Factory Managing Director - Leeds

Sulzer is a leading engineering company with a proud heritage of innovation. Join our global team to grow your expertise and develop innovative solutions that enable a prosperous and more sustainable society.

About the role

As Factory Managing Director, you will lead Sulzer Pumps UK (SPUK), with full accountability for the SPUK manufacturing operations, you will lead the complete value chain from order intake through to project execution and customer delivery. This role combines strategic leadership, operational excellence, financial stewardship, and people leadership to drive sustainable growth, exceptional customer satisfaction, and a high-performing culture.

You will play a critical role in shaping the future of the UK business while aligning local priorities with Sulzer's global strategy.

Your Main Tasks and Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership and accountability for the legal entity, ensuring compliance with all statutory, regulatory and corporate governance requirements while acting as the custodian of the business and promoting the highest standards of ethics, integrity and corporate values.
• Lead the business with full Profit & Loss responsibility, developing and delivering strategic plans that drive sustainable growth, profitability, operational performance and long-term success in line with organisational objectives.
• Direct and optimise all site operations, including Project Management, Engineering, Procurement, Production, Planning & Logistics, Quality, Continuous Improvement and ESH, ensuring operational excellence across safety, quality, delivery, cost, cash and customer satisfaction.
• Champion a culture of health, safety and environmental excellence by providing visible leadership, ensuring compliance with corporate standards and legislation, and embedding continuous improvement and Lean manufacturing principles throughout the organisation.
• Build and develop a high-performing leadership team and workforce, fostering an engaging culture where employees are empowered to succeed through talent development, capability building, cross-training and effective people management practices.
• Oversee financial planning, budgeting, cost control, investment proposals and resource management, ensuring the business has the capacity, technology and infrastructure required to achieve current and future operational objectives.
• Establish strong relationships with employees, unions, customers, suppliers, partners and key stakeholders, while actively participating in sales and operations planning, leadership forums and executive meetings to ensure alignment with business priorities and strategic goals..

What we offer you

• The opportunity to lead a strategically important manufacturing business within a global engineering organisation.
• A highly visible leadership position with significant influence on the future direction of the UK business.
• Global career development opportunities and exposure to senior international stakeholders.
• A collaborative and innovative working environment focused on operational excellence and continuous improvement.

Sulzer is an equal opportunity employer. We believe in the strength of a diverse workforce and are committed to offering an inclusive work environment.

We are proud to be recognized as a Top Employer 2026 in Brazil, Canada, China, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, Switzerland, South Africa, the UK and the USA.

To Succeed in This Role, You Will Need

• Significant leadership experience within a pump manufacturing, rotating equipment, or highly engineered-to-order industrial manufacturing environment, delivering complex, customer-specific solutions.
• Proven success in senior operations, manufacturing, general management, business unit leadership, or managing director positions within complex manufacturing, engineering, and project execution functions for highly configured products and bespoke customer requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to drive operational transformation, continuous improvement, productivity enhancement, and sustainable business growth within complex industrial and project-based environments.
• Solid financial acumen with experience managing full P&L responsibility, capital investment decisions, and overall business performance.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence customers, executive leadership teams, and matrix organisations at a global level.
• Proven ability to build, lead, and develop high-performing teams while fostering a strong culture of accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement.
• Strong understanding of engineered-to-order project lifecycles, customer-specific configurations, technical sales support, manufacturing excellence, and project delivery.
• Chartered Engineer status and/or a relevant engineering degree preferred.
• MBA or equivalent management qualification would be advantageous.