Executive and leadership recruitment in Stoke-on-Trent

The Stoke-on-Trent executive leadership market

Michelin's Stoke-on-Trent site is one of the company's major UK manufacturing facilities, producing tyres for passenger cars and trucks at scale. Plant Director and Operations Director roles at Michelin require leaders who can manage continuous, capital-intensive manufacturing in a highly safety-conscious environment, deliver cost and quality targets to global standards, and lead a large workforce through ongoing automation and sustainability investment. Michelin's culture places high value on technical credibility alongside people leadership, and the Stoke site is a significant part of its European manufacturing network with direct reporting lines into European divisional leadership.

Steelite International, headquartered in Stoke, is one of the world's largest manufacturers of ceramic tableware and hospitality products and recruits at director level for operations, commercial, and design leadership. The company demonstrates Stoke's continuing ceramics heritage translated into a commercially successful modern manufacturer with a global export business. Goodwin International is a family-owned manufacturer of highly technical steel castings and refractory products with a global customer base including nuclear, oil and gas, and aerospace. Senior leadership roles at Goodwin require exceptional engineering credibility and the commercial judgement to manage long-cycle industrial sales relationships with technically sophisticated global buyers.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council operates in a city with significant regeneration needs and has been active in attracting investment, including the University of Keele's health innovation campus and the regeneration of Hanley city centre. The council recruits at director level for economic development, planning, and public services leadership. The city's low cost base compared to Birmingham and Manchester, combined with excellent motorway connections on the M6 and A50, continues to attract logistics and manufacturing investment generating additional senior leadership demand.

Executive employers in Stoke-on-Trent

• Michelin — Plant Director and Operations Director roles at one of the UK's largest tyre manufacturing facilities
• Steelite International — director-level operations, commercial, and design leadership for global ceramics tableware manufacturing
• Goodwin International — engineering and commercial leadership for specialist steel castings serving nuclear, energy, and aerospace markets
• Stoke-on-Trent City Council — economic development, planning, and public services director appointments
• University Hospitals North Midlands NHS Trust — director-level estates, operations, and clinical leadership at Royal Stoke University Hospital

Listed for context only — YP Recruitment is not affiliated with, currently representing, or recruiting on behalf of any companies listed above.

Executive salary benchmarks in Stoke-on-Trent

Plant Directors at Michelin and comparable facilities earn between £90,000 and £130,000. Operations Directors in tyre, ceramics, and industrial manufacturing range from £82,000 to £125,000. Technical Directors at Goodwin and similar specialist manufacturers sit between £85,000 and £130,000. Public sector director roles at Stoke City Council typically fall between £72,000 and £108,000 with defined benefit pension benefits adding material value.

Executive roles we fill in Stoke-on-Trent