Shift Manager
The North British Distillery Company Ltd.
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
The North British Distillery Company Ltd. is seeking an experienced Shift Manager for the Distillery/Co-Products Plant in Edinburgh.
You will provide visible leadership for safety, compliance, and efficient operations, translating site strategy into daily execution and developing team capability. You will lead a high-performing shift, manage attendance and contractor interactions, and drive improvements in process centrelining, performance and HSE compliance.
Qualifications
- Formal Management Qualification or equivalent experience in a manufacturing/FMCG setting.
- High standard of document production and report writing.
- Basic user of computerised maintenance management systems (CMMS).
- Demonstrable history of delivering measurable improvements through leadership.
Responsibilities
- Lead the Distillery/Co-Products Plant shift with safety, compliance and operational control.
- Translate site strategy into daily execution; set clear standards and guide the team.
- Maintain shift handovers, records and timely risk escalation.
- Coordinate with maintenance and engineering for planned work and reliability improvements.
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives (5S, RCA).
- Manage attendance, shift coverage and contractor interactions effectively.
Skills
Tools
Job description
Provide visible, accountable leadership for the Distillery / Co-Products Plant shift, ensuring that people, plant and processes are managed safely, compliantly and efficiently. The Distillery / Co-Products Plant Shift Manager translates the site strategy into consistent daily execution by setting clear standards, developing team capability and making timely, solution-focused decisions within agreed boundaries.
Provide visible, accountable leadership for the Distillery / Co-Products Plant shift, ensuring that people, plant and processes are managed safely, compliantly and efficiently. The Distillery / Co-Products Plant Shift Manager translates the site strategy into consistent daily execution by setting clear standards, developing team capability and making timely, solution-focused decisions within agreed boundaries.
An experienced and engaging direct line manager with proven success in leading operational teams within a brewing, distilling, FEMAS, FMCG, COMAH site or Oil and Gas environment. Able to work flexibly and with energy to motivate reports, whilst also collaborating efficiently with peers as part of the day-to-day management team.
- Formal Management Qualification and/or several years experience of management in a manufacturing or FMCG environment
- Intermediate PC Skills - high standard of document production and report writing
- Basic user of computerised maintenance management systems
- Demonstrable experience in working with others to deliver tangible and measurable improvements.
- NEBOSH / IOSH Managing Safely - or the ability and willingness to work towards this
- Trained, competent and experienced in Permit to Work systems, risk assessments and method statements
- Solid knowledge of HSE legislation
- Demonstrable experience in leading, developing, managing and motivating teams, as well as direct reports
- Good interpersonal skills with the ability to work closely with direct reports and external contractors to ensure that all work is properly planned and coordinated
- Confident, with the ability to gain trust and respect
- Flexible and able to respond quickly to business needs
- Ensure that all Distillery/Co Products activities on site are carried out in accordance with the relevant work instruction, adhering to the necessary Company health, safety and environmental requirements and complying with all regulatory current legislation to maintain a safe working environment for all employees.
- Lead the shift in accordance with site safety, environmental, quality requirements.
- Maintain visible leadership in operational areas ensuring that incidents, near misses and abnormal conditions are managed, reported and investigated appropriately.
- Maintaining an awareness of the regulatory and Company standards that apply to the role such as HMRC, COMAH and H&S, FEMAS (food & feed safety), ISO9001. COMAH specific - Understand and act as act as a member of the Emergency response team as required (trained to Incident Controller) in the event of an evacuation or major incident in the event of an occurrence, and regularly participate in COMAH improvement activity. Longer term be an active member of the Site Emergency Response rota
- Ensure compliance with the site Control of Work system, undertaking Permit to Work (PTW) issuance and area approval in accordance with site procedures and risk assessment.
- Ensure disciplined shift handovers, accurate records and timely escalation of risk, production constraints and unresolved issues.
- Translate the production plan into a safe and achievable shift plan, balancing labour, plant availability, maintenance requirements, raw materials, storage capacity and downstream constraints.
- Manage the production plan, identifying and coordinating suitable maintenance windows with Engineering colleagues to enable completion of planned maintenance activities.
- Manage raw material stocks by monitoring stock levels and liaising with suppliers.
- Own process centrelining and standardisation across the shift, ensuring defined operating settings are consistently followed, driving corrective actions to resolve deviations and escalating where necessary
- Standardise team meetings and daily reviews using agreed agendas, measures and action tracking
- Attend and support operational review meetings, providing accurate information, escalating issues and communicating decisions back to the team.
- Manage individual and team performance fairly and consistently, including objectives, reviews, recognition, conduct, capability and formal processes where required.
- Coach team members routinely through observation, feedback, questioning and practical support, with clear expectations and follow-up.
- Manage attendance proactively and consistently in line with company procedure, including return-to-work discussions, accurate records, early support and timely escalation.
- Plan and organise shift cover for absence, holidays, training and vacancies. Use forward planning to minimise reactive overtime and communicate cover arrangements clearly.
- Lead or coach team improvement projects
- Support and facilitate continuous improvement initiatives including 5S, user-driven maintenance, RCA.
- Build constructive working relationships with internal customers and suppliers including Maintenance, Engineering, Planning, Quality, Logistics, HR, CI and other Supporting teams.
- Manage external customer, contractor and supplier interactions professionally, setting clear expectations and escalating service, quality or compliance concerns appropriately.
- Take timely decisions within delegated authority using the best available operational information, risk controls and team expertise.
- Demonstrate initiative and a solution-driven approach: define the problem, identify safe options, act, communicate and review the outcome
- Undertake any training or qualifications that are required to fulfil your role competently and/or to meet changing legislative and safety requirements.
- Lead and support continuous improvement activities to deliver productivity and cost efficiencies and improve operational performance.
- Any other duties that may reasonably be required in line with your contractual role.
Founded in 1885, The North British Distillery Company Ltd (North British) is one of Scotland’s oldest and largest Scotch Whisky producers. We originally operated under the structure of a co-operative until 1993 and are now owned as a joint venture between Diageo plc and The Edrington Group.
We are a distillation and maturation business selling grain spirit which is used as the base for blended Scotch Whisky by many well-known brands. The Distillery is based in Gorgie (Edinburgh) and this site is responsible for the production of new-make spirit, producing a by-product of animal feed, and energy via an Anaerobic Digestion plant. Our main Warehousing site is based in Muirhall (Addiewell, West Lothian), with 15 maturation warehouses and responsibility for bonding, storage and disgorging.
Along with a competitive salary, North British offers the following benefits to our employees:
- Generous holiday allowance
- Generous pension contribution (employer contribution up to 15% based on employee contribution of 10%).
- Access to our Profit Share Scheme, Business Scorecard Bonus Scheme and individual performance awards (subject to eligibility)
- Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave package
- Life Assurance cover
- Ongoing professional and personal development
- A range of health and wellbeing benefits including physiotherapy sessions and Cycle to Work scheme
- Support for you and your family, when you need it through counselling and life management including guidance on financial, mental and physical wellbeing
- Charity fundraising double matched donations
- Electric vehicle scheme
- Discounted AA membership rate
- Long service awards
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