Job Description

The Company

This is an exciting opportunity to join a long-standing and thriving food manufacturing business. Bennett Opie Ltd is a family-owned business in Sittingbourne, Kent, manufacturing a range of shelf-stable food products including pickles, home baking goods and cocktail garnishes for retail and food service customers.

If you want to join a friendly, passionate and dedicated team, this could be the role for you!

This role is Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm (No Weekends!) however, some flexibility may be required at times to support colleagues, customers and / or business requirements.

Salary: 28,000.00 to 32,500.00 Depending upon experience.

Holiday: 25 days per annum plus Bank Holidays.

The Role

To support the Warehouse Manager in the effective day-to-day operation of the warehouse and distribution, with a strong focus on coaching and developing colleagues, delivering excellent customer service, driving productivity, and ensuring full compliance with external audit and regulatory standards.

Responsibilities include but not limited to:

Coach, mentor and develop warehouse colleagues to maximise performance, engagement and retention. Support the induction and ongoing training of new starters, ensuring role competence and compliance. Lead by example, promoting company values, positive behaviours and a strong safety culture. Conduct regular performance conversations / reviews, including one-to-ones, absence management, skill gap analysis and training opportunities. Support disciplinary, investigation and capability processes in accordance with the Company Policies, Procedures and UK Employment Law / Legislation, working closely with the Human Resources Team. Ensure warehouse operations consistently meet customer service requirements and service level agreements (SLAs). Highlighting opportunities to enhance performance and efficiencies. Act as a point of escalation for customer-related issues, working cross-functionally to achieve timely resolution. Monitor order accuracy, on-time dispatch and quality standards to maintain high customer satisfaction. Advocating a customer-first mindset across the Warehouse Team. Working closely with the Customer Service Team and Sales Team. Support the planning and allocation of labour to meet operational demands efficiently. Monitor and drive productivity, identifying opportunities for continuous improvement. Use KPIs and performance data to track results and implement corrective actions where required. Support stock accuracy, inventory control and effective space utilisation. Assist with peak planning and resource management. Ensure compliance with all relevant external audit standards (e.g. BRC, GMP or customer-specific standards, as applicable). Maintain audit-ready standards at all times, including housekeeping, documentation and process adherence. Support internal and external audits, addressing non-conformances and implementing corrective actions within the specified timescales. Ensure compliance with health & safety legislation, risk assessments and safe systems of work. Promote a culture of accountability and continuous compliance across the team. Ensuring colleagues adhere to Health and Safety Policies and Procedure including but not limited to; Manual Handling, Accident / Incident / Near Misses are reported, and PPE worn / used correctly.

General Duties

Deputise for the Warehouse Manager when required.

Support change initiatives and continuous improvement projects.

Communicate effectively with colleagues, management and other departments.

Carry out any other reasonable duties in line with the role or allocated by the Warehouse Operations Manager.

The successful candidate will posses the following:

Essential

Previous experience in a warehouse or logistics supervisory/management role. Strong people management and coaching skills, with the ability to adapt style according to the target audience. Proven ability to drive productivity and performance. Good understanding of customer service requirements within a warehouse environment. Sound knowledge of Health & Safety and external audit compliance. Strong communication and organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise own workload and those within the team. Solution focused with the ability to motivate others. Results-driven with a continuous improvement mindset Calm under pressure with strong problem-solving ability High attention to detail and commitment to standards Must have strong IT skills, especially Microsoft Packages Must have good level of education in English and Mathematics. Willingness to learn and enhance knowledge.

Desirable

Experience working in an audited environment (e.g. food, FMCG, pharmaceutical or retail distribution). Familiarity with WMS systems and performance reporting. Recognised supervisory or management qualification.
Please note;

Due to the nature of this role, the successful candidate must be physically fit due to manual handling requirements. Due to the expected high volume of applicants, we will only be contacting the successful candidates for interview, but thank everyone for their interest in our organisation. We are unable to offer sponsorship as we are already at our maximum allocation.
NO Agencies Please.

The Company reserves the right to pause, amend, close this vacancy at any time.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: 28,000.00-32,500.00 per year

Benefits:

Company pension Cycle to work scheme On-site parking
Ability to commute/relocate:

Sittingbourne: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Experience:

Team Leader: 1 year (required) warehouse: 4 years (required)
Language:

Fluent English (required)
Licence/Certification:

Forklift Licence (preferred)
Work authorisation:

United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person