Operations Manager Tanfield
(Home of Penn State Pretzels) On-site | Monday - Friday
Join our snack-loving team We’re looking for an Operations Manager to join us at KP Snacks. If you’re ready to bring your ideas to the table, grow your skills and be part of a team that values what makes you, you – this could be your next big move.
About the role As Operations Manager, you’ll provide strategic direction for our Operations function at KP Tanfield, aligning with our Intersnack Working System (IWS) and lean methodologies. You’ll lead the site through the Autonomous Maintenance (AM), Progressive Maintenance (PM) and Initiative Management (IM) pillars, striving for zero loss and 100% engagement.
This is a highly visible leadership role where you’ll combine hands-on involvement with long-term strategic thinking. You’ll focus on building capability, strengthening processes and embedding a culture of continuous improvement, while taking full responsibility for operational efficiency, capability development and capital project delivery as a key member of the site leadership team.
What’s in it for you? We believe in rewarding our colleagues and helping them thrive. Here’s a flavour of what we offer: Annual car allowance of £7,500
Annual bonus scheme, with a strong track record of overachievement
Comprehensive healthcare support – including Medicash Health Cash Plan or Private Healthcare, Digital GP, Best Doctors second opinion service and specialist cancer care
KP Pension Plan – contribution matching up to 7% of your salary
25 days holiday, plus the option to buy more
KP4ME – our online platform for benefits, discounts, wellbeing tools and more
What will you be doing? Provide strategic leadership for Operations, driving alignment with IWS and lean principles
Lead and coach site line structures, building capability and fostering a culture of ownership and accountability
Deliver against OGSM/CBN targets and a robust set of KPIs, ensuring continuous improvement across SQCPDM metrics
Take full responsibility for operational performance, including P&L management and circa £4M controllable costs
Manage and deliver capital projects, ensuring efficiency and compliance with Health & Safety and Technical standards
Drive engagement and empowerment across 122 colleagues, operating 24/5 on a complex site producing 42 SKUs across multiple lines
Champion IWS pillars (AM, PM, IM) and lead pillar activity to embed sustainable processes
Who are we? We’re KP Snacks, part of the Intersnack family. Across more than 30 countries, over 15,000 of us work together to make the snacks people love – from Hula Hoops to McCoy’s. In the UK, we’re a team of around 2,400 colleagues, based across seven sites and our Slough HQ. We’re proud of our close-knit culture, where we speak up, celebrate differences and push boundaries together.
We’re committed to inclusion We’re building a workplace where everyone belongs. If you don’t tick every box, we’d still love to hear from you – your unique perspective could be just what we need. And if there’s anything we can do to make the process easier for you, just let us know.
We’d love to hear from you if you can bring: Extensive experience as an Operations Manager in FMCG manufacturing, with strong exposure to engineering and project management
Proven ability to lead change and build high-performing, self-sufficient teams – moving away from micromanagement
Strong business acumen and ability to use financial data to drive improvement
Knowledge of Health & Safety and Technical requirements for food manufacturing
Hands-on leadership style with the resilience and confidence to influence at all levels
Experience deploying lean methodologies (IWS or similar) and delivering operational excellence
A track record of coaching and developing teams, promoting cross-functional collaboration and driving engagement
Ability to balance short-term priorities with long-term strategic goals
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