Job Description

This is what you'll actually do!
In this role, you will lead and inspire your teams through visible, hands-on leadership, building effective, high-performing groups that are structured, engaged, and aligned with a strong operational culture. You will embed a culture of continuous improvement that challenges the status quo, driving sustained enhancements in performance, efficiency, and quality across the factory. With a clear focus on operational excellence, you will take ownership of achieving and exceeding all key performance indicators, including safety, quality, service, cost, and people metrics. A key part of your role will be championing the development of others, ensuring robust succession planning, conducting competency reviews, and implementing tailored training plans that promote both individual and team growth. You will work collaboratively with cross-functional partners in Operations, Technical, Engineering, and Supply Chain to deliver shared objectives and ensure alignment with the broader factory strategy. As a visible advocate of change, you will foster innovation, encourage new ways of working, and instil a "Better tomorrow than we are today" mindset throughout your teams. Above all, you will maintain and uphold the highest standards of health and safety, food safety, hygiene, and environmental compliance, ensuring the factory operates to the very best industry and corporate standards
As the Site Manufacturing Lead, you will demonstrate strong, visible leadership that embodies the company's values and inspires high performance across all teams. You will take full responsibility for building and developing effective, engaged, and high-performing teams, ensuring the right structure, capability, and culture are in place to deliver success. Through clear communication, motivation, and accountability, you will lead a team of operational managers and ensure each individual is supported through objective setting, performance reviews, and ongoing development. You will foster an empowering, inclusive environment where collaboration, fairness, and respect are central to daily operations, and where continuous improvement is embedded as a shared mindset across all functions. Working closely with Operations, Technical, Engineering, and Supply Chain, you will drive cross-functional alignment to deliver the site's manufacturing strategy and business plan. You will ensure operational excellence through strict adherence to all corporate, legal, and safety standards, maintaining exceptional performance in food safety, hygiene, environment, and quality. Your focus on people will extend to proactive succession planning, skills development, and effective management of key metrics such as performance, retention, absence, and labour optimisation. You will play a key role in driving the site's KPIs and ensuring year-on-year improvements in efficiency, service, and quality, while leading your team to adopt a "Right First Time" approach to new product development and continuous improvement. As a leader, you will also build positive relationships with trade union and health and safety representatives, ensuring open communication and a collaborative working culture. Above all, you will lead by example -- demonstrating integrity, professionalism, and an unwavering commitment to excellence in everything you do.
Ideally this is you!
We're looking for a motivated, forward-thinking leader who:

• Champions teamwork, ownership, honesty, communication, and respect.
• Is passionate about developing people and fostering a culture of engagement and accountability.
• Thrives on challenge and embraces change with optimism.
• Is analytical and commercially astute -- turning insight into meaningful action.
• Has strong interpersonal skills and can influence at all levels.
• Is self-driven, adaptable, and dedicated to continuous personal and team development.

Essential:

• Proven leadership in a fast-paced manufacturing or FMCG environment.
• Demonstrable experience of leading high-performing teams and embedding continuous improvement.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes and KPIs, with the ability to influence performance and profitability.
• Confident working knowledge of ERP systems and manufacturing performance tools.
• Qualifications: IOSH Managing Safely, Level 3 Food Hygiene, and ideally Green Belt in CI.
• Understanding of P&L and cost management principles.

Desirable:

• Manufacturing or Engineering qualification.
• Experience in the bakery or food manufacturing sector.
• Project management skills and exposure to NPD/EPD launches.

Skills Required