Production Manager
| Posting date: | 09 March 2026 |
|---|---|
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 23 March 2026 |
| Location: | Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 6AA |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | Escape Recruitment Services |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | NW19509_1773063448 |
Summary
Production Manager
- Production / Manufacturing Facility
- Market Leading Salary Package
- Monday-Friday - Day Shift
About the role
Lead production across our clients operations, reporting directly to the Plant Manager. You'll manage a large, established team of around 60 people, with responsibility for a 24/7 process environment where safety, quality, and operational performance are critical.
This is a hands-on leadership role focused on delivering safe, reliable output while building a collaborative culture - leading through influence. You'll work closely with Maintenance and other stakeholders, take ownership of cost control and play a key part in their sustainability journey - one of the site's top priorities alongside safety.
Responsibilities
- Lead the day-to-day production and packing plant operations, ensuring safe, consistent 24/7 performance through effective leadership and handover routines
- Manage and develop a team of up to 60 employees, including direct leadership of Production Coordinators, a Production Engineer, and an Administrator
- Champion a positive, collaborative site culture - handling difficult conversations and decisions while avoiding overly directive, "bang the table" leadership styles.
- Drive a proactive safety culture across high-risk operations (e.g., high temperatures, chemical hazards, confined spaces), ensuring standards are maintained at all times
- Own key production performance outcomes, balancing output, quality, and efficiency in a process/chemical manufacturing environment where product quality is critical.
- Lead the site's sustainability journey within production, identifying solutions and improvements as the business progresses toward lower CO2 impact operations
- Plan and deliver the annual plant shutdown, ensuring safe execution, effective contractor management, cost control, and strong on-site leadership throughout the shutdown period
- Manage fixed-cost budgets and contribute to variable cost control, ensuring robust financial discipline and reporting
- Collaborate closely with maintenance and other functions to prioritise work, reduce operational risk, and support continuous improvement across the plant
- Provide management-level decision-making and support out of hours when required to maintain safe, stable operations in a 24/7 manufacturing environment
Requirements
- Must be from a heavy industry background such as steel, cement, chemical process plant.
- Strong people-management capability, with experience leading large operational teams (c. 50+), including handling difficult conversations and decisions
- Solid technical understanding of process/production operations where product quality and process control are critical
- Strong safety mindset and experience managing higher-risk environments (e.g., high temperatures, chemical hazards, confined spaces)
- Experience working cross-functionally with maintenance, engineering, and other stakeholders to maintain safe, reliable production
- Track record of continuous improvement, with the ability to drive change in a collaborative, "team player" leadership style
- Ability to support sustainability goals and contribute to an evolving sustainability journey within operations
- Budget accountability experience, including fixed-cost control and contractor/contract management exposure (e.g., during shutdowns)
- Comfortable being the key decision-maker when issues arise out of hours, in support of a 24/7 operation
This is a fantastic opportunity with a very well cultured business, If you are keen to hear more, please APPLY TODAY.