Production Stream Lead – Operational Excellence

Pilgrim's Europe; Attleborough; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and benefits

Career development opportunities

Ongoing training and leadership

Employee benefits and discount平台

Wellbeing support programmes

Collaborative working environment

Continuous improvement & operationalEx

Job summary

Pilgrim's Europe is seeking a Production Stream Group Leader at Attleborough to lead and develop a team of Production Team Leaders, driving safety, quality, and efficiency in a fast-paced FMCG environment. The role emphasizes operational excellence and collaboration across factory operations.

You will coach teams, implement continuous improvements, and ensure standards are met while shaping a high-performing culture aligned with business goals and customer expectations.

Qualifications

• Strong communication and influencing skills.
• Proven ability to coach, develop, and motivate others.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability.
• Experience creating, implementing, and sustaining operational standards.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience within an FMCG or food manufacturing environment.
• Knowledge of health and safety, quality, environmental, and asset management systems.
• Experience of Continuous Improvement, Manufacturing Excellence, or OPEX methodologies.
• Foundation level Health & Safety
• Food Safety qualification
• HACCP qualification

Responsibilities

• Build and promote a strong safety culture through visible leadership and coaching.
• Champion our Go for Zero approach, ensuring a safe working environment for all team members.
• Ensure risk assessments are in place and corrective actions are completed.
• Monitor, report, and improve safety performance metrics.
• Promote a culture where food safety, quality, and authenticity are a condition of doing business.
• Ensure products are manufactured right first time and GMP standards are maintained.
• Escalate and manage significant quality concerns appropriately.
• Support the delivery of the Production Stream strategic plan and key operational objectives.
• Ensure Team Leaders clearly understand priorities, targets, and expectations.
• Deliver improvements in labour utilisation, waste reduction, OEE, and overall manufacturing performance.
• Manage and support planned and unplanned operational activities, including maintenance, audits, and production changes.
• Monitor ATP performance and respond effectively to escalations.
• Lead, motivate, and develop Team Leaders to create a high-performing and engaged workforce.
• Coach and develop teams using Operational Excellence tools and methods.
• Conduct regular 1:1s, performance reviews, and development conversations.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, and succession planning activities.
• Build a strong pipeline of talent for future business needs.
• Manage employee relations matters, including disciplinary and grievance processes, with HR support where appropriate.
• Create an environment where team members feel valued, heard, and empowered to contribute ideas.
• Drive Operational Excellence (OPEX) across the production stream.
• Ensure the area remains audit-ready across safety, quality, environmental, manufacturing, and asset management standards.
• Analyse operational data to identify trends, performance gaps, and improvement opportunities.
• Lead structured problem-solving activities using OPEX tools and methodologies.
• Improve operational standards including SOPs, work instructions, autonomous maintenance, process specifications, and 5S.
• Ensure KPIs are visible, accurate, and regularly reviewed.
• Drive closure of actions and issues through effective performance management.
• Lead projects and improvement initiatives that support site objectives.
• Identify and eliminate manufacturing losses, bottlenecks, and inefficiencies.
• Ensure improvements are embedded and sustainable.
• Drive continuous improvements that enhance customer satisfaction and business performance.

Skills

Communication

Coaching

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Leadership

Education

Food Safety qualification

HACCP qualification

Foundation level Health & Safety

Job description

Pilgrim's Europe is seeking a Production Stream Group Leader at Attleborough to lead and develop a team of Production Team Leaders, driving safety, quality, and efficiency in a fast-paced FMCG environment. The role emphasizes operational excellence and collaboration across factory operations.

You will coach teams, implement continuous improvements, and ensure standards are met while shaping a high-performing culture aligned with business goals and customer expectations.