Manufacturing Manager

The People Co.; Essex; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Restaurant benefits

Job summary

The People Co. in Essex is looking for an experienced Manufacturing Manager to lead end-to-end site operations, ensuring safe, compliant, and cost-efficient production and logistics.

You will own SALSA & BRC compliance, production planning, labour management, maintenance strategy, and continuous improvement across the operation, with senior leadership reporting to the board.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated leadership of manufacturing teams.
• Strong knowledge of SALSA, BRC or equivalent food safety standards.
• Experience in production planning, labour management and cost control.

Responsibilities

• Lead site operations to ensure safe, compliant, and cost-efficient manufacturing and logistics.
• Own SALSA & BRC compliance, audits, and corrective actions.
• Develop short- and medium-term production plans aligned to demand forecasts and OTIF targets.
• Manage maintenance, equipment reliability and capital expenditure planning.
• Drive continuous improvement to improve productivity and margin.

Skills

Leadership

SALSA/BRC knowledge

HACCP expertise

Production planning

Labour management

Maintenance strategy

Continuous improvement

Budget management

Stakeholder influence

Job description

Our client, a fast-growing and innovative food manufacturing business, is seeking an experienced and commercially focused Manufacturing Manager to lead end-to-end site operations. This is a senior leadership role with full accountability for manufacturing, logistics, food safety compliance, health & safety, planning, maintenance, and continuous improvement across the operation.

This position offers an exciting opportunity to shape operational excellence within a dynamic and scaling environment.

Job Role

Reporting to the senior leadership team, the Manufacturing Manager will take full ownership of production and logistics performance, ensuring safe, compliant, efficient, and cost-effective operations.

You will lead site compliance (SALSA & BRC), production planning, labour management, maintenance strategy, and supply chain coordination, embedding structure, accountability, and a culture of continuous improvement across the business.

Responsibilities

• Act as site lead for SALSA & BRC certification, audits, corrective actions, and ongoing compliance.
• Ensure HACCP systems, allergen controls, traceability, and recall readiness are robust and maintained.
• Promote and embed a strong food safety and quality culture across the site.
• Ensure full compliance with health & safety legislation and internal policies.
• Conduct risk assessments, accident investigations, and implement corrective actions.
• Develop and manage short- and medium-term production plans aligned to demand forecasts.
• Balance labour, capacity, and materials to optimise output and efficiency.
• Monitor daily production performance and resolve operational bottlenecks.
• Coordinate inbound materials and outbound finished goods to maintain OTIF performance.
• Manage supplier performance, warehousing standards, stock accuracy, and FIFO compliance.
• Lead labour planning including recruitment, onboarding, training, performance management, and rota planning.
• Oversee preventative and reactive maintenance programmes to maximise equipment reliability and uptime.
• Manage maintenance contractors and support capital expenditure planning.
• Monitor and improve KPIs including yield, waste, labour efficiency, downtime, and cost per unit.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance productivity and margin.
• Develop SOPs and embed operational discipline across manufacturing and logistics teams.
• Provide strong, visible leadership and foster a culture of accountability and ownership.

Personal Profile

• Proven experience in food manufacturing operations leadership.
• Strong working knowledge of SALSA, BRC, or equivalent food safety standards.
• Demonstrated people leadership and team development capability.
• Experience in production planning, supply chain coordination, and cost control.
• Strong understanding of health & safety legislation and compliance.
• Hands-on, structured, and solutions-focused approach.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Commercially aware with experience managing operational budgets.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders.
• Continuous improvement mindset with a track record of driving measurable results.

Ref Code: LI013324