Production Team Leader

Arla Group; Leeds; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 44,000; Full time

Job summary

Arla Foods Stourton in Leeds seeks an Operations Team Leader to drive daily team objectives and operational plans in the Creamery production department. You will lead production teams, promote safety, and ensure quality and food safety within your area.

With a Lean mindset, you will contribute to continuous improvements, KPI development, and delivery performance while coordinating with cross-functional teams to meet production goals and sustainability targets.

Qualifications

• Must be an experienced Team Leader in a food manufacturing environment.
• Knowledge of Lean tools and techniques.
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication abilities.
• Ability to plan and organise workloads effectively.
• Awareness of costs and performance requirements.

Responsibilities

• Deliver operational plans and set day-to-day team objectives or act independently to deliver business policies and programmes in the Creamery production department.
• Maintain a healthy, inclusive and safe working environment with a strong safety mindset.
• Lead and manage Production teams with a Lean mindset to jointly improve performance; accountable for continuous improvements.
• Develop KPIs including safety, quality, delivery, productivity and sustainability.

Skills

Team leadership

Lean tools

Problem solving

Communication

Planning & organising

Cost awareness

Job description

Arla Foods Stourton have an exciting opportunity for an Operations Team Leader to join the team. The dairy, located in south Leeds, is one of the largest in the UK with the capacity to produce 750million litres of milk per year. Arla is the UK’s largest dairy, farmer owned and the creator of household favourite brands such as Cravendale, Anchor, Lurpak & Castello plus many many more.

How will you make an impact?

Responsible for delivering operational plans and setting day-to-day team objectives or acts independently to deliver the business policies and programmes in the Creamery production department.

• Ensures a healthy, inclusive and safe working environment, and safety mindset.
• Ensure quality and food safety within in own area of responsibility, and quality and food safety mindset
• Leads and manages the Production teams with an LCO mindset to jointly improve performance (using LEAN tools, APS, SPC, OEE), and is accountable for Continuous Improvements within the department.
• Responsible for KPI development including safety, quality, delivery, productivity & sustainability

What do you need to succeed?

• Experienced Team Leader within a food manufacturing environment
• Lean tools and techniques
• Problem solving
• Effective communication skills
• Planning & Organising of workloads
• Cost awareness / performance requirements

The closing date for applications is Thursday 30th July 2026

We have a purpose for Good

At Arla, we strive to unlock the highest potential in each other while working together to create a sustainable future of dairy. We call itStronger People Stronger Planetand it is deeply anchored in our organisation and founded on our commitment to respecting human rights, increasing access to healthy dairy nutrition, inspiring good food habits, and improving the environment for future generations. In order to succeed we need to hire people with a sustainable mindset. Could this be you?

Shape the Future of Dairy

Arla is a global leader in the dairy industry, committed to enabling good food choices that make life better, providing people with natural, sustainable nourishment, while taking care at every step to ensure Arla is a choice they can feel good about. If you are looking to shape the future with an ambitious global cooperative that truly cares about your growth, where everyone feels valued and empowered, and collaboration is the core of culture, Arla is a choice you can feel good about.