Distillery Manager

Distillery Manager

Bathgate, West Lothian

Permanent

NT Engineering & Manufacturing are delighted to be working in Partnership with Glen Turner as they look to appoint a Distillery Manager to lead their operations at Starlaw Distillery at a really exciting point in the site's development.

Starlaw has gone through some recent significant investment, with a distillery expansion and upgrade – with the new plant fully operational.

You'll be joining the site at a point where the focus is on getting the very best from this investment: improving performance, optimising costs, developing the team and supporting the next phase of energy and carbon reduction projects.

Glen Turner are looking for someone who can walk onto a complex process site, understand what's happening, earn the respect of the technical team and then bring people with you. You will be comfortable juggling competing priorities, knowing what genuinely needs your attention and trusting your team to deliver the rest.

The role

Reporting to the Head of Distilling, you'll take ownership of the day to day operation of the Starlaw Distillery, providing leadership across both Operations and Engineering.

You'll lead a team of around 21 people, including process operators, a utility operator, lead engineers and maintenance personnel.

You'll be responsible for:

• Leading, developing and supporting the site team
• Driving safe, efficient and reliable distillery operations
• Working across process, engineering, maintenance and production
• Taking ownership of site performance across safety, environment, quality and cost
• Driving continuous improvement and operational excellence
• Managing COMAH responsibilities and site risk
• Supporting the development and delivery of the site's 5-year capital plan
• Identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs
• Supporting the ongoing energy and carbon reduction strategy
• Building a culture where people are trusted, developed and given the autonomy to do their jobs well

What we're looking for

We're looking for a strong technical/process engineer who can lead people - or has the potential to become a really strong leader.

You'll ideally bring:

• Strong process engineering or technical manufacturing experience
• Experience operating within a complex process environment
• Proven leadership or people-management experience
• A practical, hands-on approach
• Experience with continuous improvement and operational excellence
• Strong understanding of HSE and regulatory requirements
• Experience managing projects, budgets and operational priorities
• The ability to understand the bigger picture while still being comfortable getting into the detail
• Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills

Experience within distilling or the wider spirits industry would be advantageous, but it isn't essential.

A background in chemical processing, food & beverage, brewing, pharmaceuticals or another complex liquid/process manufacturing environment could also be highly relevant.

Apply now or contact Caroline at NT Engineering & Manufacturing for a confidential chat:

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