Plant Operations Manager

Plant Operations Manager - Automotive Manufacturing (Greenfield Site)

Location: Basildon, Essex (On site)

Salary: Competitive + benefits

Overview

We are supporting an established European manufacturing business as they launch a new UK production facility in Basildon. This is a greenfield site, replicating a successful operation in Italy, focused on plastic injection moulding and associated finishing processes (including painting) for the automotive sector.

This is a key hire who will play a pivotal role in setting up, stabilising, and scaling the plant from the ground up.

The Role

As Plant Operations Manager, you will take ownership of the day to day operational set up and running of the facility, ensuring readiness for production and supporting long term growth.

You will work closely with international stakeholders (Italy HQ) and be instrumental in building the UK team and operational capability.

Key Responsibilities Site Setup & Readiness

• Support final stages of site preparation and operational readiness
• Coordinate installation of production machinery (target June July)
• Ensure the plant is fully operational for production go live (target September)

Operations Management

• Oversee day to day plant operations, ensuring efficiency, quality, and safety
• Implement processes aligned with the existing Italian operation
• Drive continuous improvement across production, workflow, and output

Team Build & Leadership

• Lead initial hiring of 10 staff, scaling to 30+ over time
• Build and develop a high performing production team
• Establish a strong on site culture and operational discipline

Stakeholder Coordination

• Act as the key UK contact for the Italian HQ
• Ensure alignment on processes, standards, and timelines
• Support knowledge transfer between sites

Candidate Profile Essential

• Proven experience in a Plant Manager / Operations Manager / Production Manager role
• Strong background in automotive manufacturing environments
• Experience in setting up or scaling manufacturing operations (greenfield or expansion highly desirable)
• Hands on, operational mindset - comfortable being on the shop floor
• Experience with team building and hiring

Desirable

• Experience with plastic injection moulding
• Exposure to painting or finishing processes
• Experience working with international teams or parent companies

Why Join?

• Opportunity to build a manufacturing site from scratch
• High level of autonomy and ownership
• Long term growth as the site scales over the coming years
• Work with an established international business entering the UK market

Timeline Context (for candidates)

• Site currently under construction
• Machinery installation: Summer 2026 (June July)
• Production go live: September 2026