Production Manager

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