Production Manager – Full Time – Pickering

Catering; Pickering; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Catering in Pickering, North Yorkshire, is seeking an experienced Production Manager to own the day‑to‑day manufacturing performance. You will lead from the shop floor, develop your team and work with Quality, Engineering, Maintenance and other functions to meet the production plan.

The role demands hands‑on leadership, a strong safety culture and a track record of Lean improvements. You will drive capability, reduce waste, and improve metrics such as OEE and First Time Through while delivering

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Production Manager or similar leadership role in manufacturing.
• Strong people management and a hands-on leadership style.
• Demonstrated capability to meet production plans and customer schedules.
• Experience delivering Lean and continuous improvement initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead day‑to‑day production activities and keep the plan on track.
• Promote a strong zero-harm safety culture and safe systems of work.
• Manage customer schedules and shifting production priorities.
• Drive improvements in Right First Time, scrap and rework.
• Improve OEE, downtime, labour efficiency and productivity.
• Coach Supervisors and Team Leaders, manage performance.
• Lead Lean, Kaizen and standardisation of best practices.
• Run Tier meetings and review KPIs; escalate issues promptly.
• Oversee labour, overtime, agency usage and costs.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, HSE and others to resolve challenges.
• Own KPIs including safety, RFT, scrap, yield, OEE, downtime, cost per unit.

Skills

Production leadership

People management

Safety leadership

Production planning

Lean manufacturing

Continuous improvement

KPI management

Problem solving

Job description

Job Title: Production Manager

Location: Pickering, North Yorkshire
Salary: Competitive

The Company

We are recruiting on behalf of an established manufacturing business in Pickering that is looking to appoint an experienced Production Manager to take ownership of day-to-day manufacturing performance.

This is a key leadership position within the operation, responsible for creating a safe, efficient and high-performing production environment. Youll lead from the shop floor, develop your management team and work closely with Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, HSE, HR, Finance and Materials Planning & Logistics to achieve wider plant objectives.

If youre a hands-on manufacturing leader who enjoys improving performance, developing people and driving continuous improvement, this is an excellent opportunity to make a genuine impact.

Job Description

As Production Manager, you will take responsibility for delivering the production plan safely, efficiently and to the required quality standards.

Youll provide visible leadership across the manufacturing operation, ensuring customer schedules are achieved while maintaining control of safety, quality, cost, delivery and people performance.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Leading day-to-day production activities and ensuring the production plan remains on track.
• Promoting a strong zero-harm safety culture, leading safety conversations and ensuring safe systems of work are consistently followed.
• Ensuring customer schedules and changing production priorities are effectively managed.
• Driving improvements in Right First Time (RFT), scrap, rework and overall process discipline.
• Improving Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), downtime, labour efficiency and productivity.
• Coaching and developing Supervisors and Team Leaders, setting clear expectations and effectively managing performance.
• Leading Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen and continuous improvement activity to eliminate waste and standardise best practice.
• Leading Tier meetings, reviewing operational KPIs and ensuring issues are escalated and resolved quickly.
• Managing labour requirements, overtime, agency usage, material utilisation and departmental costs.
• Working cross-functionally with Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, HSE and other departments to overcome operational challenges.
• Taking ownership of key manufacturing KPIs including safety, RFT, scrap, yield, OEE, labour efficiency, schedule adherence, downtime, productivity and cost per unit.

Skills Required

We are looking for an experienced production/manufacturing leader who can combine strong people management with a clear focus on operational performance.

You will ideally demonstrate:

• Proven experience in a Production Manager, Manufacturing Manager or similar operational leadership role within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong leadership skills with experience managing and developing Supervisors, Team Leaders and production teams.
• A visible, hands-on approach to leadership and a strong commitment to health and safety.
• Experience delivering against production plans and customer requirements in a demanding manufacturing environment.
• Good understanding of manufacturing KPIs including OEE, RFT, scrap, yield, downtime, labour efficiency and productivity.
• Experience implementing Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement principles.
• A track record of reducing waste, improving efficiency and delivering measurable operational improvements.

Why Join?

This is an opportunity to take on a highly influential production leadership role where you can have a direct impact on people, processes and overall manufacturing performance.

Youll have the opportunity to:

• Take ownership of a key manufacturing operation and its performance.
• Lead and develop teams while building a strong culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Drive tangible improvements across safety, quality, delivery, cost and productivity.
• Work collaboratively with senior stakeholders and multiple functions across the business.
• Lead Lean and continuous improvement initiatives with measurable results.
• Join an established manufacturing environment where strong operational leadership can make a real difference.

Salary:

Job Type: Permanent

Location: Pickering, North Yorkshire