Site Manager

Job Purpose

The Site Manager for Valley Farm Road is responsible for the day-to-day operational management of Pandas processing facility in Leeds. This includes ensuring safe, efficient, and compliant delivery of all plant operations — from material processing and transport, to maintenance, compliance, and people leadership.

This role is also accountable for aligning site performance with the company's recycling strategy, sustainability commitments, and commercial targets.

Key Responsibilities
Health, Safety, Environmental & Compliance

• Lead a proactive safety-first culture across the site, ensuring zero-harm principles are embedded.

• Ensure full compliance with H&S legislation, EA permits, environmental regulations, and internal policies.

• Oversee health & safety of all personnel and third-party visitors.

• Deliver safety briefings, toolbox talks, and participate in the SHEQ working group.

• Ensure all Safe Systems of Work and Risk Assessments are in place, understood, and followed.

• Coach and guide the team on accident reporting, investigations, and continuous safety improvement.

Operations & Plant Management

• Oversee all material processing, recovery, transport, and final disposal activities.

• Maximise plant availability, throughput, and output quality within compliance and cost constraints.

• Lead site planning and review meetings to align daily activity with strategic KPIs.

• Ensure preventative maintenance of all fixed and mobile plant, working closely with engineering.

• Liaise with logistics to ensure timely movement of material in accordance with offtake agreements and permits.

• Drive continuous improvement, innovation, and productivity optimisation across the site.

People Leadership & Development

• Recruit, induct, and develop site personnel to build a high-performing, safety-conscious team.

• Ensure sufficient staffing levels across all shifts.

• Deliver regular training, coaching, competency assessments, and performance reviews.

• Set clear objectives and maintain a culture of accountability, engagement, and development.

• Approve payroll submissions and ensure compliance with workforce planning processes.

Financial & Commercial Responsibility

• Control site operational budgets, costs, and resource utilisation.

• Contribute to financial forecasting and reporting.

• Balance site efficiency with quality, compliance, and profitability objectives.

• Support the implementation of commercial agreements by ensuring operational capability aligns with contractual outputs.

Strategic Execution & Stakeholder Collaboration

• Support delivery of site and regional strategic plans, including sustainability and digitalisation goals.

• Work closely with other Site Managers, Engineering, Compliance, SHEQ, and Commercial teams.

• Maintain strong relationships with regulators, partners, and key external stakeholders.

• Represent the site at regional processing and planning meetings.

Key Accountabilities

• Operational compliance with legislation, permits, and company policies

• Leadership of a safe, engaged, and capable on-site team

• Delivery of site KPIs including throughput, quality, and cost efficiency

• Maintenance of a compliant and well-maintained plant

• Contribution to strategic and continuous improvement initiatives

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Zero-harm and compliance with HS&E standards

• Site production and output targets

• Labour cost efficiency and utilisation

• Audit outcomes (internal, external, EA)

• Operational uptime and asset reliability

• Team development, retention, and engagement metrics

Person Specification
Essential Qualifications & Experience

• Proven experience in operational leadership in a processing, recycling, or manufacturing facility

• Strong track record in managing safety, compliance, and plant performance

• Experience leading teams in high-risk environments

• Strong understanding of waste/recycling operations and environmental regulation

• Financial and budget management experience

• Effective communicator with strong planning and decision-making ability

Desirable

• Experience in site permit management and working with the Environment Agency

•  WAMITAB Certificate of Technical Competence (COTC) – with up-to-date continued competency

• Knowledge of ERP or operational data systems (e.g. Power BI, CMMS)

• Exposure to continuous improvement or Lean methodologies

• Degree in Operations, Engineering, Environmental Science, or related discipline

Personal Qualities

• Confident, pragmatic leader with strong coaching and mentoring ability

• Resilient under pressure and solutions-focused

• Collaborative mindset and excellent interpersonal skills

• Highly organised, commercially aware, and detail-oriented

• Passionate about sustainability, safety, and operational excellence

Competency Areas

Competency Area
Expectation

HS&E Leadership
Visible safety leader, drives culture of zero harm

Operational Excellence
Results-driven with strong cost control and process efficiency

People Development
Empowers teams and builds site capability

Stakeholder Management
Trusted collaborator across internal and external stakeholders

Continuous Improvement
Champions innovation, leads change initiatives

About You

About Us

Join us on the journey…..

Over the past 30 years, Panda has continued to grow and acquire businesses that all share a very similar vision and set of values. We're now a group of almost 3000 people, all contributing to that growth and success.

Whilst Panda is the parent company to numerous brands, we all share an ambitious vision for the future. Our primary goal is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our people and connected partners is front and centre.  As a team, we're safer together. We deliver our customers with a partnership approach to managing their resources responsibly. We constantly push the boundaries of innovation.  What's good today can be better tomorrow.

Panda is not just a company, it's a resource recovery business. Over the past three decades we've grown and diversified significantly, we believe that great leadership is rooted in strong values. As leaders within this industry, we're committed to shaping a better future for our friends, families and communities. Our philosophy remains unchanged, balancing customer satisfaction with environmentally sustainable practices. Exceptional customer service, and unwavering dedication to sustainability are the cornerstones of our business.

Our journey is dependent upon talented, passionate, and dedicated people that constantly strive and challenge each other for better outcomes. 

Take the first step today and join us on the journey……….

Panda aims to attract and retain a skilled and diverse workforce that best represents the talent available in the communities in which our assets are located and our employees reside.

(DE&I Policy Statement)

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