Assistant Harvesting Manager – Fresh Produce Are you a results-driven leader with a passion for efficiency and quality in fresh produce harvesting? We are a dynamic, family-run business at the forefront of the food industry, operating 24/7 and continuously developing new ranges. We're seeking a talented Assistant Harvesting Manager to join our team. If you thrive on optimising performance, developing people, and ensuring exceptional product standards, this is your next career move. The Opportunity: This pivotal role is about driving operational excellence from the ground up. You’ll be assisting the Harvesting Manager in overseeing the entire harvesting department, focusing on achieving desired pick rates, managing planning and organisation of growing houses, and ensuring the competency, training, and adherence to H&S and food safety for our Pickers, Placers, and Supervisors. We know how to find the right leaders — even the ones who aren’t looking. What You'll Be Doing: * Driving Performance: Ensure picking quality and quantity meet set targets per hour per picker. You'll monitor and evaluate picking statistics, taking corrective action where necessary. * Team Leadership & Development: Recruit, make staffing decisions, and plan general people resources. You will train, coach, and mentor people and supervisors to reach desired pick rates. Encourage positive and cohesive teamwork to hit daily picking targets. * Operational Planning & Execution: Assess crops daily to ensure correct manning and plans are in place in line with anticipated yields. Attend daily morning meetings to plan people, yields, houses, and hours for the following day. Ensure customer orders are fulfilled by planning picking with packhouse sales requirements. * Quality & Compliance Champion: Ensure products are presented to the highest possible standard, focusing on weights, sizing, stem length, punnet identification, and capping up. You’ll ensure all new workers follow safe systems of work and operating procedures, and have a training plan in place. Adhere to and promote best practices in accordance with company health, safety, and quality regulations, including GMP and 'clean as you go' principles. You will be a member of the site’s Food Safety, HACCP, TACCP, and VACCP team. * Continuous Improvement: Control and minimise waste, playing an active part in continuous improvement initiatives. Detect and rectify issues affecting plant or equipment performance/safety in a timely manner. * Collaboration: Liaise effectively with Harvesting Team Leaders, Harvesting Supervisors, Growing Manager, Production Manager, and Engineering Manager on any issues. What You'll Bring: * Proven Supervisory Experience: Previous experience at a supervisory level, ideally within a mushroom farm or similar fresh produce environment. * Exceptional People Skills: Good communication and people management skills, with excellent organisational and interpersonal abilities. * Analytical Mindset: Good basic IT & Numerical skills, with the ability to input daily picker sheets onto excel for payroll and monitor picking statistics. * Team Player: A collaborative spirit, capable of fostering positive and cohesive teamwork. * Flexibility: A flexible approach to working hours, including weekends and overtime during peak periods, to meet the demands of a 24/7 business. * Commitment to Safety & Quality: A strong understanding and adherence to food safety culture, legislation, and company policies. Desirable, But Not Essential: * Mushroom picking experience. * Previous experience as a Harvesting Manager in the mushroom industry. * Advanced Food Hygiene Qualification or Degree-level Education. Hours of work * Including weekends, however, you can take any two days off in the week as required. * Overtime during peak periods will be required. What We Offer: A full-time, permanent role with 28 days holiday (including bank holidays), and breaks including two 15-minute breaks and one 30-minute break. Ready to help us hire the people who’ll actually move the needle? Apply now! About Williams Recruitment We’re Williams Recruitment — a boutique agency that actually gets FMCG. We move fast, know our stuff, and only work with businesses we believe in. No egos, no waffle — just honest advice, brilliant opportunities, and game-changing talent. Whether you’re hiring or job hunting, we’ll cut through the noise and make things happen