General Manager – Timber Manufacturing

Job Description

Principal Objective

Reporting to the Head of Operations, the successful candidate will be an experienced Plant Manager with a strong track record in good manufacturing practice, lean principles, and operational excellence within a manufacturing environment. The role holds full accountability for the safe, efficient and commercially effective performance of the sawmill site, ensuring safe, efficient and compliant operations aligned with Group standards and objectives.

Working closely with Forestry, Sales and the Head of Operations, the Plant Manager will plan and manage production capacity to deliver against the Group’s strategic and commercial goals. Given the interdependent nature of operations, the role will also involve close collaboration with the other sites, ensuring a strong and effective working relationship. This cross site coordination is critical to optimising production flow, meeting customer demand, and supporting overall business performance.

Knowledge & Experience

Degree or qualification in Engineering, Operations, Manufacturing or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience. Minimum 5 years’ experience in a senior Plant, Site or Operations Management role within a manufacturing or industrial environment. Experience operating within a high capital, asset intensive environment.

Proven experience managing large scale production operations, ideally within sawmilling, timber processing or a comparable continuous process industry. Strong working knowledge of Safety, Health, Environment and Quality (SHEQ) systems and regulatory compliance. Demonstrated experience applying lean manufacturing, continuous improvement and operational excellence principles. Experience managing budgets, KPIs and production planning to meet commercial and operational targets. Proven experience leading, developing and performance managing multi disciplinary teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Safety leadership: Partner with the SHEQ Manager to deploy right fit policies, protocols, and trained personnel, maintaining a workplace culture that prioritizes safety and quality compliance.
• Yield optimization: Build and refine sawmill production schedules to extract maximum commercial value, coordinate tightly with Forestry and Sales leadership.
• Strategic output: Help shape the Group’s macro production strategies while tracking site output against financial budgets through structured performance metrics.
• Efficiency programs: Champion local performance improvements via short to medium term initiatives, embed uniform workflows and data reporting via continuous improvement practices.
• Talent management: Drive the site human resources agenda- including hiring, onboarding, staff development, and workplace engagement-in tandem with the HR department.
• Operational oversight: Maintain rigid site governance by facilitating daily, weekly, and monthly production review sessions.
• Supervisory coaching: Build highly collaborative ties with floor supervisors, equipping them to succeed while encouraging knowledge sharing across teams.
• Capital execution: Guide the planning of capital investments and oversee the rollout of onsite infrastructural and new product development projects.
• End-to-end production: Supervise the entire lifecycle of sawmill throughput, managing everything from initial log intake to final secondary manufacturing lines.

Essential Competencies

• Leadership & People Development: Builds high performing teams through visible leadership, clear expectations, coaching and development. Creates an inclusive environment where colleagues are supported to perform at their best.
• Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement: Demonstrates a systematic approach to improving safety, quality, efficiency and cost performance through lean thinking and structured problem solving.
• Decision Making & Accountability: Makes sound, timely decisions based on data and operational insight. Delegates effectively while maintaining clear accountability.
• Communication & Collaboration: Communicates clearly and credibly with colleagues at all levels. Builds strong working relationships across sites and functions.
• Change Leadership: Leads confidently through change, managing risk and uncertainty while maintaining operational stability and team engagement.
• Results Focus: Sets high standards and drives sustainable performance against agreed objectives and KPIs.
• Commercial & Financial Acumen: Understands cost drivers, margin levers and capital trade offs. Uses financial insight to inform operational and strategic decisions.

Key Performance Measures

• Safety & Compliance Performance: Zero serious incidents, SHEQ audit outcomes and regulatory compliance metrics.
• Operational Performance: Production output vs plan, Yield, uptime and efficiency metrics.
• Financial Performance: Cost per cubic metre / tonne, delivery of site budget and contribution to Group margin.
• People & Capability: Engagement, retention and absence metrics, capability development of supervisors and leadership bench strength.

Key Relationships

• Head of Operations: strategic alignment, performance delivery, escalation.
• Managing Directors / Group Leadership: contribution to Group strategy and performance.
• Peer General Managers / Site Leaders: cross site coordination, best practice sharing.
• Forestry Team: log supply, yield optimisation and planning.
• Sales & Commercial Teams: production planning, customer demand alignment.
• Engineering / Capital Projects Teams: asset reliability, capital investment delivery.
• HR Team: workforce planning, leadership development, engagement and succession.
• Finance / Management Accounting: budget control, cost performance, capital justification.

Contract & Remuneration

• Contract Type: Permanent
• Compensation: Up to £100,000 per annum
• Bonus: 10% performance related bonus
• Pension: 5% company pension contribution
• Headcount: Plant Dependent (5 to 7 Direct Reports; total team varies by facility requirements)
• Budget Authority: Full ownership within agreed fiscal targets and capital threshold limits
• Hours: Full time, 40 hours per week
• Working Week: Monday to Friday