At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead daily production operations and drive performance across safety, quality, and efficiency.
- Company: Join a leading food manufacturing company in Bolton with a focus on innovation.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, career growth opportunities, and a dynamic work environment.
- Other info: Be part of a supportive team culture that values accountability and continuous improvement.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by improving production standards and team performance.
- Qualifications: Experience in production leadership and strong understanding of manufacturing processes required.
The predicted salary is between 35000 - 45000 £ per year.
Location: Bolton- Kearsley
Reports to: Factory Manager
Responsible for: Shift Managers and Production Teams
At this time only candidates with the right to work in the UK will be accepted.
Role Purpose
The Site Production Manager is responsible for leading the day‑to‑day production operation and delivering performance across safety, food safety, quality, service, labour efficiency, waste, output, cost, and people standards. The role requires a visible, hands‑on production leader who can create structure, consistency, pace, and accountability across all shifts. The successful candidate will be expected to manage daily production performance while also supporting improvement activity through lean manufacturing principles, daily management, root cause problem solving, standard work, training, and change management. This is not simply a shift coordination role. The purpose of the role is to improve production discipline, support customer service, reduce recurring issues, and build stronger capability across the production team.
Key Responsibilities
- Safety, Food Safety and Quality: Lead production in line with company health and safety, food safety, quality, legality, customer, hygiene, and compliance standards. Ensure safe systems of work, PPE, machine guarding, housekeeping, GMP, allergen controls, and hygiene standards are followed across all shifts. Work closely with Technical, Engineering, HR/H&S, and Site Leadership to close actions, reduce risk, and maintain audit readiness. Ensure non‑conforming product is identified, contained, escalated, investigated, and prevented from recurring.
- Production Performance: Own daily production performance across all shifts. Ensure the production plan is understood, resourced, and delivered as effectively as possible. Drive improvement across key KPIs including plan attainment, customer service, shortages, output, labour efficiency, waste, giveaway, downtime, OEE, and shift performance. Ensure missed plans, shortages, service risks, labour issues, and downtime losses are escalated early with clear recovery plans. Use data to identify trends, recurring problems, and improvement priorities. Lead daily production reviews and ensure shift handovers are factual, structured, and action focused.
- Shift Manager Leadership: Lead, coach, and hold accountable the Shift Management team. Set clear expectations for shift discipline, communication, standards, escalation, labour control, problem solving, and performance delivery. Create consistency across all shifts so that standards do not vary depending on who is on duty. Ensure absence, conduct, capability, holidays, performance reviews, and training plans are managed properly. Develop a culture of ownership, pace, teamwork, and accountability.
- Labour, Skills and Training: Own labour deployment against the production plan and agreed labour standards. Work with Shift Managers and the Training Coordinator to maintain a live skills matrix. Identify skills gaps and build training plans that improve flexibility, resilience, and performance. Ensure training is treated as an ongoing capability‑building process, not a one‑off compliance exercise. Challenge inefficient labour usage and drive better deployment across lines, shifts, and departments.
- Lean, Continuous Improvement and Change Management: Apply lean manufacturing principles to reduce waste, improve flow, stabilise processes, and simplify ways of working. Lead improvement activity across changeovers, downtime, waste, labour efficiency, line performance, handovers, and standard work. Use root cause problem solving to address repeat failures rather than accepting them as normal. Support daily management systems, visual controls, escalation routines, problem‑solving boards, and standard operating routines. Support operational change in a structured way so improvements are understood, implemented, followed, and sustained.
- Cross‑Functional Working: Work closely with Planning to understand customer priorities, production constraints, capacity, labour requirements, and service risks. Work with Engineering to prioritise downtime losses, reliability issues, asset care, and maintenance‑related improvement opportunities. Work with Technical to improve product quality, process control, and audit standards. Support NPD and trial activity while protecting normal production performance. Deputise for the Site Manager / Factory Manager where required.
Key Measures of Success
- Safety performance and action close‑out
- Food safety, GMP, audit and quality standards
- Production plan attainment
- Customer service and shortage reduction
- Labour efficiency
- Waste and giveaway reduction
- Downtime and OEE improvement
- Shift handover discipline
- Daily management discipline
- Skills matrix progress
- Shift Manager performance
- Root cause closure on repeat issues
- Delivery of agreed change and improvement activity
Skills and Experience Required
- Strong experience in production leadership within food manufacturing, FMCG, bakery, chilled, frozen, or another high‑volume manufacturing environment.
- Experience leading Shift Managers, Team Leaders, or production teams in a fast‑paced operation.
- Strong understanding of production planning, labour control, waste reduction, quality standards, service delivery, and KPI management.
