Production Manager (Kitchen Operations, Quality & Compliance)
Location: London
Salary: £45k-£60k DoE + Bonus and Benefits
We are partnering with an exciting and rapidly growing food manufacturing business to appoint a Production Manager to lead their kitchen operations, food safety, quality, and compliance functions.
This is a unique opportunity to join a business at a pivotal stage of its growth journey. Having established a strong customer base and ambitious expansion plans, the organisation is now investing heavily in its operational infrastructure as it prepares for significant future growth, including expansion into retail channels.
Reporting into the senior leadership team, you'll play a key role in building scalable production processes, developing high-performing teams, and ensuring the operation remains audit-ready as volumes increase.
The Role
You'll take ownership of the day-to-day running of the production operation, ensuring products are manufactured safely, efficiently, and to the highest quality standards.
Key responsibilities include:
* Leading and developing production and kitchen teams.
* Managing production planning, labour scheduling, and operational performance.
* Driving continuous improvement initiatives to improve efficiency and scalability.
* Maintaining HACCP, GMP, food safety, quality, and compliance systems.
* Leading audit preparation, inspections, and accreditation projects including SALSA and BRC.
* Managing health & safety standards, equipment maintenance, and site compliance.
* Partnering with cross-functional teams to support operational growth and product innovation.
About You
We're looking for an experienced operational leader from a food manufacturing, food production, or large-scale commercial kitchen environment.
You'll bring:
* Experience as a Production Manager, Operations Manager, Kitchen Manager, Technical Manager, or similar.
* Strong knowledge of HACCP, GMP, food safety, and quality systems.
* Experience preparing for audits and inspections.
* Proven people management and team development experience.
* Strong organisational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
Experience with SALSA, BRC, chilled food manufacturing, IOSH/NEBOSH, or Level 4 Food Safety qualifications would be highly advantageous.
Why Apply?
This role offers the opportunity to make a genuine impact within a scaling food business where operational excellence is central to future success.
You'll have the autonomy to shape processes, influence strategy, build capability, and help prepare the business for its next phase of growth.
If you're looking for a role where you can combine operational leadership, food safety, quality, and continuous improvement whilst helping a business scale, we'd be keen to speak with you.