Reporting into – Head of Design and Production
Location – Berner Street, London although some travel to Leatherhead offices maybe required.
Company Overview
Dennys Brands is one of the UK’s leading hospitality clothing and chefswear specialists, supplying professional uniforms, footwear, knives and hospitality solutions across retail, e-commerce, contract, distributor and export channels. The business includes heritage and specialist brands including Dennys London, Le Chef, Joseph Alan, Comfort Grip, ADC and Soho Knives. With over 175 years of heritage, Dennys serves hospitality professionals worldwide through a combination of stock ranges, bespoke uniform solutions and in-house personalisation services.
Dennys operates across multiple channels including distributor partnerships, contract sales, a retail store, e-commerce and key account management, supplying products and services to restaurants, hotels, catering groups, healthcare providers, education and hospitality operators.
Role Purpose
The Production Manager is responsible for managing the day-to-day production process and factory relationships for Joseph Alan, with some additional oversight for Dennys, ensuring external factories in the UK and overseas deliver to agreed expectations for quality, speed, reliability and overall service.
Reporting into the Head of Design and Production, the role works closely with design, purchasing, sales, operations and customer-facing teams to turn approved designs, samples and product requirements into clear production instructions and well-managed supplier activity. The Production Manager is the main operational contact for factories, ensuring communication, follow-up, issue resolution and production progress are managed effectively.
The role requires strong garment production knowledge, factory communication skills, attention to detail, practical problem solving, organisation and the ability to manage competing priorities across sampling, production, quality checks and delivery timelines. Pricing and supplier cost negotiation remain the responsibility of the Purchasing department.
Key Responsibilities
Factory Relationship Management & Production Coordination
- Manage day-to-day communication and working relationships with external factories in the UK and involvement in the factories overseas.
- Coordinate production activity to support agreed quality standards, lead times, delivery expectations and service levels.
- Act as the main operational contact for factories, ensuring questions, updates, samples, approvals and production issues are followed up promptly.
- Track production progress, identify delays or risks and escalte matters to the Head of Design and Production where required.
- Support clear handovers between design, purchasing, factories and internal teams so production requirements are understood and achievable.
- Manage the BOM & KIT process internally ensuring accurate system pricing, records and timely production.
Sampling, Specifications & Production Readiness
- Coordinate sample requests, sample submissions, comments and approvals between factories, design and the Head of Design and Production.
- Manage and maintain our stocks of fabric and trims at the relevant factories.
- Check that factories have the correct specifications, measurements, fabrics, trims, labelling, artwork and production instructions before work proceeds.
- Where required ensure all the raw materials required by the factories are ordered in a timely manner
- Review samples and production submissions against agreed requirements, escalating fit, construction, fabric, trim or quality concerns where needed.
- Maintain accurate records of sample comments, approvals, production notes and factory communications.
- Help ensure approved designs are practical and ready for consistent production across relevant product categories and channels.
Quality, Speed & Factory Service
- Manage factory performance day to day, with a focus on product quality, production speed, communication, reliability and overall service.
- Monitor sample turnaround, production lead times, delivery schedules, factory responses and issue resolution.
- Identify and follow up recurring quality, fit, construction, fabric, trim, packing or delivery issues.
- Work with factories to agree corrective actions and follow through until issues are resolved.
- Provide clear updates to the Head of Design and Production on factory performance, risks and improvement areas.
Production Administration, Documentation & Process Control
- Maintain accurate production records, factory communication logs, sample approvals, quality notes and delivery updates.
- Ensure production documentation is clear, current and accessible to relevant internal teams.
- Support practical process improvements that reduce errors, delays, rework and avoidable factory queries.
- Follow agreed escalation routes for production, quality, delivery, capacity or service concerns.
- Help standardise production handovers, sample comments, approvals and factory follow-up to improve consistency.
Cross-Functional Working & Internal Communication
- Work closely with the Head of Design and Production, design, purchasing, sales, marketing, e-commerce, operations, customer service and personalisation teams.
- Provide production updates, factory feedback and practical information to support customer requirements, bespoke projects, range development and stock planning.
- Support clear communication between internal teams and factories so expectations, approvals and deadlines are understood.
- Escalate production risks, quality concerns, delivery issues or service problems early with clear options and supporting information.
- Work closely with Purchasing while recognising that pricing, supplier cost negotiation and commercial buying terms remain owned by the Purchasing department.
- Support the Head of Design and Production by managing production priorities, factory follow-up and supplier service standards.
- Help maintain clear expectations with factories around quality, communication lead times, production documentation and issue resolution.
- Handle customer, supplier, product and commercial information responsibly and confidentially.
- Contribute to a culture of accountability, organisation, practical problem solving and continuous improvement.
- Represent Dennys professionally in communications with factories, suppliers and internal stakeholders.
Skills, Experience & Technical Knowledge
- Proven experience in garment production, production coordination or supplier management within apparel, workwear, uniform, hospitality clothing or a related sector.
- Strong understanding of garment construction, fit, fabrics, trims, labelling, technical specifications, sampling and production processes.
- Experience working directly with external factories or suppliers in the UK and/or overseas.
- Good understanding of production lead times, sample approvals, factory communication, quality management and issue resolution.
- Strong organisation, communication, prioritisation, record keeping and follow-through skills.
- Commercial awareness with the ability to support production decisions while recognising that pricing and supplier cost negotiation sit with Purchasing.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Factory performance relating to quality, speed, communication, reliability and overall service
- Timeliness and accuracy of sample coordination, production approvals and factory follow-up
- Production lead time performance, issue resolution and delivery reliability
- Reduction in recurring product, fit, construction, fabric, trim, packing or production issues
- Quality and accuracy of production records, sample comments, specifications and communication logs
- Effectiveness of communication with factories, internal teams and the Head of Design and Production
- Contribution to product quality, customer satisfaction and reliable operational delivery
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