Production Manager

Newton Aycliffe

Overview:

As our Production Manager at the Newton Aycliffe site, the successful candidate will take a dynamic, hands-on leadership role, guiding production teams across multiple disciplines. You will lead and develop your team, coaching and mentoring them while coordinating with broader business functions to achieve site KPIs. The ideal candidate will bring innovative thinking to challenge and enhance the status quo. You will spearhead continuous improvement initiatives, fully leverage the potential of your team, and drive efforts to meet high-quality standards. By optimizing resources and nurturing a culture of ongoing improvement, you will play a crucial role in both personal and team development, contributing significantly to our collective success

As a dynamic and tactical Production Manager, you will steer our business toward achieving key strategic objectives through robust cross-functional collaboration. You will spearhead the transition to a world-class manufacturing function, enhancing our customer experience by ensuring the delivery of high-quality products with a right-first-time approach. The Production Manager's role is crucial in upholding our commitment to customer-centricity, with a strong focus on maximizing customer satisfaction.

Essential Requirements:

- 3-5 years’ Senior management experience within a manufacturing background.

- 5-10 manufacturing leadership experience.

- Management of teams with a minimum of 20 – 70 staff.

- Coaching & Motivating experience – ideally in a manufacturing environment achieving results through others

- Data Analysis – experience turning data into action plans.

- Communicating with impact - presentation skills in creation and delivery

- Budget management – Cost & Commercial awareness

- Proactive Leadership – Energy and drive

- Computer literate (Windows) and is able to pick up new applications quickly

- Confident and self-assured

- Challenges in a constructive way using helpful feedback

- Debates topics and gains consensus on core issues

- Facilities discussions

- Engages and inspires others

- A passionate listener

- Coaching and supportive

- Curious and perceptive

Desirable but not essential:

- Experience of Kitchen manufacturing or KBB industry.

- Relevant Degree or Management Qualification

- IOSH Manging Safely

- Quality Management Expertise i.e. ISO9001

- Minimum Green Belt or equivalent Lean Qualification.

- Change Management Qualification i.e. ADKAR.

Responsibilities:

- Prioritisation – Identify and prioritise tasks based on urgency, importance and impact on production goals, ensuring that critical activities receive appropriate attention and resources.

- Time Management & resource allocation – Allocate time efficiency to different tasks and activities, setting realistic deadlines and managing workflow to meet production schedules and deadlines and delegate delegate tasks appropriately to team members based on their skills, strengths, and workload.

- Goal setting – set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals for production targets, departmental objectives and individual performance, guiding efforts towards desired outcomes.

- Communication – communicate effectively with team members, supervisors and key stake holders, providing updates, seeking clarification and addressing concerns to ensure alignment and collaboration across all functions.

- Continuous Improvement – Seek opportunities to optimise manufacturing processes to reduce costs. To stay informed about industry best practices and implement improvements accordingly, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

- Team Leadership – Provide clear direction, motivation, and leadership to the direct team by fostering a positive and collaborative culture.

- Recruitment and Onboarding – participate in the recruitment process to select qualified team members. Facilitate the onboarding process for new employees.

- Training and development – Identify training needs and provide ongoing professional development opportunities. Support team members in acquiring new skills and knowledge.

- Performance Monitoring – Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for manufacturing and Identify areas of improvement and implement corrective actions.

- Adaptability– Flexibility to adapt to changing priorities, unexpected events and evolving business requirements, adjusting plans and strategies as needed to maintain productivity and meet overall production goals.

- Vision Setting - Defining a clear vision and goals for the manufacturing team.

- Strategic Tactical Planning – Developing and executing tactical plans to achieve organisational objectives.

- Decision Making – Make informed and timely decisions that align with organisations goals.

- Team Building - Foster a positive and collaborative culture, promoting effective communication and teamwork.

- Motivation – Inspire and motivate team members to achieve their best and contribute to organisational success.

- Performance Management – Evaluate and manage individual and team performance, creating an environment for 2-way constructive feedback, and facilitating growth.

Essential Skills and Experience: