Job Description

Section Manager
We rise to challenges together
Salary: Competitive salary depends on experience
Benefits: Private medical insurance, Annual Bonus Scheme, Life Assurance (2.5 x salary)
Location: Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 0AT
Ways of Working: Site based
Hours of work: 4 on 4 off (Blue Days)
Contract Type - Permanent
Why join us?
We're ready for anything. We thrive on challenge and change. The undeniable pressure and pace of our 24/7 operation keeps us on our toes and offers a variety of career pathways and options to explore and pursue. We encourage everyone to work hard, push further and show resilience. And it's exciting. Because only by mentoring and role modelling our success and innovation, will we continue to diversify, grow as individuals and succeed together.
What we do.
This particular role is at our Bakkavor Salads site, based in Bourne and specialises in preparing fruit, leafy salads, and stir fry mixes. It employs over 1,200 people and is only 16 miles from Peterborough and 12 miles from Spalding.
About the role
In this integral role, you will lead a team of Section Leaders within a specific department, taking full accountability for the manufacture of products to the highest quality standards, while ensuring efficiency and compliance with CCP, GMP, and H&S requirements.
You will focus on developing your Section Leader team, supporting individual growth and building strong succession structures. Driving a culture aligned with Bakkavor Values, you will champion people engagement, safety, quality, and continuous improvement.
Collaboration across functions is key, as you'll work with other teams to identify opportunities, implement improvement plans, and drive departmental and area performance metrics to new heights.
Role Accountabilities

• Ensure a safe working environment, meeting Group H&S standards. Lead risk assessments and deliver area improvement plans.
• Maintain GMP, food safety, hygiene, and housekeeping standards. Lead focus teams and own audit interactions.
• Manage team performance through appraisals, development, succession planning, and, if necessary, disciplinary actions.
• Identify training needs, deliver development plans with L&D, and support career progression for talented colleagues.
• Oversee New Product Development in your area, ensuring successful trials and providing efficiency improvement feedback.
• Communicate, monitor, and drive KPIs to improve team and departmental performance.
• Plan and optimise labour and materials, collaborating with other functions to meet targets and improve efficiency.
• Keep teams informed, engage with SEF/Union representatives, and foster a positive, high-engagement culture.
• Support recruitment, maintain staffing plans, and coach Section Leaders in developing their teams.
• Lead and implement improvement plans to increase OEE, reduce waste, and enhance operational performance.

About You
You will be a natural leader with hands-on experience managing teams in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment. Calm under pressure, you take a logical, clear-thinking approach to challenges and consistently live the Bakkavor Values. You're experienced in driving performance improvements, delivering change, and engaging your team to achieve results.
With strong IT, numerical, and communication skills, you connect with people at all levels and foster a positive, collaborative culture. You understand the importance of harnessing the potential of your team and wider stakeholders to get the best outcomes.
Join us and lead a team where your leadership, ideas, and drive truly make an impact!
What you'll receive
As an equal opportunity employer, we're committed to providing a safe and rewarding environment for you to thrive in. This is why we work hard to deliver benefits, rewards and wellbeing offerings that are important to you.
You'll enjoy:

• Bonus (up to 10% of annual salary - company performance dependant)
• Private healthcare
• A stakeholder pension scheme
• Personal accident Insurance
• Free independent mortgage advice
• Employee assistance programme
• A range of voluntary benefits
• Holiday purchase scheme
• Additional life assurance
• Dental & hospital cash plans
• Discounted tutoring for children
• Access to financial learning tools
• Affordable loans via your salary
• Proud to be and loyal service awards

Plus, a commitment to your wellbeing that includes emotional, physical and financial support services delivered by our fantastic team of wellbeing champions.
Proud to be Bakkavor
We're proud to be the market leader in the UK fresh prepared food industry. We're proud to supply meals, salads, desserts, pizza and bread to leading grocery retailers including Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury's and Waitrose. We're driven by the hard work and passion of our people and are delighted to offer a wide range of careers across our business - come and join our dedicated Bakkavor team!
At Bakkavor, we are committed to building an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive, and we believe that diversity makes us stronger. We welcome and encourage applications from all backgrounds and ensure fair, transparent recruitment practices. Learn more about our commitment in our Inclusion and Diversity Policy ( ).
Find out more and apply.
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Bakkavor
We are the leading provider of fresh prepared food in the UK, with operations also in the US, positioning the Group well in these high-growth markets. We leverage our consumer insight and scale to provide innovative food that offers quality, choice, convenience, and freshness. Around 15,000 colleagues operate from 31 sites across our two markets supplying a large portfolio of products across meals, pizza & bread, salads and desserts to leading grocery retailers in the UK and US.
Department: Manufacturing
Location:
Bourne, GB, PE10 0AT
Workplace: Site Based
Date: 16 Jan 2026
Req ID: 26922

Skills Required