Manufacturing Manager (Weekends)

Manpowergroup Talent Solutions; Newport; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

ManpowerGroup Talent Solutions is seeking a Weekend Manufacturing Manager for a large food manufacturing site in Newport. You’ll own site operations on Friday through Monday, leading on the shop floor, driving performance and making real-time decisions to keep production moving.

Reporting to the Head of Operations, you’ll lead and develop Shift Managers, manage a sizeable workforce, and drive continuous improvement across the operation while maintaining high safety and quality standards.

Qualifications

• Food manufacturing experience is essential.
• Strong operational leadership in high-volume environments.
• Proven experience managing scale and complexity.
• A proactive, action-oriented leader who drives accountability.
• Comfortable being hands-on and visible in the operation.
• Continuous Improvement experience is desirable.
• Six Sigma Green Belt (or similar) desirable.

Responsibilities

• Leading day-to-day production across a large, complex manufacturing site.
• Driving performance, hitting targets, and maintaining high standards.
• Quickly identifying and resolving operational issues.
• Owning root cause analysis and delivering long-term fixes.
• Leading and developing Shift Managers and wider operational teams.
• Driving continuous improvement and efficiency across the site.
• Supporting new product introduction and production changes.

Skills

Food manufacturing experience

Operational leadership

Scale & complexity management

Six Sigma Green Belt

Job description

Weekend Manufacturing Manager (Food Manufacturing)

Location: Newport

We’re looking for a hands-on Manufacturing Manager to take full ownership of site operations across the weekend in a fast-paced, high-volume food manufacturing environment.

This is not a desk-based leadership role. You’ll be front and centre on the shop floor, leading large teams, driving performance, and making real-time decisions that keep production moving.

The Role

Reporting to the Head of Operations, you’ll lead manufacturing from Friday through Monday, covering the end of one production cycle and the start of the next.

You’ll act as the senior escalation point for the entire site over the weekend, with full accountability for operational performance.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Leading day-to-day production across a large, complex manufacturing site
• Driving performance, hitting targets, and maintaining high standards
• Quickly identifying and resolving operational issues
• Owning root cause analysis and delivering long-term fixes
• Leading and developing Shift Managers and wider operational teams
• Driving continuous improvement and efficiency across the site
• Supporting new product introduction and production changes
• Maintaining strong visibility on the shop floor (around 50% of your time)

The Scale

• Responsibility for up to 650 - 1200 employees
• Around 300+ people on site daily within your remit
• Production output of ~1.6 million meals per week

Working Pattern

• Friday to Monday
• Start: 06:00 – 06:30
• Finish: 15:00 – 16:00
• Full site responsibility on weekends

What We’re Looking For

• Food manufacturing experience (essential)
• Strong operational leadership in high-volume environments
• Proven experience managing scale and complexity
• A proactive, action-oriented leader who drives accountability
• Comfortable being hands-on and visible in the operation
• Continuous Improvement experience is desirable
• Six Sigma Green Belt (or similar) - desirable

Why Join?

This is a high-impact leadership role where you’ll truly own the operation during a critical period of the week. You’ll have the autonomy to make decisions, drive improvements, and influence performance at scale.

If you’re someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment and enjoys being close to the action — this role is built for you.