials. Purpose of the Role This is a newly defined, hands-on operational leadership role. The Operations Manager will take responsibility for manufacturing performance across all eight sites and drive a step change in output, yield, product consistency and process discipline.

We need someone who leads from the shop floor, not from behind a desk: visible on site, close to the process, and able to fix problems quickly while building the systems and people that stop them recurring. The Operations Manager will work closely with the Commercial Director to make sure operations can reliably deliver the volumes, specifications and quality that customers require.

Key Responsibilities Production performance Own safety, output, yield, uptime, quality and cost across all sites Establish clear KPIs (e.g. OEE, throughput, yield, downtime, energy per tonne, cost per tonne) with daily and weekly performance reviews at every site Lead turnaround of underperforming plants, including wash lines, extrusion, and blown film operations Drive consistent, in-spec product, particularly for food-grade rPET and rHDPE, where customer approval depends on repeatable quality Process improvement Introduce and embed standard operating procedures, root cause analysis and continuous improvement (Lean / Six Sigma or equivalent) Improve process control across sorting, washing, decontamination, extrusion and film blowing Work with Engineering Director to raise maintenance standards, move from reactive to planned and preventive maintenance, and reduce unplanned downtime Support commissioning and ramp-up of new lines and sites to agreed timelines and performance targets People and leadership Lead, develop and hold accountable site managers,...

Report this job