Bakery Production Lead & Continuous Improvement in Hamilton

Location: Lightbody’s of Hamilton, Hamilton

Shift: Various Shift Patterns

Salary: Competitive + Benefits

We have an exciting opportunity for an Advanced Team Lead to join our team at Lightbody’s of Hamilton, supporting the delivery of safe, high-quality, and efficient production across site. 135 years of craft baking skills lie behind the quality of the special branded cakes, sweet snacks and slices we produce in Hamilton and 55 million products are produced each year. Lightbody’s is the UK’s largest supplier of celebration cakes to UK retailers, with Disney, Mars, Universal and Thorntons all within the portfolio of branded cakes made under licence. We also make a variety of supermarkets’ well-loved own-label cakes and in-store bakery bites.

This is a key frontline leadership role where you will support the Manufacturing Shift Leads in driving team performance, developing capability, and ensuring KPIs are achieved across Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, and People. You will lead from the front, building a strong, engaged team culture that strives for manufacturing excellence.

This is an exciting time to join the business due to continued growth, new customers, and ongoing investment in automation and operational improvement. The environment is fast-paced, evolving, and offers genuine opportunity to make an impact.

This is what you’ll actually do!

• You will take ownership of process adherence on shift, leading and supporting your team to deliver high-quality products safely, efficiently, and consistently.
• You will lead by example, ensuring standards are maintained and behaviours always reflect company values and culture.
• A key focus of your role will be driving performance against KPIs, including waste reduction, throughput, yield, and quality.
• You will motivate and engage your team to meet and exceed targets while ensuring strong operational discipline across all activities.
• You will actively support continuous improvement initiatives to reduce process variation, embed best practice, and improve Health, Safety, and Environmental performance, using tools such as A3 methodology and action teams to support structured improvement activity.
• You will use Leader Standard Work to ensure daily and weekly routines are consistently followed and contribute to Short Interval Control meetings to help drive hourly and daily performance improvements.
• You will play a key role in maintaining compliance with GMP, Food Safety, Health & Safety, and site standards, championing a ‘Clean as You Go’ and safety-first culture across the bakery.
• You will ensure hazards and near misses are raised appropriately and support accident investigations where required.
• Working closely with the People Manufacturing Shift Lead, you will review workforce planning requirements in line with labour budgets, ensuring optimum staffing levels while considering seasonal demand.
• You will also support production planning and effective changeovers to meet operational requirements.
• You will oversee time and attendance monitoring and, with support from the Shift Lead, address performance or attendance issues in line with company processes.
• You will also monitor training for new starters, ensuring all development requirements are completed within required timeframes and supporting ongoing skills development and succession planning through the team skills matrix.
• Clear and proactive communication will be essential, using shift handovers, briefings, notices, and digital platforms to keep teams informed and aligned.
• You will also escalate and support resolution of people issues where required.
• You will champion Health & Safety, Food Safety, and Quality standards across the site, while working flexibly to support changing production needs and ensure smooth and efficient operations.

This is a varied, hands-on role in a fast-paced manufacturing environment, offering a fantastic opportunity to learn, develop, and grow within a supportive team.

Ideally this is you!

• Experience in a fast-paced manufacturing or production environment
• Experience leading or supervising teams on the shop floor
• Strong ability to coach, motivate, and develop people
• Good understanding of Health & Safety, Food Safety, and GMP standards
• Experience working to KPIs such as waste, yield, throughput, and quality
• Strong communication skills across all levels
• Confident using structured problem-solving or continuous improvement tools (desirable)
• Strong organisational skills with attention to detail
• Comfortable working in a hands-on operational environment
• Proactive, adaptable, and resilient approach to change and pace

What’s in it for you?

• Enhanced Maternity & Paternity Leave to allow quality time with your new arrival!
• Enhanced Pension Scheme for our employees
• Death in Service Benefit
• Free Employee Assistance Programme (open to colleagues and their families)
• Retail discounts accessible via our Benefits Hub platform!
• Company shop available at sites (heavily discounted, yummy products!)
• Refer a Friend Scheme (up to £300 per referral – t&cs dependent)
• Employee Recognition Awards
• Extensive Learning & Development opportunities (including opportunities for sponsored professional memberships and our own in-house development course!)
• An opportunity to be part of a fantastic, growing organisation.

Our vision is to be the leading specialty bakery group in the UK and we want the best people in place to achieve this. Our continued success is built entirely on the talented people who work here, so employee development is important to us because everyone is a valued member of the team, and we want every individual to have the skills and capabilities to achieve both your own personal goals and our business goals. We want good people to join our company, to help our company continue to go from strength to strength.

If this sounds like you, please get in contact to learn more!