Senior Manufacturing Manager - South West & Wales

Role Overview:

Location: Carmarthen and Holsworthy - regular travel between both sites and other Wynnstay locations as required.

Wynnstay Group is seeking an experienced manufacturing leader to join our Feed division as Senior Manufacturing Manager, leading the safe, compliant, efficient and profitable operation of our Carmarthen and Holsworthy Feed Mills.

Reporting to the Head of Manufacturing, you'll provide visible leadership across both sites, with responsibility for health and safety, compliance, production, people, cost control and overall operational performance. You'll establish consistent standards across the two mills and ensure they deliver the required production plan safely, reliably and to the expected quality, cost and service levels.

You'll also take accountability for site budgets and financial performance, using operational data to manage costs, identify risks and improve productivity. Through disciplined process management, continuous improvement and effective project delivery, you'll strengthen the reliability, resilience and long-term performance of both manufacturing operations.

This is an excellent opportunity for a credible and commercially minded manufacturing leader who enjoys operating across multiple sites, developing people and translating operational insight into meaningful business improvement.

Responsibilities:

• Taking overall responsibility for health and safety performance across Carmarthen and Holsworthy Feed Mills, ensuring appropriate systems, procedures, risk assessments and operational controls are in place and consistently followed.

• Championing a proactive safety culture through visible leadership, regular site engagement and clear accountability at every level.

• Ensuring incidents, near misses and unsafe conditions are reported, investigated and addressed effectively.

• Maintaining compliance with all relevant legal, regulatory, feed assurance, food safety, environmental and Company requirements.

• Working closely with Health and Safety, Quality Control and other specialist teams to prepare for audits, manage actions and continuously strengthen site governance.

• Leading the day-to-day manufacturing operation across both sites, ensuring production is delivered safely, efficiently and in line with agreed quality, service and cost expectations.

• Establishing clear and consistent operating standards, performance expectations and ways of working across both mills.

• Managing production capacity, labour, equipment availability and site priorities to deliver the required manufacturing plan while minimising avoidable downtime and disruption.

• Monitoring operational performance indicators and using data to identify risks, address underperformance and improve output, efficiency and reliability.

• Working closely with Planning, Quality Control and Transport colleagues to translate customer demand into achievable and efficient production plans.

• Ensuring finished feed is produced and available at the right time to support reliable deliveries to farms and stores.

• Maintaining oversight of raw-material availability, production constraints, product changeovers, quality requirements and operational disruption.

• Resolving or escalating issues promptly before production performance or customer service is affected.

• Taking accountability for the financial and operational performance of both mills, maintaining disciplined cost control and a clear focus on profitability, productivity and value.

• Developing, managing and monitoring site budgets, ensuring expenditure is controlled, variances are understood and corrective action is taken where required.

• Providing clear and accurate performance reporting to the Head of Manufacturing and Directors, including insight into budgets, operational risks, performance trends and improvement priorities.

• Leading, coaching and developing management and operational teams across both sites, creating a culture of accountability, teamwork, high standards and continuous improvement.

• Maintaining a visible presence on the shop floor and engaging with colleagues at every level to understand and address operational challenges.

• Leading workforce planning, capability development and succession activity to build the skills and flexibility required for a resilient manufacturing operation.

• Working with People and Culture colleagues to support effective performance management, attendance, employee relations, organisational change and colleague engagement.

• Identifying and delivering continuous improvement opportunities that reduce waste, improve throughput, increase reliability and simplify operational processes.

• Leading operational and capital projects from planning through to implementation, ensuring clear objectives, effective stakeholder ownership and delivery within agreed timescales and budgets.

• Building strong working relationships across Wynnstay and contributing practical operational insight to wider business discussions.

• Ensuring the priorities of Carmarthen and Tamar Feed Mills remain aligned with the wider Feed business strategy.

What we're looking for:

Essential:

• Significant experience within a manufacturing environment, with a strong understanding of production operations, process control and operational performance.

• At least five years' management experience, including responsibility for leading teams and delivering operational results within a manufacturing setting.

• Strong knowledge of health and safety responsibilities in manufacturing, with experience embedding safe working practices and managing compliance.

• Experience managing budgets, controlling costs and reporting clearly on financial and operational performance.

• Strong commercial acumen, with the ability to understand the financial impact of operational decisions and balance cost, quality, service and risk.

• Demonstrable project-management experience, including planning, stakeholder coordination, implementation and benefits delivery.

• Strong process-management and continuous-improvement capability, with experience analysing performance and improving manufacturing systems or ways of working.

• Excellent leadership, communication and stakeholder-management skills, with the confidence to build effective relationships from the shop floor through to Directors and senior leaders.

• A degree-level qualification or an equivalent level of professional, technical or operational experience.

• A visible and credible leadership style, with the confidence to operate effectively in both hands-on manufacturing environments and senior business discussions.

• A safety-focused and disciplined approach, supported by high standards and a strong sense of personal accountability.

• An analytical and data-led mindset, with the ability to identify root causes and translate insight into practical action.

• A resilient and organised approach, with the ability to manage multiple priorities across two operational sites.

• A full UK driving licence and the ability to travel regularly between Carmarthen, Holsworthy and other Wynnstay locations as required.

Desirable:

• Experience within feed, food, agriculture, process manufacturing or another highly regulated manufacturing environment.

• Experience leading operations across more than one manufacturing site.

• Knowledge of feed assurance, food safety or environmental compliance standards.

• Experience delivering capital-investment or major operational-improvement projects.

• A recognised health and safety, continuous improvement, engineering or manufacturing-management qualification