Manufacturing Operational Trainer *internal applications only*

Lush; Poole; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday

Parental leave pay (6 months)

Enhanced paternity leave

Bonus scheme

Employee discounts

Cycle to work

Wellbeing sessions

Employee networks

Job summary

Lush in Poole seeks a Manufacturing Operational Trainer to drive excellence across production, training and leadership development. You will coach managers, align training with KPI targets, and support safe, high-quality manufacturing in a fast-paced environment.

As an internal role, you will partner with the Manufacturing Training department to deliver bespoke training, optimise processes, and foster staff growth while sustaining Lush's standards and ethics.

Qualifications

• Deep experience running and managing a manufacturing department with strong results.
• Proven ability to train, coach and develop managers and teams.
• Focus on safety, quality and continuous improvement in line with GMP.

Responsibilities

• Recruit and onboard great managers from job adverts to interviews and onboarding.
• Develop and deliver engaging operations management training sessions.
• Coach room managers, drive performance, assess training impact, and support refits.
• Maintain safety culture and ensure high product quality locally.
• Collaborate with Lush LD teams to shape operational training for managers.

Skills

Manufacturing leadership

Team leadership

Training & coaching

Operational excellence

Regulatory compliance (GMP)

Job description

Manufacturing Operational Trainer **internal applications only**

Application Deadline: 16 October 2026

Department: Manufacturing Training

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Poole

Compensation: £50,000 - £55,000 / year

Description

Diversity matters

We are building a brand that represents the people of the world. It’s what you do that counts, and we are always looking to expand perspectives and voices to shape our future.

We see you, we celebrate you, we want you!

Who we are

You might know us as the inventors of the bath bomb, but there’s more to this great-smelling, partly employee-owned, family-run company than pioneering cosmetics. We believe our business should put more back into the world than it takes and demonstrate that capitalism can be a force for good.

The Living Wage Foundation’s statement ‘a hard day's work deserves a fair day's pay’ is one that we are proud to commit to in the UK. As an accredited Living Wage employer, we put our people first and fight cruel practices like animal testing, promote regeneration, and show that it is what’s inside that counts - whether that’s an ingredient in a product, or the minerals in a smartphone.

Want to see where a career at Lush could take you? Head over here to explore real stories of growth and development across the business.

Purpose of the Role

The Manufacturing Operational Trainer is responsible for driving operational excellence, production standards, and profitability across the business. As a hands‑on leader, trainer, and coach, the role ensures teams are equipped to meet the highest standards in operational processes, fostering an environment where both staff and business success are achieved through effective training and manager development.

Key Responsibilities

Recruit and Onboard Great Managers

• Work with recruitment and directors on the recruitment process for managers from job adverts to interviews and onboarding.
• Ensure new managers are set up for success, with tailored support throughout their first 6 months.
• Identify and nurture internal talent, supporting the development of team leaders and Trainees and championing internal progression.

Train and Develop Managers and Teams

• Develop and maintain engagement through effective coaching, development and training strategies for all levels of the business.
• Assist with managing the production room managers and effectively coach, motivate and inspire managers and their teams to succeed.
• Design and deliver engaging operational management development training sessions and resources.
• Provide bespoke coaching and feedback through impactful room visits.
• Offer strategic support during refits.
• Constantly assess and measure the effectiveness of your support to maximise sales and profit.
• Develop skills in the managers and team in the room so that changes implemented are sustainable and effective
• Support managers to maintain a safe working environment free of risks to team members.

Operational Excellence and Champion Managers

• Develop a performance culture throughout the business and constantly strive for improvements in quality and productivity.
• Maintain and improve our safety culture, ensuring we always put people's health and wellbeing at the centre of our plans.
• Ensure the products that are produced locally are of the highest quality.
• Identify any training opportunities to improve efficiency.
• Motivate and train the team to prioritise and schedule production in line with store demand, and drive accountability with a focus on local and global KPI’s.
• Collaborate with the Manu L&D team to create, shape and deliver operational training to managers.
• Regular visits to the rooms that include in depth observations and conversations about the standard of work, processes and timings that are happening.
• Contribute feedback to existing training to make sure it is relevant and effective in reality.
• Keep learning and developing your skills and knowledge in different departments to ensure you are able to help all managers.
• Keep up to date with, and understand operational challenges faced by managers so you can share their voice and support them in wider meetings.

Deliver Commercially Sound Business Decisions

• Develop impactful tactics to improve business performance (eg. competitions between departments) aligned with budget, available resources and brand direction.
• Continually seek out new ways of doing things, bringing inspiration from within the UK business and global Lush counterparts.
• Maintain an up-to-date knowledge of stock control, staff cost management, and operational excellence.
• Leverage insights from room visits to identify opportunities and implement strategies to address them.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Deep experience running and managing a manufacturing department, with a proven track record of strong business performance, team leadership, and talent development.
• Practical experience across regulatory compliance, manufacturing operations (GMP), equipment maintenance, and prioritising workloads with excellent problem‑solving skills.
• Sets a gold standard in leadership and operational execution, holding teams accountable while keeping a sharp eye for detail.
• A highly self‑motivated, reflective, and autonomous leader with a natural curiosity to continually develop themselves, evaluate the impact of their work, and grow others.
• Stays connected to company strategy and direction, aligning room‑level decisions with bigger‑picture business goals and commercial success.
• Brings a proactive, collaborative approach with a clear communication style to support, coach, and represent room managers effectively.
• Driven by a strong ethical compass and a deep passion for the Lush brand, its values, and its beliefs.

Benefits

• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
• 6 months of full pay for parental leave (primary caregiver must qualify for SMP)*
• Enhanced paternity leave*
• Bonus scheme
• Day off for weekday birthdays
• Holiday purchase scheme
• 50% discount on Lush products and spa treatments
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounted rail and bus season tickets
• Employee assistance programme
• There’s a big difference between "Flexible Working " (the legal minimum) and working flexibly. What that looks like varies from role to role and location to location. We actively welcome conversations about what working flexibly could mean and look like for you.
• We’re 10% Employee Owned - all colleagues play a role in protecting our ethics, our independence, contributing ideas for the future and share in the rewards of success when the company is doing well.
• Wellbeing & mindfulness sessions
• Access to employee‑led Community Networks, including Disability and Chronic Illness, Family Support, Global Majority (Race and Ethnicity), LGBTQIA+, Menopause and Neurodiversity communities.
• Tailored gender affirming care*

Qualifying period/hours required*

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