Production Manager (Egg Packing)

St Ewe Free Range Eggs Ltd, incorporated; Truro; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Increased pension contributions

Life Assurance

Private Medical Insurance

33 days annual leave

Job summary

St Ewe Free Range Eggs Ltd is seeking a Packing Centre Manager to lead the safe, efficient packing operation and ensure orders are fulfilled to the highest quality. You will oversee food safety, quality, cost control and continuous improvement within the packing operation.

Applicants should have substantial management experience in food manufacturing, strong leadership skills, and HACCP/IOSH qualifications.

Qualifications

• Experience leading a food manufacturing packing/working within FMCG.
• Strong leadership and people management skills with team development.
• Excellent understanding of food safety, traceability and quality systems.
• Experience managing production planning and operational performance.
• HACCP certification and health/safety qualifications

Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate and develop the Packing Centre team to achieve operational excellence.
• Develop production plans, manage resources and optimise packing efficiency.
• Maintain food safety, quality and GMP compliance with audits and records.
• Control costs, budgets and KPI delivery for service levels and waste.
• Collaborate with farms, logistics, sales and engineering to meet demand.
• Lead continuous improvement and change initiatives in packing operations.

Skills

People management

Leadership

Communication

Problem solving

Lean thinking

Education

HACCP Level 3

NEBOSH/IOSH

Tools

Eggbase

Production management software

Job description

At St. Ewe, we’re a business built on doing things the right way - with people, hens and the planet at the heart of every decision. We’re proud to be a certified B Corp, recognised in The Times 100 fastest‑growing private companies list and named one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work. These milestones reflect not just our growth, but our commitment to building a workplace and supply chain we can truly stand behind.

Our values - bold, positive, transparent and nurturing - shape how we work every day. We’re bold enough to challenge convention, positive in how we support each other and our partners, transparent in the way we communicate, and nurturing in how we care for our people, farmers and hens alike.

Being transparent is especially important to us. We believe in being open and honest from the outset - including about the standards we uphold. As part of this, we don’t allow poultry ownership at home for members of our team. It’s an important step in protecting the health and welfare of our hens, as well as maintaining the integrity of the farms we work with.

We’re committed to creating an inclusive, supportive environment where everyone can thrive, bring their whole self to work, and feel valued for who they are. We know that different perspectives make us stronger - and that’s something we actively encourage as we continue to grow.

If you’re looking for a place where you can make a genuine impact, be part of a supportive team, and grow your career in a business that’s going places, we’d love to hear from you.

Your Role

The Packing Manager is responsible for the safe, efficient and compliant operation of the Packing Centre, ensuring customer orders are fulfilled to the highest quality standards while leading, developing and supporting the packing team. The role has overall accountability for food safety, quality, operational performance, people management, cost control and continuous improvement within the packing operation.

What Does Success Look Like?

• Customer orders are delivered on time, in full and to specification.
• Food safety and quality standards are maintained without compromise.
• Packing lines consistently achieve efficiency and productivity targets.
• Stock accuracy and traceability are maintained at all times.
• Labour and operational costs remain within budget.
• The team is engaged, motivated and well trained.
• Health and safety incidents are minimised.
• Audit results consistently meet or exceed required standards.

Leadership & People Management

• Lead, motivate and develop the Packing Centre team to achieve operational excellence ensuring clear accountability, succession planning and leadership capability across the department.
• Manage Supervisors, Team Leaders and Packing Team Members.
• Conduct performance reviews, probation reviews and development discussions.
• Identify training needs and create development plans for employees.
• Manage recruitment, onboarding and succession planning within the department.
• Foster a positive, inclusive and high-performing culture.
• Manage employee relations issues in line with company policies and procedures.
• Ensure effective communication across all shifts and departments.
• Create a culture of accountability, engagement and continuous improvement through effective performance management and communication

