Shift Manager

DS Smith; Launceston; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading packaging company in Launceston seeks a Shift Manager to oversee production and quality during shifts. This hands-on leadership role includes managing teams, ensuring safety standards, and driving continuous improvement. The ideal candidate will have experience in manufacturing, strong leadership skills, and the ability to adapt to change. Benefits include 25 days of holiday, a pension scheme, and various employee assistance programs.

Benefits

25 days’ holiday plus bank holidays

Pension scheme

Life assurance

Income protection

Employee assistance program

Cycle to work scheme

Electric car lease scheme

Shopping discounts

Subsidised staff canteen

On-site parking

Qualifications

• Proven experience managing teams in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong leadership and people management skills.
• Excellent communication and problem-solving abilities.
• Knowledge of health & safety, quality, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Lead by example to uphold health & safety standards.
• Manage production plans to maximize efficiency.
• Monitor progress and adjust plans as needed.
• Collaborate with Internal Sales to align production.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives and contribute to KPIs.
• Create and deliver development plans for your team.

Job description

About the Role

Are you ready to lead in a fast-paced manufacturing environment and make a real impact? As a Shift Manager at DS Smith, you’ll take full responsibility for production and quality during your shift, ensuring safety, efficiency, and performance are always top priorities. This is a hands‑on leadership role where you’ll be a visible presence on the shop floor, supporting and engaging your team to deliver outstanding results.

You’ll inspire and develop a diverse team of operators, driving clear communication, effective coordination, and accountability across the shift. You’ll play a key role in continuous improvement, maintaining compliance with DS Smith standards and customer requirements, and fostering an inclusive, high‑performance culture.

Key Responsibilities: (included but not limited)

• Leading by example to create a safe working environment and uphold health & safety standards.
• Managing production plans for corrugator and conversion areas using CDM systems to maximize efficiency and meet deadlines.
• Monitoring progress, adjusting plans as needed.
• Collaborating with Internal Sales and attending daily planning and operations meetings to align production with customer needs.
• Supporting continuous improvement initiatives and contributing to KPIs.
• Creating and delivering on development plans for your team.

About You

We’re looking for a proactive, resilient leader with proven experience managing teams in a manufacturing environment — packaging, print, or FMCG experience is a plus. You’ll be a visible, hands‑on leader who builds trust, drives engagement, and holds people accountable. Strong communication, coaching, and problem‑solving skills are essential, along with a solid understanding of health & safety, quality standards, and continuous improvement practices. You’ll be confident making decisions under pressure, adaptable to change, and able to use data to inform strategies and optimise performance.

Minimum Requirements:

• Experience leading teams in manufacturing (packaging, print, or FMCG advantageous).
• Strong leadership and people management skills.
• Excellent communication and problem‑solving abilities.
• Knowledge of health & safety, quality, and continuous improvement.
• Able to work to the required shift pattern.
• Ability to adapt to business needs.

Benefits

Additional benefits include:

• 25 days’ holiday plus bank holidays
• Pension scheme
• Life assurance
• Income protection
• Employee assistance program
• Cycle to work scheme
• Electric car lease scheme
• Shopping discounts
• Subsidised staff canteen
• On‑site parking

Location

Launceston

Working Pattern:

• Week 1: Monday – Thursday – 06:00 – 14:00 / Friday – 06:00 - 11:00
• Week 2: Monday – Thursday – 14:00 – 22:00 / Friday 11:00 – 16:00

About us

We’re DS Smith, the company who are redefining packaging for a changing world. We believe a better, more sustainable tomorrow is possible with the right people, who challenge and support one another to enact positive change. Today, we operate in more than 30 different countries, supporting customers across sectors like FMCG, industrial, and e‑commerce. We deliver on quality, service, innovation, and added value to deliver market‑leading sustainable packaging solutions our customers need. Our industry needs to transform, and we’re building the team to drive change across Europe and North America.

To fulfil our purpose of redefining packaging for a changing world, we aim to build a diverse, motivated, and engaged workforce. Our goal is to create a culture of inclusion where everyone is treated fairly, differences are valued, and everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed.

Our people come from diverse backgrounds, bring different perspectives, ideas and experiences to generate unique solutions focused on present and future sustainability challenges. We welcome all candidates to apply, even those not meeting all criteria.

~LI‑CE