General Manager
Recruiter: Hays Recruitment
Location: Suffolk
Salary: £80,000 to £100,000 + car & benefits
Application date: 15th May 2026
Your new company
We are excited to be partnering with a large specialist manufacturing business who are seeking an experienced General Manager to manage the day-to-day operations across 2 manufacturing facilities. With a combined headcount of 160 people, you will have direct reports including Engineering, Health & Safety, Quality and Technical department heads, as well as Shift Production Managers.
Your new role
The General Manager will lead two high‑volume manufacturing sites producing building materials. This role carries full responsibility for operational performance, commercial outcomes, and leadership direction across both sites. The successful candidate will be a proven performance‑driven leader with deep experience in heavy manufacturing, ideally concrete, aggregates, precast, cement, or related building materials. They will set the strategic direction, drive continuous improvement, and ensure both sites deliver strong, sustainable results.
• Lead, coach, and develop a workforce of approximately 160 employees, including managers, supervisors, and frontline teams.
• Set clear leadership direction and build a high‑performance culture across both sites.
• Champion employee engagement, capability development, and succession planning.
• Hold full P&L responsibility for both sites, including budgeting, forecasting, cost control, and capital planning.
• Deliver strong financial performance through disciplined cost management and operational efficiency.
• Lead capital investment projects, ensuring robust business cases and effective execution.
• Establish and deliver performance targets across productivity, quality, cost, and service.
• Implement structured improvement programmes (Lean, Six Sigma, or similar) to reduce waste and optimise processes.
• Foster a culture of accountability, data-driven decision-making, and operational excellence.
What you’ll need to succeed
• Experience as a General Manager, Plant Manager, or Senior Operations Leader with manufacturing knowledge of heavy building materials. You will have proven success driving performance, improving operational KPIs, and leading cultural change.
• Experience leading large teams (100+ employees) and ideally managing multi‑site operations and evidence of leading continuous improvement and operational optimisation initiatives.
• Ideally, degree qualified or similar (engineering, operations or manufacturing related experience) lean six sigma recognised training.
What you’ll get in return
Attractive salary up to £100,000 depending on experience level, company car, health and dental benefits.