Job Description

Plant Manager – Energy Recovery Facility

Location: Central Scotland
Working Pattern: Monday to Friday
Salary: Competitive + Benefits

The Opportunity

An established energy and infrastructure business is looking to appoint an experienced Plant Manager to take overall responsibility for the safe, compliant and efficient operation of a major Energy Recovery facility in Central Scotland.

This is a senior site leadership position with responsibility for operational performance, engineering and maintenance, health & safety, environmental compliance and the development of the site team.

The successful candidate will provide clear leadership across the facility, ensuring the plant operates safely and reliably while driving improvements in performance, availability and operational standards.

Although experience within Energy from Waste or power generation would be advantageous, the business is open to experienced Plant Managers and senior operational leaders from other high-hazard, highly regulated process industries, including chemicals, petrochemicals, industrial gases, utilities and similar heavy industrial environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Take overall responsibility for the safe, compliant and efficient operation of the facility.
• Provide visible leadership across operations, engineering, maintenance and site support functions.
• Maintain and continually improve a strong health, safety and environmental culture.
• Ensure the facility operates in accordance with environmental permits, regulatory requirements and company procedures.
• Drive plant performance, reliability, availability and continuous improvement.
• Work closely with engineering and maintenance teams to ensure effective preventative and corrective maintenance strategies.
• Monitor operational KPIs and identify opportunities to improve plant efficiency and performance.
• Lead, develop and motivate the site team, establishing clear expectations and accountability.
• Ensure appropriate systems, procedures and controls are in place to manage operational and process risks.
• Oversee contractors and other third parties operating on site.
• Support and lead the facility through audits, inspections and regulatory engagement.
• Contribute to budgeting, cost control and wider commercial performance.
• Act as a senior point of escalation for significant plant and operational issues.

Candidate Profile

We are looking for an experienced operational leader with a background in a complex industrial or process-driven environment.

You are likely to have:

• Previous experience as a Plant Manager, Site Manager, Operations Manager or equivalent senior operational leader.
• Experience within Energy from Waste, power generation, chemicals, petrochemicals, industrial gases, utilities or another high-hazard/process industry.
• Strong knowledge of health, safety, environmental and regulatory compliance within an industrial environment.
• A track record of managing and developing multidisciplinary operational teams.
• Experience driving improvements in plant performance, reliability and operational standards.
• Strong understanding of the relationship between operations, engineering and maintenance.
• Experience working within audited and highly regulated environments.
• The ability to lead from the front while maintaining a strategic overview of site performance.
• Strong communication and stakeholder-management skills.
• Relevant technical, engineering or operational qualifications would be advantageous.

Experience within COMAH or similarly high-hazard regulated environments would also be highly relevant and transferable.

The Role

This is predominantly a Monday-to-Friday leadership position, rather than a shift-based Plant Manager role. However, as the senior operational leader for the facility, there will naturally be an expectation to provide support during significant operational events or plant issues when required.

It represents an opportunity to take responsibility for an established energy facility and play a key role in its ongoing operational performance, safety culture and development.