Now Hiring: Senior Plant Manager
Wavin, an Orbia business
Location: Chippenham, UK
Full-time | Leadership Role
At Wavin, part of Orbia’s Building & Infrastructure (B&I) business group, we’re driven by a clear purpose: to create sustainable, innovative solutions that help build healthier, more resilient environments for communities around the world.
We’re now looking for a dynamic Senior Plant Manager to lead our site operations and make a tangible impact. This is a pivotal leadership role where you’ll take full ownership of plant performance — driving operational excellence, ensuring the highest standards of safety and quality, and leading a high-performing team across production, maintenance, and supply chain.
This is an exciting opportunity for a results-oriented leader to shape the future of our manufacturing operations. You’ll play a key role in optimizing processes, improving efficiency, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, all while working alongside a collaborative and forward-thinking leadership team.
About the role
As our Senior Plant Manager, you will be the driving force behind our site’s performance — leading, inspiring, and empowering teams to deliver outstanding operational results. Acting as a key leader on site, you’ll shape direction, influence outcomes, and ensure our plant operates safely, efficiently, and at the highest level of quality. In this role, you will:
- Lead and direct all site operations to meet output, cost, and quality targets
- Champion a zero-accident safety culture across the site
- Develop and execute a long-term strategy to build a world-class operations environment
- Manage and coach the Site Management Team, fostering a high-performance culture
- Drive year-on-year cost reduction through continuous improvement initiatives
- Oversee operational budgets and ensure efficient resource utilization
- Maintain full compliance with quality systems, procedures, and industry standards
- Lead employee engagement initiatives and foster strong union relationships
- Build collaborative relationships with internal stakeholders, customers, and suppliers
About you
- Engineering background
- Proven experience leading in automation-heavy and unionized manufacturing environments
- Strong track record in safety, quality, and cost management
- Experience negotiating with trade unions and managing complex site dynamics
- High-level financial and commercial acumen, including budget ownership
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
- Ability to engage, develop, and align teams toward shared goals
- Comfortable navigating fast-paced, high-performance environments
- Skilled at balancing strategic vision with practical execution
Why Join Us
At Wavin, you’ll be part of a global network of innovators and problem-solvers, united by a shared purpose: to advance life around the world. As a Senior Plant Manager, you’ll play a critical role in delivering that purpose — leading a site that drives operational excellence, innovation, and sustainable manufacturing.
We offer a collaborative, performance-driven environment where your leadership truly makes an impact. You’ll have the opportunity to develop high-performing teams, drive continuous improvement, and shape the future of our operations, all while advancing your own career within a global organisation.
Ready to lead from the front and make a lasting impact?
Apply now and help us build smarter, more efficient, and more sustainable manufacturing — powering resilient communities for the future.
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