Factory Manager

Greencore; Spalding; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company share save scheme

Life insurance

Competitive pension contribution

Wellbeing Centre access

Greencore Qualifications

Employee discount platform

Enhanced parental leave

Job summary

Greencore Spalding is seeking a Factory Manager to lead a fast-paced chilled food manufacturing operation. You will own the operational KPIs, drive continuous improvement, and ensure safety, quality, and on-time delivery across the site.

You will lead a cross-functional team, deploy the Greencore Operating System, and collaborate with stakeholders to meet customer expectations and capital plans. Site-based role with permanent contract and broad benefits.

Qualifications

• Experience leading manufacturing operations in a fast-paced environment.
• Proven ability to drive efficiency and continuous improvement.
• Strong knowledge of health and safety, environmental and food safety standards.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and engaging stakeholders.
• Excellent communication and people management skills.

Responsibilities

• Ensure a safe working environment, deploying H&S strategy, chairing safety meetings, and communicating outcomes.
• Lead quality, food safety, hygiene, and housekeeping standards, including audit verification and improvement actions.
• Translate manufacturing strategy into clear, actionable operational plans.
• Set manning requirements, recruit talent, and oversee training, development, and performance management.
• Use KPIs to drive improvement plans and cascade performance metrics across teams.
• Review manufacturing plans and schedules to optimise resources and efficiency.
• Support NPD feasibility and ensure successful, well-communicated product launches.
• Maintain effective communication, engagement, and two-way dialogue across the site.
• Role model values, foster positive employee relations, and support union partnerships.
• Identify and deliver continuous improvement opportunities and support capital investment plans.
• Ensure full deployment and coaching of the Greencore Operating System.
• Lead Top Loss and Kaizen performance activity

Skills

People leadership

Data-driven decisions

Manufacturing leadership

Continuous improvement

Health & safety leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Strong communication

Job description

Job Description

Salary: Competitive salary

Benefits: Company share save scheme, Competitive matched pension contribution, Life insurance up to 4x salary

Location: Greencore Spalding Meals, West Marsh Road, PE11 2BB

Ways of Working: Site based

Hours of Work: Tuesday to Saturday 08:30am-17:00pm

Contract Type: Permanent

Why Greencore?

Following the combination with Bakkavor in January 2026, we’re one of the UK’s leading creators of convenience food, driven by a simple purpose: to make every day taste better.

As a vibrant and fast-moving business, we’re proud to employ over 28,000 talented colleagues across 36 manufacturing sites and 21 distribution depots in the UK and the US.

Together, we bring delicious food to life. Our products cover every meal occasion from breakfast through to dinner and dessert, with lunch and snacking in between. In FY25, our shared passion helped us achieve combined revenues of approximately £4bn.

Our extensive direct to store (DTS) network, with 17 depots across the UK, allows us to deliver fresh and frozen food both our own and from trusted partners to thousands of stores every day, ensuring consumers enjoy the very best, whenever and wherever they shop.

Our site in Spalding is a vibrant hub where over 1,470 colleagues bring handcrafted sandwich wraps, salads, dips, soups, sauces, and mayonnaise to life across three manufacturing facilities and a distribution centre.

What You’ll Be Doing

In this integral role as Factory Manager, you will be an experienced manufacturing leader contributing to the operational strategy of a fast-paced chilled food manufacturing business, with full accountability for operational KPIs. You’ll focus on sustainable operational delivery and continuous improvement, using the Greencore Operating System to drive optimal factory performance.

Working as part of the wider site leadership team, you’ll deliver challenging results across a balanced KPI scorecard while leading people, maintaining food safety standards, and ensuring optimal factory efficiency. As a key site leader, you’ll consistently meet customer expectations across efficiency, quality, food safety, and service, while collaborating with stakeholders to resolve issues and identify improvement opportunities.

• Ensure a safe working environment, deploying H&S strategy, chairing safety meetings, and communicating outcomes
• Lead quality, food safety, hygiene, and housekeeping standards, including audit verification and improvement actions
• Work cross-functionally on quality plans and capital justifications
• Translate manufacturing strategy into clear, actionable operational plans
• Set manning requirements, recruit talent, and oversee training, development, and performance management
• Use KPIs to drive improvement plans and cascade performance metrics across teams
• Review manufacturing plans and schedules to optimise resources and efficiency
• Support NPD feasibility and ensure successful, well-communicated product launches
• Maintain effective communication, engagement, and two-way dialogue across the site
• Role model values, foster positive employee relations, and support union partnerships
• Identify and deliver continuous improvement opportunities and support capital investment plans
• Ensure full deployment and coaching of the Greencore Operating System
• Lead Top Loss and Kaizen performance activity

What We’re Looking For

• A credible, people-focused manufacturing leader who drives performance through clear planning and data-led decisions
• Strong knowledge of production, commercial, and technical operations within a fast-paced manufacturing environment
• Proven ability to improve efficiency, reduce downtime, and deliver continuous improvement
• Confidence managing health & safety, environmental, food safety, and hygiene standards
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and influencing stakeholders at all levels
• Calm, resilient leadership style with the ability to perform under pressure
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to engage, motivate, and align teams
• A values-led leader who fosters positive culture and high standards across the factory

We’re proud to be recognised in the Gender Equity Measure Top 100 for our commitment to gender equality.

If this sounds like you, join us and grow with Greencore, and be a part of driving our future success.

What You’ll Get In Return

• Competitive salary and job-related benefits
• Holidays
• Competitive matched pension contribution
• Life insurance up to 4x salary
• Company share save scheme
• Greencore Qualifications
• Exclusive Greencore employee discount platform
• Access to a full Wellbeing Centre platform
• Enhanced parental leave and menopause policies

Throughout your time at Greencore, you will be supported with on-the-job training and development opportunities to further your career.