Packaging Shift Lead

St Austell Brewery; St. Austell; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30% discount on food & drink

Job summary

St Austell Brewery is seeking a Packaging Shift Lead to head the shift team across key packaging lines, delivering safe, efficient and high‑quality operations.

As the most senior on shift you’ll own performance, drive continuous improvement, support training and ensure quality checks are completed on time, while maintaining strong safety standards and leading handovers. The role is 40 hours a week, Monday to Friday, with a pattern of earlies and lates and occasional nights.

Qualifications

• Experience in a production or manufacturing environment with team leadership.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to make decisions under pressure.
• Hands-on leadership style with the ability to motivate a team.
• Commitment to safety, quality and continuous improvement.
• Willingness to work towards HACCP Level 2 and packaging qualifications.

Responsibilities

• Lead packaging operations across your shift, including start-ups and changeovers.
• Ensure production meets quality standards, specifications and schedules.
• Act as the escalation point for operational and technical issues.
• Monitor performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Drive a strong safety culture and manage risks.
• Provide training to develop team capability.
• Ensure quality checks and audits are completed on time.
• Manage materials, minimise waste and maximise yield.
• Lead clear and engaging shift handovers.

Skills

Leadership

Problem-solving

Hands-on

Safety-focused

Continuous improvement

Education

HACCP Level 2

FLT Counterbalance Licence

General Certificate in Packaging

Job description

Packaging Shift Lead

There's never been a better time to join us. As demand continues to grow – particularly through our partnership with Harbour Brewery and successes with Proper Job 0.5% – we're expanding our brewing and packaging teams to support this exciting period of growth.

We’re looking for a motivated and experienced Packaging Shift Lead to join our team. This is a hands‑on leadership role where you’ll lead your shift team to deliver safe, efficient and high‑quality packaging operations.

As the most senior person on shift, you’ll take ownership of performance across multiple packaging lines, ensuring production targets are met while maintaining exceptional standards of safety and quality.
You’ll be a key problem‑solver on shift, supporting your team, resolving issues, and driving continuous improvement across the department.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Leading packaging operations across your shift, including start-ups, changeovers, running and cleaning
• Ensuring production meets quality standards, specifications and schedules
• Acting as the key escalation point for operational and technical issues
• Monitoring performance and identifying opportunities for improvement
• Driving a strong safety culture and proactively managing risks
• Supporting and delivering training to develop team capability
• Ensuring all quality checks and audits are completed accurately and on time
• Managing materials, minimising waste and maximising yield
• Leading clear and engaging shift handovers

What We’re Looking For

• Experience in a production or manufacturing environment, ideally in a team leader or supervisory role
• Strong problem‑solving skills and ability to make decisions under pressure
• A hands‑on approach with the confidence to lead and motivate a team
• Good technical understanding of production or packaging operationsCommitment to safety, quality and continuous improvement
• Relevant qualifications (or willingness to work towards):
  
  • - HACCP Level 2
  • - FLT Counterbalance Licence
  • - General Certificate in Packaging

Working Patterns

You will work 40 hours a week, from Monday to Friday, on a shift pattern that alternates mainly between earlies and lates. Youwill be expected to work a night shift every 1 in 3 weeks but flexibility is important to meet production requirements.

Shift times are as follows:

• Earlies - 6:00am to 2:30pm
• Lates - 2.00pm to 10:30pm
• Nights – 10:00pm to 06:30am

The benefits

• 30% discount on food & drink within the managed estate & visitors centre