Site General Manager
Location: Pontefract, WF8 4QD
Type: Full-time, Permanent
Are you an experienced people leader with a passion for driving operational excellence, leading through change, and building high-performing teams? Do you thrive in fast-paced manufacturing environments and bring a strong safety-first, continuous-improvement mindset? If so, we’d love to hear from you.
CHEP is seeking a Site General Manager (internally this role is called ‘Plant Manager’) to lead our Pontefract Service Centre Operations. This is a pivotal leadership role where you’ll champion our culture of safety, sustainability, and customer focus, while delivering strategic objectives and driving transformation across the site.
You’ll be fully accountable for operational performance, employee engagement, cost control, and continuous improvement, ensuring the plant meets and exceeds quality, efficiency, and customer expectations. Success in this role requires strong, adaptable leadership, the confidence to have courageous conversations, and the ability to develop people and performance in equal measure.
Key Responsibilities
* Lead, inspire, and develop large, diverse teams through significant operational and cultural change, maintaining engagement and performance in a dynamic environment.
* Demonstrate adaptive people leadership, flexing management style as required, from coaching and support, to firm direction and performance challenge, to keep programmes and operations on track.
* Take full ownership of team capability and development by identifying skills and performance gaps through data and observation, creating and delivering clear development and action plans, and tracking progress to ensure measurable and sustained improvement.
* Drive a strong safety-first culture, ensuring compliance, engagement, and continuous improvement in health, safety, and wellbeing.
* Deliver operational KPIs across safety, quality, service, cost, and productivity in a highly automated manufacturing environment.
* Lead Cost Operations and Continuous Improvement initiatives, identifying and delivering measurable savings and efficiency gains through; Process optimisation and waste elimination, smarter resource deployment and productivity improvement, standardisation and sustainable ways of working
* Build and deliver robust improvement plans supported by clear data, business cases, and measurable outcomes, ensuring benefits are sustained.
* Own site budgets and financial performance, balancing cost discipline with operational effectiveness and long-term sustainability.
* Engage and influence key stakeholders, including site leadership, central functions, and trade unions, to successfully embed change.
What We’re Looking For
* Minimum 5 years’ experience managing large teams in a fast-paced manufacturing, logistics, or industrial environment.
* Proven track record of leading through change and delivering results in automated or high-volume operations.
* Demonstrable experience in people development, with clear examples of personally driving capability improvement through structured action plans and follow-through.
* Strong background in Continuous Improvement and cost optimisation, with evidence of tangible, quantified outcomes.
* Experience of budget ownership, stakeholder management, and working effectively in unionised environments.
* Confident and authentic leader, able to balance empathy with accountability and handle challenging conversations with clarity and fairness.
* Strategic thinker with strong problem-solving and financial acumen.
* Exceptional communication, coaching, and influencing skills.
What’s in It for You?
* Certified Top 17 Global Employer
* Annual bonus (typically 15%) based on company and individual performance
* Car allowance
* Generous share scheme
* Private healthcare (family cover)
* Flexible working options
* 25 days holiday + statutory holidays, with the option to buy/sell up to 5 additional days
* 10% company pension contribution
* Life Assurance
* Employee Assistance Programme
Ready to Apply?
Submit your CV tailored to this opportunity, highlighting your leadership impact, change delivery, and operational achievements. We look forward to welcoming you to the team.