Production Lead

Overview

In this Production Lead role, you will guide a small operations team within a major food manufacturing site, ensuring safe, efficient production and continuous improvement. You’ll work closely with site leadership to uphold safety, quality, and productivity while developing people and implementing best practices. The position offers leadership exposure in a world-class manufacturing environment with strong emphasis on operational excellence and team development. This is a hands-on role that balances frontline supervision with strategic improvement initiatives.

Pay / Benefits

• Ongoing training and development opportunities
• Weekends off with Monday–Friday-like pattern
• Rotating shift pattern
• Collaborative team environment
• Opportunity to impact site performance and safety
• Growth within a world-class manufacturing setting

Responsibilities

• Lead by example in the operational area, coaching and supporting team members
• Support day-to-day production activities to ensure continuity and performance
• Ensure adherence to site policies, procedures, and quality standards
• Promote and maintain a strong health and safety culture
• Monitor performance and drive efficiency/productivity improvements
• Act as a point of contact for operational issues and escalate when needed
• Lead daily shift handovers and communicate priorities
• Support workforce planning including holiday management and absence control
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure smooth site operations
• Champion continuous improvement and implement best practices
• Deputise for the Site Lead when required
• Supervise, coach, and develop employees to maximise performance and engagement
• Lead daily shift briefs and communicate KPIs
• Drive zero-harm culture and support incident investigations/ RCA
• Own safety, quality, and production controls within area of responsibility
• Build strong working relationships with stakeholders
• Ensure production targets are met while maintaining quality
• Support training and development activities
• Analyse operational data to identify trends and opportunities
• Drive accountability and a culture of continuous improvement
• Support site leadership in achieving key business objectives

Key requirements

• Minimum 3 years’ experience in production, manufacturing, warehouse, or logistics
• Experience leading or supervising teams
• Lean Manufacturing or Continuous Improvement experience advantageous
• Strong health, safety, and quality standards understanding
• Excellent communication and problem-solving skills
• Highly organised, proactive, and self-motivated
• Ability to influence and engage colleagues at all levels
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications
• Strong leadership, change management, and decision-making capabilities
• Ability to operate in a fast-paced environment

• Adaptability
• Empathy
• Teamwork
• Microsoft Office proficiency
• Lean Manufacturing / Continuous Improvement familiarity
• Data analysis of operational metrics

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