Shift Manufacturing Leader: Lean, Safety & Improvement

Total Marketing Support Limited; Ely; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days’ holiday plus bank holidays

Pension scheme

Life assurance

Income protection

Employee assistance program

Cycle to work scheme

Shopping discounts

Subsidised staff canteen

On site parking

Job summary

DS Smith in Ely, UK is seeking a Shift Manufacturing Manager to lead production, quality, safety and people performance on a rotating shift. You will coach teams on lean improvements, drive problem-solving, and collaborate with planning, engineering and operations to meet customer requirements while delivering site KPIs.

You will promote safety, quality, and cost efficiency while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and empowerment for colleagues across the shift.

Qualifications

• Experience leading manufacturing teams in fast-paced environments.
• Proven track record delivering continuous improvement initiatives.
• Knowledge of Lean, problem-solving techniques and performance management.
• Excellent leadership, communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong analytical and decision-making abilities under pressure.
• Commitment to inclusive, high-performance cultures.
• Sound understanding of health and safety and quality management systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead a safe working environment, maintain health and safety standards, and pursue safety improvements.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement, reduce waste, and implement sustainable process enhancements.
• Ensure production plan attainment across digital printing, cutting, and die preparation operations.
• Monitor shift performance using data and visual management to identify trends and improvement opportunities.
• Lead structured problem-solving and corrective actions to improve productivity and quality.
• Analyse material consumption and waste variances; implement robust improvement plans to control costs.
• Coach teams in continuous improvement methodologies and build capability across operations.
• Collaborate with Production control, Planning, Engineering and Operations to align plans with customer needs.
• Facilitate shift handovers and reviews; communicate priorities, actions and improvements clearly.
• Support site KPIs with data-driven decisions and a relentless focus on excellence.
• Champion quality standards and right-first-time performance.

Skills

Lean manufacturing

Root cause analysis

Kaizen

Leadership

Communication

Problem solving

HSE awareness

Job description

DS Smith in Ely, UK is seeking a Shift Manufacturing Manager to lead production, quality, safety and people performance on a rotating shift. You will coach teams on lean improvements, drive problem-solving, and collaborate with planning, engineering and operations to meet customer requirements while delivering site KPIs.

You will promote safety, quality, and cost efficiency while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and empowerment for colleagues across the shift.