The Oval Partnership is partnering a specialist European Food group to recruit a Plant Manager for their fast-paced manufacturing facility located east of Glasgow.

Role Overview

As a vital member of the UK Senior Leadership Team, the Plant Manager will provide strategic and operational leadership across the entire site organisation.

You will be responsible for overall plant performance—delivering business objectives across Safety, Quality, Service, Cost, People, and Sustainability, while leading continuous improvement, capital investment, and workforce capability to position the facility for future growth.

Key Responsibilities include:

• Take full operational accountability for manufacturing performance, setting clear KPIs, and driving a robust performance management culture.
• Guarantee the reliable execution of the production plan by balancing demand, plant capacity, labour, raw materials, and operational constraints.
• Drive site productivity, labour efficiency, yield improvements, and aggressive waste reduction initiatives.
• Maintain world-class standards across Health & Safety, Food Safety, Environmental management, legal compliance, and customer requirements.
• Ensure constant audit readiness while embedding exemplary Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and hygiene standards across the site.
• Foster a high-performance culture grounded in continuous improvement, clear accountability, active problem-solving, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Coach, mentor, and develop the site leadership team, ensuring robust succession planning and technical capability across all departments.
• Lead organizational change, scale-up, and site transformation while maintaining operational stability and high employee engagement.
• Oversee and support the execution of major site CAPEX projects, including automation, process enhancements, capacity expansion, and facility upgrades.
• Advance the group’s sustainability agenda through energy efficiency, waste reduction, and resource conservation programs.

The Ideal Candidate

We are looking for a proven, resilient manufacturing leader who thrives on building capability and operational excellence.

• Food Industry Expertise: Significant senior manufacturing leadership experience within food production (fresh bakery, chilled, or high-volume short-shelf-life manufacturing is highly desirable) with a demonstrated record of scaling operations.
• Engineering / Technical Bias: Strong background in engineering or technical operations, with proven experience managing multiple CAPEX initiatives, plant automation, and equipment upgrades.
• Continuous Improvement (Lean): Track record of applying Lean/CI methodologies to achieve measurable gains in throughput, OEE, yield, cost efficiency, and waste reduction.
• Transformational Leadership: Superior people management skills with a track record of coaching direct reports, fostering accountability, managing organizational change, and building high-performing teams.

What's on Offer

• A senior, visible position within the UK Senior Leadership Team driving the future direction of a expanding manufacturing site.
• Competitive executive compensation package (Base Salary, Performance Bonus, Healthcare, Pension).
• Opportunity to lead major continuous improvement, automation, and CAPEX expansion projects backed by a leading European food group.

How to Apply

This search assignment is being managed on an exclusive retained basis. Interested candidates are invited to submit their CV for confidential consideration.

Please get in touch for more information or apply with your CV today.