Production Manager - Packhouse

Dyson Farming Limited; Carrington (ND); On-site; USD 53,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme with 6% employer conrib

Life assurance

24 days annual leave

Job summary

Dyson Farming is seeking a Packhouse Manager to take full operational ownership of our strawberry packhouse. You will lead pack lines, manage cost against budget, and drive automation from manual to measured processes.

You will manage a team of supervisors and a seasonal packing workforce, balancing people leadership with data-driven performance and ensuring product quality from intake to dispatch in line with customer specifications.

Qualifications

• Proven production or packhouse management experience in fresh produce or food environments.
• Ability to build and manage labour budgets and explain cost per kg movements.
• Comfort with automation and line technology and holding suppliers to performance standards.
• Strong leadership to develop supervisors into autonomous shift managers.
• Understanding of food safety and customer audit requirements.

Responsibilities

• Own the packhouse labour plan, team management and cost against budget.
• Deliver dispatch to budgeted overtime limits and coordinate planning with harvesting and commercial teams.
• Manage throughput, weight giveaway and equipment performance.
• Develop systems and lead the automation programme.
• Own product quality and integrity from intake through to dispatch.
• Deliver customer specifications, punnet formats and lead times with the technical team.
• Responsible for packaging, intake quality, stock control, resilience planning and supplier performance.
• Manage line uptime, changeover time and planned maintenance with the site Maintenance Manager.
• Own dispatch and transport planning and maintain relationships with hauliers.
• Hold line leaders to a line-level scorecard and develop supervisors into autonomous roles.
• Own packhouse health, safety and hygiene and safe systems of work.
• Ensure accurate packhouse data feeding all site systems and real-time shift performance reporting.

Skills

Packhouse management

Budgeting

Automation

People leadership

Health and safety

Job description

Dyson Farming is a family-owned business, with a vision to benefit future generations through a commitment to commercially viable and environmentally sustainable food production at scale. We strive to be industry leaders in efficient, carbon-neutral, high-technology agriculture, employing highly skilled, pioneering people and supported by research and development in an ever-closer partnership with our sister company, Dyson. We see the future of agriculture as an exciting opportunity to improve the nation’s food security, health, and economic growth.

Dyson Farming is committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone is treated fairly and with respect. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation.

Company Overview

Dyson Farming is a family-owned business, with a vision to benefit future generations through a commitment to commercially viable and environmentally sustainable food production at scale. We strive to be industry leaders in efficient, carbon-neutral, high-technology agriculture, employing highly skilled, pioneering people and supported by research and development in an ever-closer partnership with our sister company, Dyson. We see the future of agriculture as an exciting opportunity to improve the nation’s food security, health, and economic growth.

The latest addition to Dyson Farming’s circular farming system is its glasshouse in Carrington, Lincolnshire. It supports the advancement of high-tech, sustainable farming in the UK, avoiding unnecessary food miles that come from imported strawberries at this time of year. The site is expanding significantly, adding a further glasshouse and polytunnel production alongside the existing facility.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a Packhouse Manager to take full operational ownership of our strawberry packhouse. Responsible for running the pack lines, controlling the cost base, deliver customer specification in full and on time, and lead the automation of a process that is currently highly manual.

You will lead a team of supervisors pack line leaders, and through them a seasonal packing workforce that scales through a variable peak season. It suits someone who is comfortable with both people and numbers, and who wants to the opportunity to take a manual operation into a modern, measured one.

The Job

– Own the packhouse labour plan, team management and cost against budget

– Deliver dispatch to budgeted overtime limits, manage planning, shift control and workload with harvesting and commercial teams

– Manage throughput, weight giveaway and equipment performance

– Develop systems and lead the automation programme

– Own product quality and integrity from intake through to dispatch

– Deliver customer specification, punnet format and lead times in full, working closely with the technical team on standards, audits and complaints

– Responsible for product packaging, specification and intake quality, ordering, stock control, resilience planning and supplier performance

– Manage line uptime, changeover time and planned maintenance in with the site Maintenance Manager

– Own dispatch and transport, including haulage planning and loading, maintain communications and relationship with hauliers.

– Hold each pack line leader to a line-level scorecard, reviewed weekly

– Develop supervisors into autonomous shift managers, with named cover for every critical position on every shift

– Own packhouse health, safety and hygiene — machinery guarding, manual handling and safe systems of work

– Own the accuracy of packhouse data feeding all site systems, and use it to manage the shift performance real time as well as reporting

– Responsible for management of direct reports workload and overtime to budget

– Any other duties as required by your line manager within your capabilities

Personal

– Demonstrate a proactive attitude and commitment to health and safety

– Proven production or packhouse management experience, ideally in fresh produce or another food environment

– Able to build and manage a labour budget and explain a cost per kg movement

– Confident with automation and line technology, and able to hold a supplier to account on performance

– Strong people leader, able to upskill and develop supervisors and line leaders into autonomous roles

– Understanding of food safety, BRCGS and customer audit requirements

– Confident working with software interfaces, dashboards and performance data

– Professional manner and effective communication skills

– Willing to take responsibility and ownership for tasks

– Comfortable with early starts, shift work and extended hours through peak periods

– English fluency; a second language spoken by the workforce is an advantage

Financial

• Discretionary performance-related bonus
• Pension scheme with 6% employer contribution
• Life assurance

Equipment & working conditions

• PPE and workwear provided
• On-site welfare facilities, including rest areas and changing rooms
• 24 days annual leave each year (plus bank holidays)

Team & culture

• Annual summer and winter all-staff events
• Opportunities for learning and development

Practical extras

• Discounts on Dyson Farming products
• Dyson product discounts
• Retail discounts
• Free on-site parking
• Cycle2work scheme

Health and wellbeing

• Enhanced family leave
• Employee assistance programme
• Free flu jab
• Mental health ambassadors across all locations
• Free eye tests and glasses discounts
• Discounted gym membership