Site Director – Food Service Division Locations: Huntington & PeterboroughCompany: Pilgrim’s Europe Pilgrim’s Europe is seeking an experienced and commercially astute Site Director to lead our Huntington and Peterborough Food Service sites. This is a critical senior leadership role with full accountability for site performance, including quality, health & safety, efficiency, cost control, and competitive advantage. The successful candidate will have full P&L responsibility, lead and develop the senior management teams across both sites, and be accountable for all employees on site. You will play a pivotal role in driving operational excellence, delivering outstanding customer service, and supporting new product introductions on time and to specification. Key Responsibilities Overall leadership and optimisation of site performance across Huntington and Peterborough Full accountability for financial performance, including profit, turnover, margin, cash flow, yield optimisation, working capital and cost control Development and delivery of site strategy, budgets, business plans, forecasts and performance targets, aligned to overall business strategy Ensuring robust production and material planning to meet customer demand and operational efficiency Leading, developing and coaching the site senior management teams and wider workforce, addressing underperformance through training and corrective action where required Driving Operational Excellence and labour optimisation, embedding a high-performance culture with strong ownership for continuous improvement and innovation Benchmarking against best-in-class operations, introducing new methods and technologies, and proactively driving improvement initiatives Ensuring all plant and equipment are correctly operated, cleaned and maintained, and developing a rolling capital investment plan in conjunction with the Group Technical team Delivering best-in-class standards in product quality, customer service and operational performance Ensuring full compliance with all statutory, regulatory and customer requirements, including food safety, health & safety, environment, employment law and trading standards Developing and maintaining systems, procedures and working practices that meet group policies, accreditation standards and customer requirements Experience & Qualifications Senior management experience within manufacturing, with a minimum of 5 years at a senior leadership level Proven track record of leading a key function or site within manufacturing or food production Strong understanding of manufacturing processes and up-to-date knowledge of processing equipment Relevant qualifications in food, engineering, manufacturing, supply chain management, economics, or similar Demonstrable change management experience Customer-facing experience, including managing and developing key customer relationships Experience managing large, multi-disciplinary workforces Proven capability in developing, motivating and coaching teams Strong negotiation experience (internal and external), including pay negotiations Experience communicating effectively at all levels and across all functions Successful involvement in capital project implementation High level of IT literacy Technical & Commercial Capability Strong people leadership and delegation skills Performance management expertise, including KPI development and delivery Sound understanding of management accounting, budgeting and financial controls Strong commercial acumen with experience of P&L, balance sheets, ROC, financial planning and EBITDA Understanding of engineering processes and standards Knowledge of procedural agreements and union relationships Strong understanding of supply chain processes In-depth knowledge of GMP, Health & Safety and Environmental standards Excellent presentation and report-writing skills Ability to drive optimum performance across all functions Personal Attributes Results-driven with a strong commitment to success Able to engage, influence and communicate with a diverse workforce Demonstrable team builder and collaborative leader Confident to challenge constructively and make balanced decisions Flexible, logical and pragmatic in approach High levels of integrity; fair, honest and objective Passionate about food manufacturing Strong analytical capability with sustained drive and enthusiasm Self-motivated, organised and resilient Creative and imaginative thinker, able to “think outside the box”