Your new company You will be joining a well-established and continually growing food manufacturing organisation operating in a fast-paced, short shelf-life FMCG environment. The business is committed to maintaining the highest standards of quality, safety and operational excellence, supported by significant ongoing investment across its site. With a strong reputation in the market and a focus on developing its people, this is an exciting opportunity to take on a senior leadership role where you can make a real impact. Your new role As Senior Production Manager, you will lead day-to-day factory operations, ensuring production plans are delivered safely, efficiently and on time. You will maintain a highly visible and hands-on presence on the production floor, providing guidance, leadership and problem-solving support. You will oversee labour planning, crewing, agency management, absence and overtime, working to optimise efficiency and control cost. A key part of your role will be driving and upholding high standards of food safety, hygiene, GMP and compliance in line with BRC and customer expectations. You will lead daily production meetings, manage shift handovers, and collaborate closely with Engineering, Technical, Planning and Supply Chain to ensure smooth and effective operational delivery. You'll support internal and external audits, ensuring audit readiness at all times, and will closely monitor site KPIs across efficiency, yield, waste, service and downtime. You will also lead continuous improvement activity and develop, coach and performance-manage Production Managers, Shift Managers and Supervisors. What you'll need to succeed You will have proven senior production or operational leadership experience within a food manufacturing environment, ideally within short shelf-life FMCG. A hands-on leadership style is essential, along with strong factory floor engagement and the ability to make confident decisions under pressure. You will bring experience managing large, labour intensive teams, including agency labour, and will demonstrate a solid understanding of BRC standards, food safety and compliance requirements. Strong communication skills, a collaborative approach and a track record in driving performance through people, process and standards will be key to your success. What you'll get in return You will receive a competitive salary of up to £60k depending on experience, along with 28 days' annual leave (inclusive of bank holidays). This role offers the chance to step into a high-impact leadership position within a growing and well invested business, where your contribution will play a key role in shaping operational performance and site culture. What you need to do now If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us now. If this job isn't quite right for you, but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion about your career. Hays Specialist Recruitment Limited acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and employment business for the supply of temporary workers. By applying for this job you accept the T&C's, Privacy Policy and Disclaimers which can be Skills: Production Manager Operations Manager FMCG Benefits: competitive