Front Line Manager, Operations (Day Shift) in Salisbury

We have an exciting opportunity to join our operations team at Nicholas & Harris as Front Line Manager. This is a fast-paced FMCG manufacturing environment where no two days are the same.

Nicholas & Harris is part of the Finsbury Food Group and has over 180 years of heritage in craft baking. We’re a leading speciality bakery manufacturer supplying high-quality products across the foodservice sector. As part of Finsbury, we are committed to raising standards, investing in our people, and driving a culture of continuous improvement across all areas of the site.

The Role

As a Front-Line Manager, reporting to the Manufacturing Shift Lead, you will provide visible, hands-on leadership to operational teams, ensuring the delivery of hourly and shift-based KPIs across safety, quality, service, cost and people performance. You will have full ownership of your designated production line or area, taking accountability for operational standards, output, and team effectiveness.

This is a highly operational, shop-floor-based role, where leading from the front is essential. You will be present throughout your shifts, responding quickly to issues, maintaining process discipline in a fast-paced environment, and setting clear expectations through consistent leadership and communication.

You will lead, motivate and develop large, diverse operator teams, creating an inclusive and high-performing culture while managing attendance, capability, conduct and engagement in line with company policies. This includes coaching individuals, addressing performance and behavioural issues, maintaining skills and training matrices, and identifying and developing future talent within your team.

Operationally, you will ensure conformance to production plans, deliver schedules to budgeted output rates, and control costs through effective management of labour, waste, yield and productivity. You will use Short Interval Control (SIC) and real-time data to identify variances, drive corrective actions, and support continuous improvement and OEE performance.

You will play a key role in maintaining excellent health & safety, food safety and quality standards, ensuring compliance with SOPs, HACCP, GMP, PPE and process controls, while actively participating in investigations, risk assessments and deviation management. Clear escalation of risk and close collaboration with Engineering, Technical, Planning and other support functions will be critical to success.

This role offers a strong entry point into leadership within food manufacturing, providing exposure to operational delivery, people management and continuous improvement, with clear progression opportunities into more senior leadership roles.

This is what you’ll actually do!

• Lead and manage direct operator teams to deliver hourly and shift KPIs, including safety, quality, output, waste, labour, and attendance
• Take full area ownership, ensuring conformance to daily and weekly production plans
• Put safety first, maintaining excellent housekeeping, SOP compliance, accident and near-miss investigation, and risk assessment involvement
• Ensure food safety and quality compliance, including HACCP, GMP, PPE, process controls, and deviation management with QA support
• Deliver production schedules by running to budgeted output rates and changeover times
• Control costs through effective management of labour, waste, yield, giveaway, and productivity
• Use Short Interval Control (SIC) to identify and address variances in real time
• Ensure accurate and timely shift reporting and operational administration
• Communicate proactively through team briefs, huddles, notices, and MARA meetings
• Escalate operational, safety, or quality risks to the Production Manager within agreed parameters
• Work closely with Engineering, Technical, Planning, and other support functions to drive performance
• Contribute to continuous improvement and OEE effectiveness

Ideally this is you!

• Proven experience managing and leading teams in a manufacturing environment
• FMCG experience with a solid understanding of manufacturing processes
• Strong people leadership, communication, and decision-making skills
• Numeracy skills to understand costs and performance improvement
• Clear written communication and reporting skills
• Strong problem-solving and analytical capability
• Confident using basic PC systems for reporting and communication
• Experience in food manufacturing
• Familiarity with automation and plant/process engineering
• Experience using ERP systems such as M3 or SAP
• Leadership or management qualifications (e.g. ILM Level 2 or equivalent)
• Continuous Improvement certifications (e.g. coloured belts)

Qualifications (Advantageous):

• Food Safety Level 2 or above
• IOSHH or equivalent Health & Safety qualification
• Experience managing safely in an operational environment

What’s in it for you?

• Enhanced Maternity & Paternity Leave to allow quality time with your new arrival!
• Enhanced Pension Scheme for our employees
• Free Employee Assistance Programme (open to colleagues and their families)
• Retail discounts accessible via our Benefits Hub platform!
• Refer a Friend Scheme (up to £300 per referral – T&C’s 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!