Technical Manager

Technical Manager – Plastics Manufacturing

Locations for Positions Available:

South West England or

Southern Ireland

AZ/64849

A well-established and highly regarded plastics manufacturer is seeking 2 experienced Technical Managers to join its leadership team at two key production sites. This is a confidential appointment within a growing organisation that supplies high-quality packaging and engineered plastic solutions to major customers across multiple sectors.

This role offers the opportunity to take ownership of technical performance, process optimisation, and new product introduction, supporting both extrusion and thermoforming operations. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in improving manufacturing efficiency, introducing innovation, and ensuring the successful delivery of new products into production.

Working closely with the Technical Director, Site Leadership Team, and commercial teams, you will act as the technical authority on site while driving continuous improvement and supporting strategic growth.

• Lead and manage new tool commissioning and implementation as part of the NPI process
• Provide technical leadership for the introduction of new products and manufacturing equipment
• Drive process optimisation, focusing on cycle time improvements, tool change reduction, downtime reduction and output improvements
• Monitor new product commissioning performance, comparing operational results against commercial targets and resolving deviations
• Identify and deliver continuous improvement initiatives across thermoforming automation, tooling and process performance
• Support the extrusion team with material developments, NPD projects and process troubleshooting
• Deliver value engineering and cost improvement initiatives that enhance site profitability
• Ensure tooling suppliers meet the required technical standards and specifications
• Partner with operations teams to deliver CI and manufacturing improvement projects
• Support commercial teams with customer visits and technical discussions, strengthening credibility with key clients
• Contribute to the organisation’s innovation pipeline, supporting new ideas and product development initiatives

• Degree qualified in Engineering, Manufacturing, Polymer Science or a related discipline
• 10+ years’ experience in plastics manufacturing, ideally within thermoforming environments
• Experience working with extrusion processes would be highly advantageous
• Strong knowledge of polymer processing and materials behaviour
• Experience with SPC, process control techniques, and structured NPI / stage-gate processes
• Proven track record delivering process improvement and manufacturing efficiency projects
• Comfortable working cross-functionally with operations, suppliers, and customers
• Willingness to travel within the UK and Europe when required

• Opportunity to join a technically advanced manufacturing operation
• Strategic role influencing manufacturing performance and innovation
• Strong support from senior leadership and investment in process improvement
• Relocation support available for the right candidate
• Competitive salary and long-term career development prospects

For reasons of better legibility, the simultaneous use of the language forms male, female and diverse (f/m/d) is avoided. All personal designations apply equally to all genders.

For UK roles, candidates must be eligible to work and live in the United Kingdom. Proof of eligibility will be required with your application.

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