Trainee Production Manager
Location: Basildon, Essex, SS13 1DJ
Salary: £40,000 per year
Job type: Full time, permanent
Progression: Structured development towards Production Manager
Shift: 10:00 to 18:30, Monday to Friday
This is a £40,000 development role for a strong manufacturing or operations leader who wants to grow into a Production Manager role, with full food safety, HACCP and lean manufacturing training provided.
You’ll work Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 18:30, with no nights, no weekends and no rotating shifts, helping lead a purpose driven food production team making fresh, nutritious meals for young children.
About Nursery Kitchen
We lovingly prepare fresh, nutritious meals for nurseries, helping children develop healthy tastes that last a lifetime.
We are a fast growing business with big ambitions. As we continue to grow, we are looking for a Trainee Production Manager to join our team and develop into a key production leadership role.
This is a brilliant opportunity for someone with a hands on approach, strong leadership potential, good manufacturing or operational experience, and the right values to build a long term career in food manufacturing.
About the role
This is a development role, not a requirement to arrive as the finished article.
You do not need to come from food manufacturing. We will invest in your development and provide food specific training, including HACCP Level 3, Food Safety Level 3, allergen management, food manufacturing process control and lean manufacturing development such as Six Sigma Green Belt.
You will work Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 18:30, with no nights, no weekends and no rotating shift pattern.
You will report to our highly experienced Operations Manager, who will support and coach you as you grow into the role. You will also work closely with teams across production, supply chain, technical, food, logistics, facilities and finance.
What matters most is that you are a strong communicator, calm under pressure, practical, organised and able to build trust with a production team. We are looking for someone who cares about people, standards, teamwork, quality, safety and doing things properly.
As your skills, training and confidence grow, you will progress towards full Production Manager pay and responsibility.
Our values
One Team One Dream - We collaborate, support each other and work creatively together to achieve our goals.
We Really Care - We care about our team, our partners and the children who eat our food. This drives quality and doing the right thing.
We’re Hungry for Growth - We are ambitious, always moving forward, and want Nursery Kitchen to deliver amazing healthy food across the UK.
What you will be doing
You will be supported to learn and develop in areas including:
* Supporting the day to day leadership of the production team across prep, cook and packing
* Helping deliver the production plan safely, efficiently and to the required quality standard
* Building strong working relationships with team members and other departments
* Supporting training, communication and accountability on the production floor
* Helping improve workflow, productivity, labour efficiency, waste and quality
* Learning food safety, HACCP, hygiene, traceability and audit ready production controls
* Supporting the development of simple, scalable production systems
* Using production data and KPIs to identify practical improvements
* Supporting continuous improvement projects across the site
* Growing towards full Production Manager responsibility
Who we are looking for
This role would suit someone who has already led people in a manufacturing, production, logistics, engineering, packaging, fulfilment, warehouse operations or similar environment, and is now ready to develop into a broader production management role.
You may already be working as a Production Supervisor, Shift Leader, Team Leader, Operations Supervisor, Manufacturing Supervisor or similar.
We are looking for someone who is:
* A clear and confident communicator
* Positive, calm and practical
* Fair, approachable and consistent
* Comfortable leading people on a busy production floor
* Able to follow process and improve process
* Interested in continuous improvementOrganised and able to manage changing priorities
* Motivated by quality, service and team success
* Keen to learn food manufacturing standards
* Excited by the opportunity to grow with a purpose led business
Training and development
We will support the right person with structured training, including:
* HACCP Level 3
* Food Safety Level 3
* Allergen management
* Food manufacturing process control
* Lean manufacturing
* Six Sigma Green Belt
* Production planning and performance management
* Continuous improvement
* Internal systems, standards and processes
What we offer
* £40,000 per year, with structured progression towards full Production Manager
* 33 days annual leave
* Free breakfast, lunch and snacks
* Ongoing training and development opportunities
* Discounted and tax free nursery places for employees’ children
* Friendly and supportive team environment
* Great social events throughout the year
* Wellbeing resources and support
* Discounted gym memberships
* Cycle to work scheme
* Eyecare vouchers
* Free life coaching through Dream Academy
* Free parking
Why join us?
This is manufacturing with a purpose.
You will be helping to make safe, nutritious food for young children, while developing your own career in a growing food production business.
You will be supported by experienced leaders, surrounded by a team that really cares, and given the opportunity to help shape how our production operation grows.
If you care about people, standards, teamwork and making a real difference, we would love to hear from you.
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