Operations - Site Manufacturing Lead

Site Manufacturing Lead

Location: Fletchers Bakery, Sheffield
Shift: Monday to Friday (Days)

We have an exciting opportunity for a Site Manufacturing Lead to join our team and provide strategic leadership across Manufacturing, Planning and Hygiene at our Sheffield bakery. This is a key leadership role responsible for delivering outstanding operational performance, developing high-performing teams and driving continuous improvement across the site.

Finsbury Food Group is one of the UK's leading speciality bakery manufacturers. We continually raise quality, innovation and operational standards while building long-term, trusted relationships across retail, foodservice and brand partnerships. Our portfolio spans a wide range of bakery categories, from market-leading retailer own-brand products to much-loved licensed and branded ranges, produced across our nationwide network of bakeries.

As Site Manufacturing Lead, you'll play a critical role in translating business strategy into operational delivery. You'll lead the Manufacturing Shift Lead population and wider manufacturing leadership team, ensuring the site delivers against Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, People and Sustainability (SQCDPS) objectives while creating a culture built on accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.

This is a role for an experienced and visible leader who thrives in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. You'll work closely with Engineering, Technical, Supply Chain, Warehouse and People teams to optimise performance, develop capability and support the long-term growth and success of the business.


This is what you’ll actually do!
As Site Manufacturing Lead, you'll be accountable for the overall performance of the site's Manufacturing, Planning and Hygiene functions, ensuring the safe, efficient and consistent delivery of operational objectives.

You'll provide strategic leadership to the Manufacturing Shift Lead population and wider operational leadership team, creating alignment, clear priorities and operational discipline across all manufacturing areas.

A key part of the role will be driving operational excellence through continuous improvement, standardisation and data-led decision making. You'll focus on improving productivity, labour utilisation, service performance, waste reduction and overall equipment effectiveness while embedding Lean principles and structured problem solving across the operation.

You'll work collaboratively with Engineering, Technical, Planning, Warehouse, Supply Chain and People teams to optimise end-to-end performance, manage risk and ensure customer expectations are consistently achieved.

You'll also champion a culture of Health & Safety, Food Safety, Quality and GMP compliance, ensuring standards are maintained, audit readiness is achieved and operational risks are proactively managed.

As a member of the Site Leadership Team, you'll contribute to strategic planning, organisational development, capital investment projects, business transformation initiatives and the future success of the site.

Ideally this is you!
Essential
• Significant senior leadership experience within a food manufacturing or FMCG environment, leading large multi-functional operations.
• Proven ability to develop high-performing leadership teams and create a culture of accountability, continuous improvement and operational excellence.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing operations, production planning, hygiene management and end-to-end operational performance.
• Demonstrable experience of driving business performance through data-led decision making, Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement methodologies.
• Excellent knowledge of Health & Safety, Food Safety, GMP and relevant legislative requirements within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong commercial awareness with experience managing operational budgets, labour utilisation and cost improvement initiatives.
• Highly effective leadership, communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence at all levels of an organisation.
• Experience leading organisational change, transformation programmes or significant operational improvement initiatives.
Desirable
• Degree or professional qualification in Manufacturing, Engineering, Operations Management or a related discipline.
• IOSH Managing Safely, NEBOSH or equivalent Health & Safety qualification.
• Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma or Continuous Improvement qualification.
• Experience within the bakery or wider food manufacturing sector.
• Experience supporting automation, capital investment or large-scale operational transformation projects.


What’s in it for you?

• Enhanced Maternity & Paternity Leave to allow quality time with your new arrival!
• Enhanced Pension Scheme for our employees
• Death in Service Benefit
• Free Employee Assistance Programme (open to colleagues and their families)
• Retail discounts accessible via our Benefits Hub platform!
• Employee Recognition Awards· Extensive Learning & Development opportunities (including opportunities for sponsored professional memberships and our own in-house development course!)
• An opportunity to be part of a fantastic, growing organisation. Head over to our LinkedIn page to find out more!

Our vision is to be the leading specialty bakery group in the UK, and we want the best people in place to achieve this. Our continued success is built entirely on the talented people who work here, so employee development is important to us because everyone is a valued member of the team, and we want every individual to have the skills and capabilities to achieve both your own personal goals and our business goals. We want good people to join our company, to help our company continue to go from strength to strength. If this sounds like you, please get in contact to learn more!