Shift Leader

South57 Recruitment; Dunstable; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

South57 Recruitment seeks a Support Shift Leader for a food production site in Dunstable. The role involves leading a production team, ensuring quality and safety, and driving continuous improvement across shifts, including days/nights and occasional weekends.

You will coach staff, manage KPIs, and coordinate with engineering to optimise performance. The ideal candidate has food manufacturing qualifications, HACCP/IOSH training, and experience with SAP/OFS/ProLeiT.

Qualifications

• Experience in a high-speed food production environment with strong initiative.
• Understanding of quality systems and HACCP principles.
• Ability to manage performance and conduct training.
• Proficiency with MS Office and data reporting.
• Familiarity with SAP, OFS and ProLeiT systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead production teams to meet quality targets and adjust processes as needed.
• Conduct regular safety audits and support HSE monthly meetings.
• Coach staff, conduct appraisals, and implement training plans.
• Manage shift planning, downtime, and waste reduction actions.
• Coordinate with engineering for changeovers and root-cause investigations.

Skills

Ability to work under own initiative

Continuous improvement techniques

Performance management

Training

Microsoft Office

Education

Relevant food manufacturing qualification

Food safety training – level 4

HACCP training – level 3

IOSH Health & Safety training

Tools

SAP

OFS

ProLeiT

Job description

Job Description:

We are recruiting for a Support Shift Leader for our food production client based in Dunstable.

The working hours will be Monday-Friday 09:00-17:30 HOWEVER as a shift support you will need to be flexible to cover team absence as and when required which will involve working 12 hour shifts, days/nights and possibly weekends.

The role includes but is not limited to;

• Ensure that all health & safety requirements are met by everyone within the team and working within the Production areas
• Support the site Health and Safety monthly meetings by playing an active role in any actions and projects
• Proactively manage any workplace accidents ensuring full investigations are undertaken within 1 hour of the incident taking place
• Possess a high understanding of the quality systems and ensure that they adhered through regular audits and checks
• Manage Production to meet targets for Quality & Customer Complaints and actively implement corrective actions to reduce issues.
• Approve any process changes or machinery set points if required
• Any changes made of recipe outside of the permitted parameters e.g. increasing water in the mix, changing packaging, ingredient content and levels must be approved by a Quality Manager
• Report and explain production results using standard systems and data
• Effectively conduct meetings to discuss production plans and any other relevant information, based on data and KPI’s
• Manage daily cleaning and weekly shutdown deep clean, ensuring sanitation schedule is followed and all areas check and signed off.
• Act as a coach and mentor to all staff, promoting good teamwork and conducting appraisals, as required.
• Complete Shift report correctly at the end of each shift, detailing all events including all details of any downtime and waste that is not meeting our targets
• Ensure to coordinate staff according to production plans and requirements.
• Problem identification and rectification/escalation. Use root cause analysis to find corrective actions and to solve problems
• Ensure daily meetings are effective and focused on root cause analysis.
• Actively manage production and the team to deliver manufacturing standards against customer audit standards, group standards & conformance to BRC Grade AA
• Ensure total production compliance with all company policies and procedures, ensuring correct training are given, to include constructive staff briefings.
• Effective management of team to include PDP’s
• Set out detailed training plans for the team to ensure full skills coverage and succession planning.
• Proactive management of sickness absence and all performance and disciplinary issues
• Responsible to manage SAP system and ensure daily correct Process Orders confirmation completion carried out to enable traceability of each production run.
• Have effective handovers between Shift Leaders, Engineer and Area leaders to reduce downtime, waste and improve efficiency during each shift
• Raise any unresolved engineering issues on works order system

Essential Experience, Skills & Qualifications

• Relevant food manufacturing qualification
• Ability to work under own initiative in a high speed environment
• Continuous improvement techniques
• Use of Microsoft Office packages
• Performance management
• Technical processing plant/machine knowledge
• Training
• SAP, OFS & ProLeiT
• Food safety training – level 4
• Health & Safety training (IOSH)
• HACCP training – level 3