Production Team Leader

Cranleigh STEM & Sustainability Recruitment; Barton Stacey; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday

Bank holidays included

Company pension contribution up to 10%

Company bonus scheme

Life assurance

Job summary

Cranleigh STEM & Sustainability Recruitment is seeking a Production Team Leader for an established manufacturing business supplying specialist ingredients to the food and beverage industries.

This hands-on role leads a team of 4–9 Production Technicians, ensuring targets are met safely, efficiently and in line with quality and food-safety standards. Based in Barton Stacey, Hampshire, it is a permanent, site-based role with standard daytime hours.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in manufacturing or production.
• Proven leadership of a production team.
• Experience managing absence, conduct and performance.
• Strong health and safety knowledge in manufacturing.
• IOSH Managing Safely qualification or equivalent.
• Experience with KPI-driven production improvement.
• Experience using ERP systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of Production Technicians.
• Allocate labour and prioritise production to meet demand.
• Maintain safety, quality and hygiene compliance.
• Monitor KPIs and drive improvements.
• Conduct root-cause investigations on issues.
• Maintain SOPs and production documentation.
• Collaborate with Production, Quality and Engineering.

Skills

Team leadership

KPI management

Health & safety

COSHH awareness

HACCP knowledge

Continuous improvement

ERP systems

Production equipment

Problem solving

Planning & scheduling

Education

IOSH Managing Safely

Tools

ERP software

Documentation software

Job description

Cranleigh STEM is recruiting a Production Team Leader for an established manufacturing business supplying specialist ingredients to the food and beverage industries.

This is a hands-on leadership role responsible for the day-to-day performance of a production team. You will manage between four and nine Production Technicians, ensuring manufacturing targets are achieved safely, efficiently and in line with quality and food-safety standards.

The position would suit an experienced Production Team Leader or Manufacturing Supervisor from a food, pharmaceutical or similarly regulated manufacturing environment. Experience overseeing manual or batch-based production processes would be particularly relevant.

Location: Barton Stacey, Hampshire

Salary: £. Competitive + Benefits

Hours: Monday to Friday, 07:30–16:00

Contract: Permanent, fully site-based

Key responsibilities

• Lead, support and develop a team of Production Technicians.
• Allocate labour and prioritise production activities to meet customer demand.
• Manage holidays, absence, overtime, performance and disciplinary matters.
• Ensure manufacturing activities comply with health, safety, quality and hygiene requirements.
• Maintain risk assessments, COSHH records and safe systems of work.
• Monitor production KPIs and lead actions to improve team performance.
• Support compliance with BRCGS, HACCP and Critical Control Point requirements.
• Lead complaint and non-conformance investigations using root-cause analysis.
• Maintain and improve SOPs and production documentation.
• Identify training needs and improve cross‑skilling across the team.
• Lead continuous improvement activities, including 6S audits and departmental meetings.
• Work closely with Production, Quality, Engineering and other internal departments.

Candidate requirements

• Extensive experience within a manufacturing or production environment.
• Proven experience leading and developing a production team.
• Experience managing absence, conduct and employee performance.
• Good understanding of health and safety within manufacturing.
• IOSH Managing Safely qualification or equivalent.
• Understanding of food safety or experience within another highly regulated industry.
• Demonstrable continuous improvement experience.
• Experience using KPIs to improve production performance.
• Technical understanding of production equipment and manufacturing processes.
• Experience using ERP systems.
• Strong planning, communication and problem‑solving skills.

Experience with BRCGS, HACCP, World Class Manufacturing, Six Sigma or project management would be advantageous.

Benefits:

• 25 days’ holiday plus bank holidays.
• Option to purchase five additional days’ holiday.
• Employer pension contribution of up to 10%.
• Company bonus scheme.
• Life assurance at four times basic salary.
• Additional birthday leave.

The site is not accessible by public transport, so applicants will need their own reliable means of travel.