Plant Manager
- Waterford
- Permanent
- Full-time
Your New Job
Our client is seeking a Plant Manager for their brand-new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in the Southeast of Ireland. This is a once-in-a-career opportunity to shape the future of manufacturing in Ireland, from the first line installed to the first product out the door.
As the site's inaugural Plant Manager, you'll play a mission-critical role in bringing this facility to life, embedding operational excellence, and building a top-tier leadership team. You'll be the driving force behind the site's success - leading across safety, manufacturing, engineering, quality, and logistics - while partnering closely with Group leadership to deliver an agile, modern, and commercially robust operation.
This role offers huge scope, autonomy, and progression in a fast-growing, privately owned business with major investment backing.Key Duties & Responsibilities
- Lead the launch, scale-up, and full operations of Ireland's most modern manufacturing site.
- Provide strategic leadership across all plant functions - Production, Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Logistics, and HSE.
- Build a high-performing site team from the ground up, developing, and coaching your leadership and technical teams.
- Champion a zero-harm safety culture, ensuring full compliance with regulatory, environmental, and health & safety standards.
- Deliver daily performance and long-term operational strategy through robust planning, cost control, and resource allocation.
- Implement world-class systems and lean processes that drive performance, reliability, and continuous improvement.
- Monitor and control all operational budgets, including R&M, raw materials, staffing, energy, and overheads.
- Own site P&L performance, setting and delivering clear KPIs aligned with Group objectives.
- Lead investment planning and project execution for short, medium, and long-term Capex requirements.
- Foster a culture of excellence, accountability, and collaboration across departments.
- Ensure high standards in quality, product consistency, and customer satisfaction.
- Act as the site's senior interface with key stakeholders including Group Directors, external suppliers, contractors, and regulators.
- Drive strategic alignment with the Managing Director and CFO, feeding into wider business goals and performance reporting.
- 10+ years' leadership experience in a manufacturing environment, with a proven track record of full-site operational responsibility.
- Demonstrated success managing P&L performance, people leadership, and technical operations in a large-scale production setting.
- Strong working knowledge of engineering, production, maintenance, and supply chain processes.
- Degree-qualified in Engineering, Operations Management, or a related technical field.
- Experience within building materials, or heavy manufacturing is a plus - but a sharp operational mind and leadership excellence are key.
- Skilled in performance management, strategic planning, and continuous improvement methodologies.
- Hands-on leader who can operate from boardroom to shop floor - capable, credible, and commercially savvy.
- Exceptional communication, stakeholder engagement, and change management skills.
- Resilient, ambitious, and excited by the opportunity to build something from the ground up.
- Be part of a transformational new plant from Day One.
- Work in a modern, future-focused manufacturing environment.
- Partner directly with senior decision-makers in a growing and ambitious private business.
- Excellent package and long-term growth opportunities.
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