Plant Director / Site Director, £Attractive Six Figure Base Salary & Package, Chester

• A leading global speciality chemicals manufacturer that provides technology-based solutions to improve a particular manufacturing process, or the performance of a finished product. It is a highly innovative organisation – pioneering speciality chemicals that bring real benefits to their customers. The company has a multi-site network of manufacturing plants across Europe and North America, delivering annual sales of over £1.5bn.

• The Group’s R&D capabilities ensures they introduce new technologies to market which allow its customers to improve their products and operations. They provide chemicals, additives, polymers, and formulations for many different markets - including agrochemicals, construction, fuel, home care, metal extraction, oilfield, personal care, polymers, and waxes.

• The Group’s plant in the north west of England is an upper-tier COMAH facility. With extensive R&D and laboratory facilities, this site is also an important location for some of its global corporate leadership team, and its support functions. This is primarily a synthesis plant, with an output of 40KT per annum.

• The role of Site Director has overall responsibility for the site and its infrastructure. Whilst the corporate functions and R&D teams located here will have their own functional reporting lines, the Site Director is seen as the figurehead for the location. The role reports to an international multi-site Manufacturing Director.

• The successful candidate will inherit an experienced management team, with direct reports responsible for Manufacturing, SHE, Maintenance, Projects, Logistics & Warehouse, Finance, and Purchasing. The Site Director will lead the optimisation of the plant, to produce more from its assets, and enable the site to remain competitive for inward investment from the Group.

• You will also be tasked with developing the site’s people – promoting a culture of accountability and agility – creating a more sustainable and forward-thinking organisation.

• This is a role for an experienced manufacturing operations leader from the Chemicals and Process Industries sector, with a track record of leading a manufacturing plant of scale, and educated to degree standard in a relevant technical discipline.

• A true people developer, you will have successfully led a programme of investment and modernisation to improve a site’s safety, production, and commercial performance. Driving OEE performance will be a particular feature of the role, and will require a strong appreciation of lean manufacturing and continuous improvement processes.

• The breadth of representation on the site adds to its visibility across the leadership group, reinforcing the need for a manufacturing executive with the necessary gravitas and communication skills to engage credibly with everyone who works at, and visits, this plant. 

For an informal and confidential discussion, please speak with our advisors at Berwick Partners; Jonathan Burke, Partner & Head of UK Industrial Manufacturing Leadership Practice on 0113 3868525.