Production Zone Manager

Greencore; Northampton; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Holidays

Pension contributions

Life insurance

Share save scheme

Greencore Qualifications

Employee discount platform

Wellbeing Centre

Enhanced parental leave and menopause

Job summary

Greencore in Northampton is seeking a Production Zone Manager to lead a nominated team and ensure zone processes are followed to meet production plans.

You’ll monitor safety, quality and efficiency, manage labour and equipment, and drive continuous improvement while upholding food safety standards. The role requires experience in fast-moving manufacturing and a proactive approach to problem solving in a night-shift environment.

Qualifications

• Experience managing diverse teams in a complex manufacturing environment.
• Advanced Food Hygiene accreditation held.
• HACCP level 2 and IOSH level 2 qualifications owned.

Responsibilities

• Deliver department/zone productivity and efficiency targets to meet the production plan.
• Monitor raw materials/ingredients and production processes for food safety standards.
• Review labour deployment to align with department requirements.
• Communicate progress to the operations team and flag risks to volumes and standards.
• Monitor equipment effectiveness (OEE) to ensure reliability.
• Promote Health, Safety and Environment within the department.
• Identify opportunities for sustainable improvements in quality, performance and profit.
• Develop team capability and align objectives to maximize potential.
• Contribute to customer and technical process development reviews.

Skills

Experience in managing diverse teams

Education

Advanced Food Hygiene accreditation

HACCP level 2

IOSH level 2

Job description

Following the combination with Bakkavor in January 2026, we’re one of the UK’s leading creators of convenience food, driven by a simple purpose: to make every day taste better.

As a vibrant and fast-moving business, we’re proud to employ over 28,000 talented colleagues across 36 manufacturing sites and 21 distribution depots in the UK and the US. Together, we bring delicious food to life. Our products cover every meal occasion from breakfast through to dinner and dessert, with lunch and snacking in between. In FY25, our shared passion helped us achieve combined revenues of approximately £4bn.

Our extensive direct to store (DTS) network, with 17 depots across the UK, allows us to deliver fresh and frozen food both our own and from trusted partners to thousands of stores every day, ensuring consumers enjoy the very best, whenever and wherever they shop.

Here at Northampton, we operate one of the most impressive facilities in Europe, based across a campus of 5 manufacturing units, and we have a team of around 2,000 colleagues making high quality premium products every day. We are the sole supplier of sandwiches, wraps, rolls and sushi for Marks & Spencer.

At Greencore we actively encourage our colleagues to apply for our vacancies, whether as a lateral move to broaden experience or the next step up to progress your career and development. We also welcome applications from external candidates who are eager to grow their career with us.

What you’ll be doing

As Production Zone Manager you will lead nominated colleagues and manage the consistent application of processes within a given department or zone to ensure products are prepared and manufactured to the agreed standards and production plans.

Shift: Nights - Sunday to Thursday

• Deliver department/zone productivity and efficiency targets to produce goods in line with the agreed production plan
• Continuously monitor raw materials/ingredients, all operational processes and the overall production environment to ensure that all activity comply with food safety manufacturing standards
• Monitor and review labour deployment to ensure that the availability and alignment fits with the production requirements of the department
• Effectively communicate with the operations team report progress against plan, highlighting any risks to the achievement of volumes and standards
• Monitors the effectiveness of machinery and equipment, through Optimum Equipment Efficiency (OEE), to ensure performance consistency and reliability
• Promote a Health, Safety and Environment culture within the department, complying to procedures, accident investigation, corrective actions and completing near miss reporting, promoting a safe working environment
• Review operational trends within department / zone. Identify and act on opportunities to that can make sustainable improvements in all areas including quality, performance and profit and the ultimately delivery of the operational plan
• Monitor and review team capability, ensuring all colleagues are clearly focused on their key objectives and are developed to maximise their potential
• Actively contribute to both customer and technical process development reviews to promote improvement to quality and consistency of production

What we’re looking for

We’re proud to be recognised in the Gender Equity Measure Top 100 for our commitment to gender equality.

• Experience of managing diverse teams in a complex manufacturing environment
• Holds an advanced Food Hygiene accreditation
• If this sounds like you, join us and grow with Greencore, and be a part of driving our future success.
• Has a HACCP level 2 qualification and IOSH level 2 qualification

What you’ll get in return

• Competitive salary and job-related benefits
• Holidays
• Competitive matched pension contributions
• Life insurance up to 4x salary
• Company share save scheme
• Greencore Qualifications
• Exclusive Greencore employee discount platform
• Access to a full Wellbeing Centre platform
• Enhanced parental leave and menopause policies

Throughout your time at Greencore, you will be supported with on the job training and development opportunities to further your career.