Operational Management

• Develop and deliver the production plan, ensuring the effective allocation of resources, labour and equipment to meet customer demand while optimising operational efficiency.
• Develop and manage production plans to meet customer demand and service levels.
• Monitor packing line efficiencies, productivity and labour utilisation.
• Ensure production targets, KPIs and customer requirements are consistently achieved.
• Manage operational priorities and react effectively to changing customer demands.
• Drive improvements in packing throughput, quality and operational efficiency.
• Ensure contingency plans are in place for equipment breakdowns, staffing shortages and supply issues.
• Deliver departmental KPIs, including service level, order fulfilment, labour productivity, waste, quality, GMP compliance and cost performance.
• Take overall responsibility for resource planning, including labour, materials, equipment availability and operational capacity.
• Manage departmental costs and budgets, ensuring labour, packaging, consumables and operational expenditure remain within agreed targets while identifying opportunities for cost savings.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with equipment suppliers, contractors and service providers, ensuring timely maintenance, repairs, procurement and continuous improvement of packing equipment.
• Lead and deliver operational improvement and capital projects, ensuring projects are completed on time, within budget and deliver measurable business benefits.
• Collaborate closely with Production, Farms, Logistics, Sales, Technical, Engineering and HR teams to ensure alignment of operational priorities, customer requirements and business objectives.
• Provide strategic leadership and direction to Supervisors and Team Leaders, developing management capability, succession planning and a high-performance culture.
• Lead organisational change, driving engagement and ensuring teams successfully adopt new processes, systems and ways of working.
• Analyse operational data and business performance to support decision‑making, improve productivity and deliver agreed business objectives.
• Represent the Packing Centre in cross‑functional meetings, audits and business improvement initiatives, building strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

Planning & Logistics

• Liaise closely with production farms, transport providers and sales teams.
• Manage egg intake, stock levels and packing schedules.
• Ensure efficient stock rotation and inventory accuracy.
• Oversee dispatch operations to ensure customer orders are fulfilled accurately and on time.
• Coordinate seasonal demand fluctuations and resource planning.
• Develop and manage departmental budgets and resource forecasts in line with business objectives.
• Monitor labour efficiency, operational costs and capital expenditure, providing regular reporting and recommendations to support business performance.
• Monitor waste levels and implement waste reduction initiatives.
• Control packaging and consumable expenditure.
• Produce and review departmental KPI reports.
• Identify opportunities to improve profitability through operational efficiencies.
• Support annual budget preparation and forecasting activities.
• Work closely with maintenance providers to maximise equipment reliability.
• Ensure preventative maintenance schedules are completed.
• Monitor equipment performance and identify improvement opportunities.
• Support capital investment projects and equipment upgrades.
• Maintain packing equipment, facilities and infrastructure to required standards.
• Lead continuous improvement projects across the packing operation.
• Analyse production data to id
• entify trends and improvement opportunities.
• Implement lean manufacturing and waste reduction initiatives.
• Encourage employee involvement in problem-solving and process improvement.
• Develop and track departmental KPIs including: Service Level/Order fulfilment, Eggs graded, Eggs per labour hour, Waste, GMP Compliance, Analyse daily KPI performance, identify areas of improvement and implement correctiveactions.

Food Safety, Quality & Compliance

• Maintain and continuously improve food safety, quality and traceability standards.
• Ensure compliance with HACCP, GMP, BRCGS, Red Tractor and customer standards.
• Lead internal and external audits and coordinate corrective actions.
• Investigate quality incidents, complaints and non-conformances.
• Ensure all records are maintained accurately and are audit-ready.
• Champion a food safety culture throughout the packing operation

Health & Safety

• Promote and maintain a strong health and safety culture.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant health, safety and environmental legislation.
• Lead accident, incident and near‑miss investigations.
• Conduct workplace inspections and risk assessments.
• Ensure safe systems of work are implemented and followed.
• Monitor contractor compliance while on site.

Additional Skills & Experience

• Previous management experience within food manufacturing, food packing or FMCG operations.
• Strong leadership and people management skills.
• Excellent understanding of food safety, traceability and quality systems.
• Experience managing production planning and operational performance.
• Strong IT skills and experience using production management software.
• Ability to analyse operational data and drive improvements.
• Excellent organisational and decision‑making skills.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• HACCP Level 3 or Level 4.
• IOSH Managing Safely or NEBOSH qualification.
• Lean Manufacturing or Continuous Improvement experience.
• Experience using Eggbase or similar traceability systems.
• Knowledge of poultry or egg production sectors.
• Increased pension contributions
• 3x Life Assurance
• Private Medical Insurance
• 33 days annual leave (increases with service)

Experience in the food industry or in a similar role