Production Shift Manager in Essex

Working Hours: Monday to Friday, 10:00am – 6:30pm (Some flexibility may be required to support production needs)

Holidays: 33 days (Bank Holidays included and Christmas off)

Reports To: Production Manager

Job Purpose

The Production Shift Manager is responsible for leading, supervising, and developing a 15-person production team within a food manufacturing environment. The role is highly hands-on and shop-floor based (70:30), ensuring that daily production targets are met safely, efficiently, and to the highest food safety and quality standards. The Business is currently a manual production line and they are interested in moving towards a more automated production line. The production Manager is very keen to take on this project in the near future and would be looking for someone to assist him overseeing this project.

Key Responsibilities

• Production & Operations

• Oversee day-to-day production activities during the shift to ensure output targets are met
• Ensure products are manufactured in line with company specifications, recipes, and quality standards
• Monitor workflow, labour allocation, and productivity across manual processes and new production lines
• Support the implementation and optimisation of production lines and improved processes
• Identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and opportunities for continuous improvement
• Provide visible, hands-on leadership on the shop floor throughout the shift
• Supervise, motivate, and manage a team of approximately 15 production operatives
• Allocate tasks and ensure appropriate staffing levels across production areas
• Carry out daily briefings, on-the-job coaching, and performance feedback
• Address performance, conduct, and attendance issues in line with company procedures
• Support recruitment, onboarding, and training of new team members

• Ensure full compliance with food safety, hygiene, and allergen controls
• Maintain standards in line with ERC, SALSA, HACCP, and internal food safety procedures
• Ensure correct documentation is completed accurately and on time
• Carry out regular quality and hygiene checks during the shift
• Act immediately on any food safety, quality, or hygiene issues

• Promote a strong health and safety culture on the shop floor
• Ensure safe working practices are followed at all times
• Conduct risk assessments, toolbox talks, and incident reporting as required
• Ensure equipment and production areas are used safely and correctly

• Communicate effectively with the Production Manager and wider operations team
• Provide clear handovers and shift updates
• Report on production performance, staffing, issues, and improvement ideas
• Work collaboratively with other departments including logistics, quality, and planning

Skills & Experience

• Previous experience in a production supervisory or shift management role, ideally within food manufacturing or FMCG
• Strong people management and team leadership skills
• Hands-on approach with the ability to lead from the shop floor
• Good understanding of food safety, hygiene, and quality standards
• Ability to manage performance, attendance, and day-to-day operational issues
• Strong organisational and communication skills
• Experience supporting the introduction of production lines or process improvements
• Knowledge of SALSA, HACCP, or similar food safety standards
• Experience working with manual food production transitioning to semi-automation
• Basic production planning or KPI reporting experience

Personal Attributes

• Confident, calm, and approachable leadership style
• Proactive problem-solver with a continuous improvement mindset
• Able to motivate teams in a fast-paced environment
• Detail-focused with high standards for quality and safety
• Reliable, consistent, and able to lead by example