Assistant Plant Manager – Plastics Recycling

We’re looking for an experienced operations individual with supervisory/management experience to join us at our AO Plastics Recycling plant in Telford. You’ll be delivering continuous change (ideally with Lean Six Sigma experience), delivering brilliant basics and step-change improvements, whilst leading operations across 2 shifts within a matrix structure incorporating engineering, SHEQ, HR and Commercial functions.

AO is known as the destination for electricals, but we’re also one of the UK’s biggest recyclers of fridges and other Large Domestic Appliances (LDAs). We turn old fridges, washing machines, tumble dryers and dishwashers into valuable resources, and the plastics are sent to our plastics recycling plant, where you will be part of the site management team.

Our plastics recycling plant is a unique design, audited to the highest European standards, and sets a new standard in creating single polymer plastics ready for use in new high-quality products, with our strategic aim to use the plastics in new appliances for sale on ao.com. Since 2018, AO has continued to invest heavily in plastics recycling with around £7 million invested to date, including the recent installation of an extrusion line in autumn 2024. This supports the strategy and continued growth of AO Recycling, all underpinned by the commitment and security of AO.

Here's What You Can Expect To Be Doing

• Reporting to the Plant Manager, lead a robust and proven operational structure (running 16/5 with the ambition to move to 24/5), motivating and developing our people and team.
• Support delivery of our strategic objective to use the plastics in new appliances for sale on ao.com, by driving a best-in-class recycling and production environment.
• Prioritise effectively (yourself and your teams) understanding the rationale behind the prioritisation and being able to stay focused on key deliverables.
• Strong supervisory/management experience enabling assignment of responsibilities with clear measurable objectives, and with an infectious attitude to accountability and performance management.
• Promote and enforce a positive Health & Safety culture across the site, underpinned by strong standard operating procedures.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement, utilising techniques such as VSM, SMED, and Kaizen events, along with experience and common sense, to empower colleagues to generate incremental improvements, embed, train and document these changes and measure their success.
• Plan effectively and be able to communicate the plan across the site team, including production planning, workforce allocation and delivery of projects.
• Drive a positive, can-do culture of delivering excellence and executing change in a structured manner, with a passion for process management.
• Be an effective communicator to operational teams, stakeholders in the matrix structure, leadership and internal/external suppliers and customers.

A Few Things About You

We’re looking for someone who is knowledgeable in Plastics or a similar industry (such as automotive/aerospace).

You’re also experienced in embedding basic processes, driving the culture and standards of a highly effective, best-in-class operation, where you develop people into highly motivated and effective teams.

You use a combination of experience and techniques (for example, Lean Six Sigma) with both qualifications and demonstrable delivery of change, to underpin success.

You will ideally have experience working closely with engineering teams, supporting RCA for solving complex problems, collaboratively with your teams. We’ll also need you to have:

• Minimum 3 years’ experience supervising within a processing, manufacturing, or similar environment, ideally with a focus on plastics (separation, production, moulding or similar). Competence in evaluating process capability and output variability, supported by process controls and QA procedures.
• A desire to learn about the machinery and equipment we use here at the AO Plastics Recycling Plant, and really understand its purpose, parameters, and outputs.
• Broad and specific experience delivering continuous change and improvements across all facets of a production facility, demonstrated by Lean Six Sigma yellow or green belt.
• Great communication and people skills - making sure everyone is working to their full potential, motivating others, and engaging people across the business.
• Proven track record of dealing effectively with operators, experts, senior leaders, and customers.
• Degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant field is advantageous.

A Bit About Us

At AO, we want to make sure our customers are happy. When they have a smile on their face, we know we’ve done a good job. It’s at the heart of everything we do, and it’s why our logo is always smiling.

When it comes to appliances and electricals, we’ve got the lot. Washing machines? Yep. TVs? Check. Laptops? Absolutely. Everything except doorbells (just kidding, we’ve got those too). Over 20 years, we’ve grown to be a £1Billion turnover business, and recycling is a key part of our customer proposition and our future strategy.
We’re passionate, relentless, and full of beans, determined to make a difference and change the world for the better. From massive changes to tiny tweaks - making a difference is what keeps us driven. The plastics recycling plant is proof of that! Since 2019 we have grown from zero to over 10,000 tonnes processed annually. We’ve now added extrusion which means our outputs can now go straight back into new products.

As we continue to grow and develop in 2025 we need someone ambitious to help us deliver this growth and get us closer to our strategic goal. Is that person you?

Our benefits are designed to cover the moments that matter to AO'ers. From health and wellness to giving back - you’ll be rewarded inside and outside of work.

• Value Creation Plan - AO’s unique and life-changing bonus scheme for all employees which matures in 2027
• 25 days holiday, growing with length of service
• Salary £50,000 negotiable based on experience
• Staff discount at ao.com & discounted gym offers