Factory Manager

Factory Manager opportunity to come and lead one of our factories on our expanding site.

It has never been a more exciting time to be part of a forward thinking company and a site that is delivering commercial success year on year. We are looking for amazing talent who can support the success of the site now and into the future.

Bakkavor Group is a leading manufacturer in the fresh prepared food market, specialising in developing private-label products for top global grocery retailers and well-known international foodservice operators.

Our Bakkavor site in Newark, which is part of our Desserts division, specialises in cream cakes and trifles and we are market leaders in both categories. To give a feel for the scale of manufacturing we produce 150 million units of cream cakes each year. We employ 1600 people and have plans to grow this significantly over the next 3 years.

This is due to new business which will be supplied from the site from this summer.

Bakkavor Desserts Newark is looking to recruit a Factory Manager to provide leadership and drive within a fast paced environment ensuring that Health & Safety and Food Safety is top priority while still meeting business demands.

Your accountabilities include:

• To ensure that a safe working environment exists for all employees in their operation and that as a minimum their area meets the standards set out in the Group Health & Safety policy & ISO18001 standard
• To ensure factory & product quality, food safety, hygiene and housekeeping is maintained and improved upon in line with customer COP & group standards
• Inputs, understands and translates the site objectives into a “living” Factory Operational Plan which is clearly understood and owned by their Team,  cascaded and driven at all levels
• Involvement in the selection process for direct reports. Responsible for the recruitment of the right calibre of people for levels below direct reports. Ensures that the people in their factory operation are managed in line with company procedures in all aspects of their employment, ensures there is a positive employee relations culture where indicators such as grievances, absence, turnover rates are in control
• Utilise appropriate agreed KPIs as a basis for the development of Performance Improvement Plans within the Factory Operation and cascade these KPIs through the Factory Operational Team, ensuring that they are translated and used at all levels. Plan, organise, and measure resources to ensure that targets for production are met
• Manages the NPD process within their factory operation to ensure that all trials run successfully and through to product launch embracing ownership from conception
• Owns training and development and performance management of individuals within their factory operation to enable progression to resource growth or to replace current roles, and to ensure that the necessary skills are in place at all levels.
• To ensure that the workforce in their factory operation is well informed on relevant business news to encourage effective cross-functional links and that all channels of communication are clear and available. Compliance and involvement in the site communication & engagement plans.
• Support and develop a culture within their factory operation where individuals feel able to challenge the status quo and encourage feedback from all levels. Support and implement change processes within their area in line with Bakkavör values
• Proactively looks at ways to improve their factory operation. A key player in delivering the agreed factory capital expenditure plans within the agreed timescales, owning project delivery for spend within the factory & driving improvement on all operational cost of sale variances.

The ideal candidate will be an excellent leader with a proven track record of building and leading successful factory teams within a food manufacturing environment.

This role is Monday to Friday 8.30 – 17.00

In return you will receive excellent development opportunities and a salary £50,000 – 64,000 depending on experience plus car or car allowance, bonuses, pension, healthcare