Manufacturing Site Leader - Newton Abbot

At Yeo Valley, we're about more than just making great food – we're here to Nurture & Nourish People & Planet by Making Great Food the Right Way. Forever. As a co-owned business, we invest in our people, encourage growth, and believe in doing things properly. The Newton Abbot site is at the forefront of our strategy to provide single serve dessert and ice cream under both Yeo Valley brand and own label offerings. The site plays a unique part in our operations providing unique capabilities in dessert & ice cream manufacture. The site is in a stable phase, developing new products continuously and growing its output and optimising our manufacturing capabilities to build profitability.

You will be responsible for leading the site team in the delivery of the local vision as “Creating moments of joy”, accountable for developing and executing the site strategy within a rolling 18-month horizon. As part of the Manufacturing leadership, you will also be responsible for enhancing and optimising our operational performance, sharing best practice and in doing so fulfilling our Supply strategy to provide the best product, service and cost proposition in our categories realising our ambition to be the best-in-class supplier.

Key responsibilities aligned to our Long-Term Strategic Aims:

• Passionate People: Building on the strengths of the family feel and culture at the Newton Abbot site by providing inspirational leadership, creating a culture and environment where the site comes together as one team of co-owners who are driven by a common purpose. Enabling co-owners to develop and grow as experts who are empowered to take ownership, influential to create change, engaged & motivated to drive initiatives and supported to fulfil career aspirations. Encouraging the sharing of stories within the site to create excitement and engagement that motivates others, fosters great relationships and cares for the needs of others. Role modeling the leadership behaviours committed to our co-owners that we will thrive on taking responsibilities and delivering on our commitments, be fair, and always aspire to be the best version of ourselves.
• Good Food for All: Developing and maintaining a positive, exciting, ambitious long-term view for the site by creating an environment where the site team are adaptable to and resilient through the emotions associated with innovation and always demonstrating a readiness for change. Being imaginative in the solutions afforded to fulfill a diverse portfolio of value-added product categories, realising affordable implementation plans with longer term future versatility wherever possible. Developing expertise in the successful transition of projects from initiation, through development, to ongoing business as usual delivery.
• Most Sustainable Food: Enabling the business to amplify our impacts through the growth of the brand in new product areas and categories. Sponsoring activities and projects which enhance our operations in the recognition that we cannot solve the climate crisis, or grow our business, without manufacturing in a sustainable way. Embed sustainable practices, principles and measures which help and encourage the protection of natural resources through efficient use and waste minimization.
• Proudly Independent: Providing pace-setting leadership for the site; encouraging boldness and ambition in our actions to achieve our ambitious goals. Maintaining the brilliant fundamental basics of Health and Safety, Food Safety in all that we do. Ensuring that there is clarity of role responsibilities, performance expectations and authority to act at all levels. Energising the site on continued improvement, identifying opportunities to improve and enhance performance to deliver future profitability.

Key accountabilities:

• Passionate People: Health & Safety of employees and visitors to the site, Employee engagement, Labour productivity.
• Good Food for All: Raw material yield, Equipment OEE, Manufactured cost of goods, Compliance to plan, Customer service.
• Most Sustainable Food: Raw Material Waste, Carbon Intensity, Right first-time manufacture.
• Production Independent: Consumer complaint ratio, CPMU, Unit cost of manufacture.

Sounds interesting, what do I need?

The important things:

• Proven experience of successful leadership within complex FMCG manufacturing operations.
• Proven experience as a successful cultural change agent.
• Short shelf life / high care / dairy category experience preferred.
• Recognised qualification in Health & Safety.
• Prior experience working closely with external customers, preferably in retail/food.

Why should I join the family?

We’re independent, British and proud to be making the highest organic foods under the Yeo Valley brand and for many of the UK’s major retailers. We are a purposeful business, driven to make positive impacts on the world as we seek to Nurture and Nourish People and Planet. We have now moved into a new era as a business, expanding beyond dairy. We are committed to making great food, the right way forever. We’re sure you don’t need convincing, but there’s a whole host of benefits that we offer including: 25 days’ holiday, plus bank holidays, non-contributory pension scheme, life cover, healthcare cash back plan, cycle to work scheme, subsidised Yeo Valley products and services, preferential rates with our partners, annual bonus (as part of the Employee Benefit Trust, based on company performance for the year), learning and development opportunities; we’re committed to ensuring all of our employees have the chance to grow.

Our closing dates are a guide for when the application window should close, although we may close the advert sooner if we can. So, we recommend you get your application in straight away – and don’t miss the opportunity to join us! Unfortunately, we’re not able to provide employment sponsorship to candidates at this moment in time. Please note that Yeo Valley do not accept speculative agency applications; we will only accept applications from preferred suppliers that have been submitted to us via our recruitment portal at the point of instruction.