Job title: Production Manager - Specialist Chemical Manufacturing
Salary: £50,000 pa + 8% Bonus + 25 Days Holiday + BH + 11% Pension (Combined) + Life Assurance (4x Salary) + Group Dependant Plan (45% of salary) + Permanent Health Insurance (50% of monthly salary)
Location: South Preston - PR5 Area
Hours: 24/5 Operations Environment (Day-Based Leadership Role)
Are you an experienced Production Leader with a passion for continuous improvement, team leadership, and operational excellence? Would you thrive in a fast-paced, global manufacturing environment where your expertise directly supports ambitious growth and world-class production standards?
Join a market-leading, internationally recognised specialist chemical manufacturer as we continue to invest, expand, and raise performance across our Lancashire operations.
About the Company
With over a century of innovation behind us, we are a global leader in the development and production of specialty chemical solutions used in countless modern applications. Our purpose is to solve real-world challenges through science, quality, and operational excellence, supported by dedicated teams across our worldwide manufacturing footprint.
The Role: Production Manager
Reporting to the Plant Manager, you will lead a team of 25-30 operators and two supervisors within a complex chemical blending and batch processing environment. You'll oversee a 16/7 operation, ensuring safe, efficient, high-quality output while driving a culture of continuous improvement.
This is a highly visible role where your ideas will shape performance, processes, and people development.
Key Responsibilities
People Leadership
* Lead, coach, develop, and motivate a production team of 25-30.
* Manage resource planning, including temporary labour, to meet operational demands.
Operational Performance
* Oversee the efficient production of chemical products to meet quality and customer lead-time expectations.
* Champion continuous improvement initiatives (5S, Lean, Six Sigma).
* Track, analyse, and present plant and operational KPIs.
Safety & Compliance
* Ensure full compliance with EHS standards and foster a best-in-class safety culture.
* Support risk assessments, audits, and process safety activities.
Projects & Change
* Contribute to plant projects across PSM, equipment upgrades, quality, and logistics.
* Prepare capital expenditure proposals and take part in customer audits.
Equipment & Reliability
* Work closely with Maintenance to maximise equipment uptime and overall plant reliability.
What You'll Bring
* 5+ years' experience in a production/operations leadership role—ideally within chemical, process, FMCG or related manufacturing environments.
* A track record of motivating teams and delivering results under pressure.
* Strong understanding of continuous improvement tools, especially Lean
* Good grasp of production KPIs, problem-solving, and process optimisation.
* Experience using ERP systems (SAP preferred) and Microsoft Office.
* Excellent communication, organisation, and stakeholder-management skills.
What's in It for You
* £50,000 pa salary + 8% annual bonus
* 11% combined pension scheme
* 25 days holiday + bank holidays
* Life assurance (4x salary)
* Permanent health insurance (50% monthly salary)
* Group Dependant Plan (45% salary)
* Excellent career development opportunities within a global group
* A role where your impact is visible, valued, and rewarded
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If you're a hands-on leader who thrives on developing people, improving processes, and driving performance, we want to hear from you.
Apply today and help shape the future of a world-class chemical manufacturing operation