Lead Operator / Supervisor

Gap Personnel; South Somerset; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A recruitment agency is looking for a Lead Operator for a food production site in Crewkerne. The role involves leading teams, ensuring safety and quality standards, and supporting continuous improvement initiatives. Ideal candidates will have strong leadership skills and experience in food manufacturing. The position offers competitive pay and excellent onsite facilities.

Benefits

Subsidised food canteen

Discounted products

Free site parking

Qualifications

• Proven ability to lead and coordinate a team in a fast-paced production environment.
• Strong commitment to Health & Safety and food quality standards.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to interpret data and drive improvement.

Responsibilities

• Ensure operational activities are completed efficiently and safely.
• Lead the team in Health & Safety practices.
• Manage food safety and quality issues.

Skills

Team leadership

Health & Safety compliance

Analytical skills

Effective communication

Organizational skills

Education

Experience in food manufacturing or production leadership

Job description

Lead Operator

Site Location: Crewkerne
Contract: Temp to Perm
Shift: 12hr, 4 on 4 off, 6am–6pm
Salary: 15.55 per hour

“Rolling out the green carpet for your career.”

Due to ongoing growth and development within the business, gap personnel are currently seeking Lead Operators to join the friendly and dedicated team at Yeo Valley, based at their stunning Crewkerne site.

As a Lead Operator, you will play a key role in supporting the production and supply chain teams, ensuring that all operational activities are completed efficiently, safely, and to the highest quality standards. Acting as the go-to person within your area, you will coordinate resources, drive performance, and support your team to deliver Yeo Valley’s fantastic products to customers.

As a Lead Operator, your role will include:

• Demonstrating a commitment to Health & Safety, role modelling best practice, challenging unsafe behaviour, rectifying hazards, and escalating concerns when needed.
• Leading the team’s active involvement in all Health & Safety aspects, driving continuous improvement.
• Escalating and managing any food safety or quality issues, ensuring that substandard product is held, investigated, and resolved appropriately.
• Actively supporting and maintaining the quality management system, ensuring that all controls and procedures are followed effectively to validate food safety and product excellence.
• Leading by example with Good Manufacturing Practices, hygiene, PPE, and dress code. Promoting a consistent ‘Clean as You Go’ culture and high standards of workplace organisation.
• Working closely with the Technical team to understand and address audit non-conformances and consumer complaints, putting in place preventative actions.
• Leading Short Interval Control Reviews, identifying performance gaps, assigning actions, and coordinating resources to deliver continuous improvement.
• Analysing and interpreting asset performance data to identify opportunities for improvement and drive higher efficiency and raw material yields.
• Actively supporting changeover optimisation and ensuring effective coordination to improve asset utilisation.
• Communicating and sharing performance data to ensure team awareness of how their roles contribute to the success of the shift, site, and business.
• Maintaining accurate and timely recording of downtime and raw material usage to support improvement initiatives.
• Carrying out basic fault finding and rectification on equipment and supporting root cause analysis when escalating issues.
• Ensuring that all equipment is properly maintained through validation of cleaning tasks and compliance with schedules.
• Training, coaching, and mentoring team members to build capability and ensure consistent performance.
• Suggesting, initiating, and implementing improvement activities within the team and across shifts.
• Collaborating across teams to identify shared challenges and opportunities, and driving investigations to address them.
• Leading by example with a positive, energetic, and proactive approach, motivating others to do the same.

What are we looking for from you?

• Proven ability to lead and coordinate a team in a fast-paced production environment.
• Strong commitment to Health & Safety and food quality standards.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to interpret data and drive improvement.
• Confident communicator, able to motivate and engage teams.
• Organised, proactive, and able to manage multiple priorities effectively.
• Experience in food manufacturing or production leadership (desirable).
• Understanding of Good Manufacturing Practices and Basic Food Hygiene.

Everything else?

Leave that to the team atYeo Valleywho will provide you with exemplary training programs and development.

All of this, AND superb onsite facilities:

Subsidised food canteen offering fresh hot and cold food; vending machines; creative break-out areas, free site parking; discounted Yeo Valley products; honesty fridges for further food discounts.

What else is left to do? SimplyAPPLYand let’s get your career started atYeo Valley.

gap personnel are operating as an employment business.