£70K - £85k plus £6k car allowance 10 % bonus and 10% Pension Monday - Friday 8 - 5 pm Horsham West Sussex An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Plant / Production Manager to lead operations at a Chemical industrial manufacturing site. You will play a key leadership role within a site team of around 60 ( 3 Shift managers), responsible for delivering safe, efficient, and compliant operations while driving continuous improvement and fostering a high-performing culture. Our client is a recognised name within the industrial manufacturing sector, known for their strong values and commitment to staff retention and employee development. What You'll Be Doing Lead day-to-day production and maintenance operations on site, ensuring safety, environmental and performance standards are met or exceeded. Champion HSE culture, leading by example and ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and internal systems (ISO standards, risk assessments, audits). Manage relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, including direct negotiation and engagement with trade unions. Oversee plant performance, resource planning, and infrastructure reliability to ensure consistent delivery to customer and business expectations. Drive team development, motivation, and succession planning across a diverse, skilled workforce. Lead site safety committees, emergency preparedness, and continuous improvement projects across production and site management. Manage budgets, KPIs and ensure reporting, compliance and plant standards align with wider business goals. What You'll Bring Proven experience as a Plant or Production Manager within a COMAH, chemical, process, heavy industry, paper&pulp, Renewables or other industrial manufacturing sites. Strong Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE) focus, with a track record of driving a safety-first culture. Experience in managing trade union negotiations and fostering positive industrial relations. Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills with a track record of engaging and developing teams. Strong operational, strategic and analytical thinking able to balance technical and people leadership. This role is 70 % People management HNC / HND or equivalent in Engineering or a related technical field is preferred, but equivalent experience will be considered.