- Able to use data to identify performance gaps and take practical action.
- Experience applying lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, daily management, standard work, or root cause problem‑solving methods.
- Experience supporting operational change, process improvement, or performance improvement activity.
- Confident leading from the factory floor while also contributing to site management discussions.
- Strong communicator with the ability to be firm, fair, visible, and consistent.
- Able to work under pressure while maintaining standards and discipline.
Minimum Requirements
- Level 3 Food Safety for Manufacturing or equivalent
- Level 3 HACCP for Manufacturing or equivalent
- IOSH Managing Safely or equivalent desirable
- Lean manufacturing / continuous improvement training desirable
- Change management training or practical change leadership experience desirable
- Strong numeracy, IT, and KPI management capability
- Experience using daily management systems or structured performance reviews
Candidate Profile
For this salary band, the candidate should already be a capable production leader, not someone stepping up for the first time without support. The right person will be visible, structured, resilient, data‑aware, and able to create consistency across shifts. They do not need to be a finished Operations Manager, but they must be capable of leading managers, improving standards, and moving production performance in the right direction.
Site Production Manager employer: David Wood Foods Ltd
As a Site Production Manager in Bolton-Kearsley, you will join a dynamic team that prioritises safety, quality, and continuous improvement within a fast-paced food manufacturing environment. Our company fosters a culture of accountability and teamwork, offering robust training and development opportunities to enhance your skills and career progression. With a commitment to lean manufacturing principles, we empower our employees to drive meaningful change and achieve operational excellence.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Site Production Manager
✨Join Local Manufacturing Groups
Getting involved in local manufacturing groups or associations can seriously boost your visibility. These groups often have insider info on job openings and networking events, plus they help you connect with like-minded folks in the industry. Check out what's happening in your area!
✨Show Off Your Skills in Practical Spaces
Consider participating in workshops or open days at manufacturing companies. It's a great way to show off your hands-on skills in a real-world environment and can sometimes lead to job offers right on the spot. Keep an eye on announcements from local manufacturers for these opportunities!
✨Leverage the Power of Internships
While you're looking for full-time positions, don't underestimate the power of internships! Even if you don't see a direct role, securing an internship at a company can open doors to future jobs. Many manufacturing firms prefer to hire from their intern pool, so it's definitely worth considering.
✨Apply Directly Through Company Websites
When you find a role at a company you love, like David Wood Foods Ltd, apply directly on their website. This way, you’re more likely to be noticed by the hiring team. Plus, showing that you took the time to seek out their application process highlights your genuine interest in the firm!
We think you need these skills to ace Site Production Manager
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Technical Skills:In the manufacturing-production sector, it's crucial to highlight your technical skills and experience. Make sure your CV features any relevant qualifications, such as certifications in machinery operation or production management, and don’t forget about any specific systems or software you’re familiar with. This can really set you apart!
Emphasise Teamwork and Communication:Working in manufacturing often means being part of a larger team. Highlight your experience in collaborative projects or environments where communication was key. Maybe you have experience with lean manufacturing principles? Talk about how you worked with your team to improve productivity and maintain quality.
Tailor Your Cover Letter to the Company:Don’t just recycle an old cover letter! Take the time to tailor your cover letter to David Wood Foods Ltd specifically. Mention what excites you about their production processes or products, and how your previous experiences can contribute to their goals. We want to see your enthusiasm for the role!
Use Concrete Examples of Your Achievements:When detailing your work experience, include measurable achievements that can demonstrate your impact. Whether it’s improving efficiency by a certain percentage or successfully leading a project, these specifics can make a huge difference. Numbers speak volumes in the manufacturing world!
How to prepare for a job interview at David Wood Foods Ltd
✨Know Your Manufacturing Processes
Before you walk into the interview with David Wood Foods Ltd, brush up on the specific manufacturing processes relevant to the role. Understanding lean manufacturing principles or quality control techniques could give you a solid edge to discuss how you’d fit into their operations.
✨Technical Questions Are Key
Be prepared for technical questions around machinery, production scheduling, or materials handling. Make sure you can confidently explain how you've dealt with these in past experiences or internships. Knowing industry-specific software could also be a big plus!
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Manufacturing environments often focus on continuous improvement. Be ready to discuss specific instances where you’ve solved a production issue or implemented a process improvement. It’s all about demonstrating your analytical thinking and hands-on approach.
✨Align Your Values with Quality and Safety
In a full-time role, companies like David Wood Foods Ltd value commitment to quality and safety. Be prepared to discuss how you prioritise these factors in your work. It’s about showing that you’re not just looking for a job, but that you genuinely care about contributing positively to their production environment.
