{"id":2055148,"url":"https://alion.io/job/ascensus-plant-lead-uk","title":"Plant Lead - UK","company":{"id":669540,"name":"Ascensus","domain":"ascensusspecialties.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/ascensusspecialties","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Pinpoint","truth_index":null},"role":"Operations","role_family":"Operations","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"explicit","locations":[],"countries":[],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":3,"visa_sponsorship":true,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Microsoft Office","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-06T23:30:18Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-21","last_verified_at":"2026-11-03T15:08:20Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":27,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":27},"description":"Wychem, an Ascensus Specialties Company, is seeking a high-impact operational leader to join our team. Reporting directly to the Site Director, this pivotal role serves as a core anchor for site operations-driving performance, compliance, and continuous improvement across production, quality control, EHS (Environmental, Health & Safety), and site management processes.\nIf you thrive in a high-standards specialty chemical environment and want a direct line of impact on site success, this position offers an exceptional opportunity to shape key operational processes.\nKey Responsibilities\nOperational Oversight & Production Execution\nSupervise Daily Plant Operations: Lead and coordinate chemical manufacturing activities to meet site production schedules, deadlines, and operational priorities.\nMonitor Process Parameters: Track chemical reactions, plant equipment performance, reaction vessels, filters, dryers, and overall operating conditions to ensure quality and output standards.\nHands-On Operation: Safely operate process equipment and batch production systems as needed to support site continuity and target output.\nContinuous Improvement: Proactively identify workflow efficiencies and manufacturing enhancements to drive Wychem’s \"Right First Time\" operational culture.\nEHS, Compliance & Environmental Stewardship\nEnforce Safety & Environmental Standards: Champion site compliance with company procedures, risk assessments, permits, and safe working practices to protect personnel, plant, and equipment.\nProactive Hazard Mitigation: Prevent incidents, near misses, and chemical spills through vigilant site oversight, strict adherence to handling requirements, and daily compliance checks.\nHazardous Chemical Management: Oversee the safe storage, transfer, handling, and disposal of raw materials and chemical reagents in alignment with regulatory guidelines.\nAuditing & Incident Investigation: Lead or support root-cause investigations into process deviations, quality issues, or EHS incidents; participate in internal and external site audits.\n Team Leadership, Communication & Training\nPeople Management: Direct, motivate, and mentor plant operators and production personnel to ensure strong team engagement and performance.\nTraining & Competency: Coach and assess operators on standard operating procedures (SOPs), equipment usage, and safety protocols.\nDaily Briefings: Conduct shift handovers, toolbox talks, and operational alignment meetings to keep teams informed and safety-focused.\nQuality Control, Documentation & Cross-Functional Collaboration\nBatch Documentation: Maintain meticulous, complete, and accurate production logs, batch records, and operational documentation.\nCross-Department Collaboration: Partner closely with Quality Control, Engineering, Maintenance, Warehouse, R&D, and HSE teams to resolve operational bottlenecks promptly.\nProblem-Solving & Leadership Engagement: Collaborate with senior leadership and site personnel to address operational challenges with a constructive, solution-oriented approach.\nGeneral Operational Support\nHousekeeping Standards: Maintain strict workplace housekeeping standards and high operational hygiene across the facility.\nOperational Flexibility: Adapt to evolving site needs by performing additional operational tasks or flexible hours as reasonably requested by line management.\nOther Duties as assigned by the Site Director.\nSkills, Knowledge and Expertise\n Minimum Qualifications\nEducation & Experience: HNC in Chemistry (or related field) OR 3-5 years in chemical/industrial manufacturing.\nTechnical & EHS Knowledge: Strong grasp of chemical processes, plant SOPs, equipment, and safe working protocols in hazardous/explosive atmospheres (ATEX/DSEAR).\nSkills: Fluent written/spoken English and proficiency in MS Office 365.\nPreferred Qualifications\nEducation: BSc or higher in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering.\nExperience: 3+ years in fine chemical, API, or pharmaceutical manufacturing.\nPhysical & Working Environment\nDemands & Lifting: Plant-based role requiring standing, walking, reaching, stooping, operating computers, and lifting up to 25 kg.\nSafety & PPE: Mandatory PPE and adherence to hazardous chemical handling protocols; exposure to plant machinery, sharp tools, and moderate-to-high noise.\nAdditional Terms & Requirements\nLocation & Hours: Full-time, strictly on-site in Stradishall (near Cambridge/Newmarket), UK. Must be flexible for shift work or additional hours as needed.\nEligibility & Discretion: Valid UK Right to Work required (no visa sponsorship). High standards of site cleanliness, confidentiality, and self-motivation.\nBenefits\nCompetitive salary based on experience\n40-hour work week (days)\n25 days holiday\nPension Contribution\nCompetitive salary\nCollaborative culture","description_format":"text","description_chars":4779,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":3,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[{"language":"English","level":"All levels","optional":false}]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United Kingdom","iso":"GB","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Chemical Manufacturing"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-07T23:30:18Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":43,"band":"fade","label":"Fading","p_open":1,"p_active":0.781,"p_room":0.55,"age_days":27,"expected_fill_days":24,"reasons":["conf:0","win:tail"],"computed_at":"2026-11-03T05:54:40Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/ascensus-plant-lead-uk","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/ascensus-plant-lead-uk.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-03T19:18:57Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":1420,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-04T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":669540},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=669540"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fascensus-plant-lead-uk"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fascensus-plant-lead-uk"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fascensus-plant-lead-uk"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/ascensus-plant-lead-uk\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fascensus-plant-lead-uk"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":2055148}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"ascensusspecialties.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":2055148},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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