General Manager

Vanden Global Ltd

Be part of something special. Join Vanden.

At Vanden, we’re passionate about transforming waste into a valuable commodity. Our mission: “Build the world’s largest recycled plastics commodities company” Since we started on our journey, back in 2005, we’ve developed a worldwide presence, serving hundreds of customers in over 50 countries. And we’ve grown a strong, capable team of colleagues who are dedicated and loyal. We are headquartered in Hong Kong with operations and representation in Australia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Turkey, Spain, Netherlands & UK. We operate a factory based in Cambridgeshire UK specialising in the collection and recycling of plastic waste generated from industry and manufacturing and seek a Commercial Strategy and Operations Director to take the site into the future.

What You’ll Do

Providing overall leadership of the plant, the Commercial Strategy and Operations Director will have full P&L responsibility, running the commercial and operational functions of the plant. To succeed, they must have a proven track record of personally driving growth in a manufacturing or materials processing business via aggressive commercial development.

You will use an entrepreneurial approach to scale the business by acquiring contracts on feedstocks, increasing margins, and improving operational efficiencies.

Delivering first-class service will be central to the role. Our suppliers and customers range from waste managers, owner operator manufacturers, all the way up to multi-national packaging companies and understanding and solving their pain points will be key to growth.

Lean manufacturing methodology will be used to maximise our assets and minimise waste in all parts of the operation.

Upholding a “best in class” Health and Safety system (the facility holds ISO9001, 14001 and 45001) the health and wellbeing of the team and the public will be at the forefront of all decision making.

You will stay on top of and ensure adherence to all related H&S and Environmental policy – both internal company and industry bodies.

Working in partnership with company leaders and teams on the ground, you must be a compelling leader and have a proven track record in bringing teams together successfully to achieve a common goal.

You will drive our mission through your actions and continuous messaging to the team, aligning goals around achieving excellence and executing on our core purpose of Delivering Certainty.

This role is suited to an ambitious and creative individual who is adaptable to change, driven and energetic.

What You’ll Need

Leadership & Daily Operations:

• Full P&L responsibility
• Achieve profit targets and ensure critical business metrics are met, for example, service levels, OEE, and cost and profit per ton
• Assume leadership of existing team members, refining job roles and conducting performance reviews
• Coach and mentor key role holders to develop skills and leadership ability
• Deliver weekly and monthly performance reports to business leaders
• Chair monthly H&S meetings and ensure actionable items are completed
• Oversee daily operations – monitor production and people scheduling, to ensure optimum efficiency and the safety of the team
• Work with company leaders to develop the long-term plan. Including financial budgeting
• Anticipate investment and funding implications and make recommendations to the Board of Directors
• Implement changes to enable the site to operate as an independent business unit
• Drive succession planning at all levels
• Implement training programs to meet development needs of team members
• Budget and monitor costs in all areas of the site, ensuring adherence to procedures as well as drive constant cost reduction measures
• Develop, monitor, and share to the team daily and monthly performance
• Gain an understanding of all industry compliance standards around the recycling and transport of waste and End of Waste
• Implement a culture and practice of continuous improvement and process improvement, including constant enhancement of existing systems

Commercial Development:

• Proactively win new business and personally handle some key accounts
• Work with the commercial team to identify and take advantage of new market opportunities, to help achieve short term targets as well as assist in the development of long-term plans
• Conduct research and stay close to suppliers and customers to ensure business plans provide a compelling offer to the marketplace
• Keep up to date with the demands and expectations of Vanden’s customer base so that the plant and the business plans are working in alignment

Knowledge (Education & Related Experience):

• Degree holder in Business or Management or equivalent experience
• Demonstrate experience in manufacturing or site leadership
• Demonstrate experience in sales or business development leadership
• Track record of scaling a business via new client acquisition
• Experience in commodity products/materials an advantage

Skills & Abilities:

• Move easily between big picture thinking and managing relevant detail
• Able to use logic and reasoning to appraise situations
• Able read and interpret financial statements
• Able to anticipate opportunities and risks
• Able to build rapport quickly with colleagues and service providers
• Able to conduct in depth analysis and provide valuable insights
• Able to anticipate business needs and play forward defense
• Able to manage and respond quickly to changing/competing priorities
• Able to develop internal procedures and policies
• Highly organized and detail oriented

Our Recruitment Process

This is an opportunity for us to get to know you but also a chance for you to understand our business, ask questions and determine if we’re the right fit for you.

Our approach involves the following stages, each step will give us and you time to get to know one another.

1. Getting to know each other video interview (30 minutes)
2. Interview – An in-depth overview of your work experience and career achievements. (90 minutes)
3. Competency-based interview (90 minutes)

The expected timeline to complete is 3-4 weeks depending on candidate & reference availability.