Production Leader
Manchester
£40,000 - £45,000 + Benefits
Full-Time | Permanent
Production Leader Role
As Production Leader, you will take ownership of a production area, ensuring safety, quality, productivity, and delivery targets are achieved. You will lead and develop a team, drive continuous improvement initiatives, and work closely with the Production Manager and support functions to deliver operational excellence.
Key Responsibilities
Team Leadership
* Lead, motivate, and develop a production team within a fast‑paced manufacturing environment.
* Conduct performance reviews and support employee development.
* Manage attendance, holidays, overtime, and workforce planning.
* Deliver daily team briefings and KPI review meetings.
* Ensure employees have the skills, training, and competencies required to meet production demands.
* Drive accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement activities.
Production & Operational Performance
* Deliver production plans safely, efficiently, and on time.
* Monitor and improve productivity, quality, cost, and delivery KPIs.
* Identify and resolve production issues, bottlenecks, and resource constraints.
* Analyse team performance and implement corrective actions where required.
* Collaborate with Engineering, Quality, Planning, Maintenance, and Supply Chain teams.
* Drive Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, and Standard Work initiatives.
Health, Safety & Environment
* Promote and maintain a strong health and safety culture.
* Lead risk assessments, safety audits, and workplace inspections.
* Champion 5S and workplace organisation standards.
* Ensure compliance with PPE requirements and safe systems of work.
* Investigate accidents, incidents, and near misses.
* Support ISO 14001 environmental standards and compliance activities.
* Ensure equipment is safe, fit for purpose, and properly maintained.
Quality
* Monitor quality performance and implement corrective actions.
* Support root cause analysis and problem‑solving activities.
* Drive a "Right First Time" quality culture.
* Ensure compliance with ISO 9001 standards.
* Reduce waste, defects, and non‑conformance through continuous improvement.
About You
We welcome applications from candidates with experience in manufacturing, engineering, FMCG, automotive, aerospace, packaging, food production, pharmaceutical, chemical processing, or similar production environments.
Essential Skills & Experience
* Experience within a manufacturing or engineering environment.
* Previous Team Leader, Supervisor, Shift Manager, or Production Leadership experience.
* Strong people management and communication skills.
* Excellent problem‑solving and analytical abilities.
* Experience using production systems and reporting tools.
* Ability to motivate teams and drive operational performance.
* Experience training, coaching, and developing employees.
Desirable
* NVQ Level 3 qualification or equivalent.
* Leadership or Supervisory qualification.
* Knowledge of SAP or other ERP systems.
* Experience with Lean Manufacturing, 5S, Kaizen, Continuous Improvement, or Operational Excellence tools.
* Experience within a fast‑paced manufacturing environment.
What's on Offer
* Competitive salary of £40,000 - £45,000.
* Comprehensive benefits package.
* Career progression and development opportunities.
* Ongoing training and leadership development.
* Stable and growing business.
* Supportive and collaborative working environment.
* Opportunity to make a real impact within a high‑performing operations team.
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