Plant Operations Manager

Job description

Plant Operations & Maintenance Manager Bedford | £60,000–£65,000 | Onsite

This is a leadership role with real influence.

You’ll take ownership of operations and maintenance across a highly specialised engineering site, ensuring critical facilities run safely, reliably and without disruption. The environment is complex, the standards are high, and the impact of getting it right is significant.

But this isn’t just about keeping things running.

The business is going through a period of change and is looking for someone who can modernise how the team operates — moving away from traditional command-and-control leadership towards a more empowered, accountable and high-performing culture.

You’ll lead a multi-disciplinary team of electrical and mechanical engineers and technicians, setting direction, improving processes and building a stronger, more collaborative way of working.

What you’ll be doing

• Leading and developing a team responsible for site operations and maintenance
• Ensuring facilities are safe, compliant and fully available to meet demanding schedules
• Planning and delivering maintenance, outages and improvement programmes
• Driving plant reliability and performance through better asset strategies
• Managing budgets, suppliers and key stakeholder relationships
• Acting as a key point of accountability for safety, compliance and governance
• Driving continuous improvement across processes, culture and performance

What will make you a fit

• Proven experience leading multi-disciplinary engineering or maintenance teams
• Strong background in plant operations, facilities or industrial environments
• An electrical bias (high-voltage experience beneficial)
• Comfortable operating in regulated, safety-critical environments
• A leadership style focused on coaching, empowerment and accountability
• Eligible for UK Security Clearance

Why this role stands out

• Opportunity to reshape team culture and leadership approach
• High-impact role in a technically unique engineering environment
• Strong mix of people leadership, operations and strategy
• Long-term stability with meaningful technical challenges

This is ideal for someone who enjoys leading from the front, improving how teams operate, and taking real ownership of complex engineering environments.

If you’re looking for a role where you can make a visible impact on both operations and culture, this is worth a conversation.

Apply for a confidential discussion.

Extra information

Status

Open

Education Level

Secondary School

Location

Bedford

Type of Contract

Full-time jobs

Published at

26-03-2026

Profession type

Logistics jobs

Full UK/EU driving license preferred

No

Car Preferred

No

Must be eligible to work in the EU

No

Cover Letter Required

No

Languages

English