Production Manager - Fermoy

Glennon Brothers; Fermoy; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Glennon Brothers is seeking a Production Manager in Fermoy to lead safe, efficient production across the mill and plan operations to meet customer demand. You will coach supervisors, run structured reviews, and drive continuous improvement while maintaining quality and cost controls.

The role emphasizes strong leadership, cross-functional collaboration with Planning, Forestry, Sales and HR, and ensuring compliance with safety standards in a high-volume environment.

Qualifications

• Qualification in Engineering, Operations, Manufacturing or related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in a supervisory or management role within a manufacturing or industrial environment.
• Experience in timber processing, sawmilling or similar high-volume production is advantageous.
• Strong understanding of production planning, schedule adherence, throughput, OEE, downtime management and cost control.
• Proven experience leading teams and managing performance through KPIs and structured routines.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day production operations across sawmill and planer areas to ensure safe and effective execution of the production plan.
• Manage, coach and support Production Supervisors and operational teams, setting clear expectations and maintaining accountability.
• Establish and lead structured production meetings to review performance, resolve issues and track actions.
• Monitor and drive performance against KPIs including safety, output, schedule compliance, OEE, downtime, quality and cost.
• Ensure adherence to operating standards, quality requirements, housekeeping expectations and safe systems of work.
• Drive accurate downtime reporting and support cross-functional root cause analysis and corrective actions – Collaborate closely with Planning, Forestry and Sales to align production execution with customer demand and raw material supply.
• Work with H&S to support safety initiatives, audits, incident management and corrective actions.
• Manage workforce planning including rostering, skill coverage, training coordination and absence management in partnership with HR.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on productivity, quality, cost optimisation and process discipline.

Skills

Leadership & People Development

Operational Excellence

Decision Making

Communication & Collaboration

Change Leadership

Results Focus

Education

Engineering/Operations/Manufacturing related discipline

Job description

Reporting to the Plant Manager, the Production Manager is responsible for the safe, efficient and disciplined execution of production operations across the Fermoy site. The role leads daily, weekly and monthly production delivery across log intake, primary processing, secondary processing and handover to dispatch, ensuring alignment with the site operating plan and wider Group objectives. The Production Manager plays a critical role in driving operational performance through structured management routines, strong leadership of supervisors and teams, and a culture focused on safety, quality, accountability and continuous improvement.

Knowledge & Experience

• Qualification in Engineering, Operations, Manufacturing or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in a supervisory or management role within a manufacturing or industrial environment
• Experience in timber processing, sawmilling or a similar high-volume production environment is advantageous
• Strong understanding of production planning, schedule adherence, throughput, OEE, downtime management and cost control
• Proven experience leading teams and managing performance through KPIs and structured routines – Experience working cross-functionally within a multi-disciplinary operational environment

Key Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day production operations across sawmill and planer areas to ensure safe and effective execution of the production plan
• Manage, coach and support Production Supervisors and operational teams, setting clear expectations and maintaining accountability
• Establish and lead structured production meetings to review performance, resolve issues and track actions
• Monitor and drive performance against KPIs including safety, output, schedule compliance, OEE, downtime, quality and cost
• Ensure adherence to operating standards, quality requirements, housekeeping expectations and safe systems of work
• Drive accurate downtime reporting and support cross‑functional root cause analysis and corrective actions – Collaborate closely with Planning, Forestry and Sales to align production execution with customer demand and raw material supply
• Work with H&S to support safety initiatives, audits, incident management and corrective actions
• Manage workforce planning including rostering, skill coverage, training coordination and absence management in partnership with HR
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on productivity, quality, cost optimisation and process discipline

Essential Competencies

• Leadership & People Development
  Builds capable, accountable teams through visible leadership, coaching and clear communication. Supports development and performance of supervisors and operational staff.
• Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement
  Applies structured approaches to improve safety, quality, throughput and cost performance. Drives discipline and consistency in execution.
• Decision Making & Accountability
  Uses data and operational insight to make timely decisions and take ownership of outcomes and performance.
• Communication & Collaboration
  Communicates clearly across teams and functions. Builds effective relationships to support aligned execution.
• Change Leadership
  Leads teams through operational and organisational change while maintaining performance and engagement.
• Results Focus
  Maintains high standards and delivers consistent performance against operational targets and KPIs.

Key Performance Measures

• Safety Performance: Incident rates, audit outcomes, compliance with safety standards
• Operational Performance: Output vs plan, schedule adherence, OEE, downtime reduction
• Quality Performance: Rejects, rework, downgrade levels, adherence to product specifications
• Cost Performance: Labour efficiency, consumables, cost per unit and budget adherence
• People & Capability: Team performance, skill coverage, training progression and engagement

Key Relationships

• Plant Manager – operational performance, escalation and alignment
• Production Supervisors – daily performance and people leadership
• Maintenance & Technical Teams – downtime, reliability and process improvement
• Planning, Forestry & Sales – production alignment and demand planning
• Health & Safety – compliance, audits and culture development
• HR – workforce planning, training and development
• Finance – cost control and performance monitoring
• Group Operations – best practice sharing and continuous improvement

Contract

Contract Type Permanent
Headcount 6 Direct Report and Team
Dependent on Requirements
Budget Authority within agreed budgets and capital approval thresholds
Hours Full time
Working Week Monday to Friday