Factory General Manager | Food Manufacturing | Northamptonshire

An exceptional opportunity has arisen for an experienced General Manager to take operational leadership of the largest and most complex manufacturing site within a successful, cash-rich food business.

This appointment is a clear commitment from the CEO to transform and future-proof a critical site. With significant investment planned, this role has been created to provide dedicated, hands-on leadership at site level and to unlock the full potential of the operation.

The Opportunity

The site is a high-volume food manufacturing facility with the capability to reach significantly higher levels of production as investment and performance improvements are delivered.

With CAPEX projects underway in these areas:

• Newly installed and upcoming major processing equipment
• Additional production lines to increase capacity
• A planned new NPD facility
• Wider capital investment to modernise machinery and reduce downtime

The business operates with no debt, strong EBITDA growth, and a leadership team fully aligned behind improving standards, performance, and culture.

Your Role

As Factory General Manager, you will have full responsibility for site performance, leading a large workforce. You will have direct support by a solid and experienced middle management team across functions including; Production, Engineering, Technical & Warehouse.

This role requires a balance of strategic leadership and visible, shop-floor presence. You will be expected to lead the site forward operationally, culturally, and technically, while ensuring a strong return on investment from ongoing and future capital projects.

Key responsibilities include:

• Delivering sustained improvements in output, efficiency, and downtime reduction
• Leading major CAPEX projects, from justification through to delivery and benefit realisation
• Increasing utilisation to consistently achieve higher weekly production volumes
• Modernising ways of working while operating within a legacy footprint
• Driving a people-centric culture, improving engagement, capability, and retention
• Holding the management team accountable for performance and behaviours
• Leading cultural change in a site with a mix of long-serving and newer colleagues
• Ensuring food safety, quality, environmental, and sustainability standards are upheld

About You

This role will suit a credible, inspiring manufacturing leader who thrives in complex environments and enjoys building something better.

You are likely to bring:

• Senior leadership experience within food or FMCG manufacturing, ideally in added value food environments (e.g. bakery, ready meals, protein, extrusion)
• Exposure to high-volume, high-complexity sites with multiple technologies
• Strong CAPEX and change leadership experience
• A practical, people-focused leadership style, such as being visible, honest, and accountable
• A track record of developing teams, nurturing cultures and implementing succession planning across the site
• This is not a role for someone who needs everything to be perfect on day one it is for someone who sees potential, not problems.

If this sounds like a great fit for you then please click below to apply or reach out to me directly at jack@morepeople.co.uk for more information on the position.