Production Manager

We are recruiting for a Production Manager who will be a key member of the operations team.

Working out of our 11 acre manufacturing, distribution and head office site with circa 200 employees in Harwich, Essex, UK, reporting to the Operations Director.  With around 60+ employees carrying out production activities, you will be responsible for the overall production at the Harwich manufacturing facility.

Main Duties and responsibilities:

• Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, ensuring production service levels are met, engineering & maintenance strategies, staff management & employee relations, achieve KPIs, quality assurance compliance, food safety, health and safety, project management including line/machinery installations, purchasing, budgeting, audit compliance, policy and procedures administration, planning and customer relations.
• Responsible for overseeing rice milling operations, packaging operations and associated food production activities.
• The role will involve motivating, developing, and leading the workforce in a high-speed food manufacturing facility, looking to employ appropriate lean manufacturing tools and techniques to production processes and improve waste management.
• You will ensure the factory production plan for each shift is achieved and in doing so maximise the use of resources including raw materials, labour, and machinery.
• Ensure all operatives are trained in all aspects of their role, including health and safety and quality control procedures in order to maintain a cross functional, multi-skilled workforce;
• Undertake regular team briefs that focus on KPIs aligned to local productivity and performance.
• Maintain all manufacturing goods stocks meet requirements of the business.
• Develop initiatives to improve existing production performance and milling yields.
• Maintain and share daily records of outputs yields and labour utilisation.
• Manage the consumption of rice stocks.
• Organise all daily work allocation to production staff.
• Ensure legislative compliance and compliance with company policies and procedures.
• Plan for growth to ensure sufficient capacity ahead of demand, maximising flexibility and minimising operational costs.
• Championing highest standards of Health & Safety.
• Project management manage & support projects which affect the department directly and indirectly, ensuring timelines are met.
• Strive for business improvements and cost reduction initiatives.
• Recruitment of staff and staff management including managing absence and disciplinary matters.
• Support staff development.

Skills, qualifications and experience required;

• A minimum of 7 years experience in a comparable role.
• An Engineering Degree preferably in Mechanical, automation/robotics
• Understanding of milling and packing principles preferred.
• Strong leadership skills, an ability to manage ‘hands on’ with a ‘can do’ attitude and a proven record of building successful teams.
• Sound understanding of Health & Safety, food safety, hygiene, environmental & quality standards.
• Exposure to commercial management and budget control.
• Be conversant in HACCP systems, BRC standards and GMP.
• Knowledge of commercial management and budget control.
• Excellent communicator
• Intermediate level computer skills with Outlook, Excel, Word and ERP/WMS preferred.

If you have the necessary skills and experience and want to work in a growing business with great people we would love you to apply.

Surya Foods is one of the largest suppliers of authentic world foods in the UK and the company behind fastest growing UK rice brand, Laila - part of the rapidly expanding, family run Flying Trade Group (FTG) which boasts an annual UK turnover in excess of 130-million and operates in over 30 countries. Impressive growth has seen FTG enter the 2018 Sunday Times Top Track 250 league tables and the Sunday Times International Track 200 in 2019 and in 2020 company sales are already growing at 30%.

We supply 100s of products into supermarket giants Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl, Co-Op, Iceland. We supply key customers such as Bestway, Brakes and Bidfood in our every growing food service channel. We also supply over 1000 independent retail accounts across the UK which is the heartbeat of our business, as well as our recently created online store selling over 2000 SKUs. Surya Foods also represents some leading imported brands including Britannia Biscuits, National Foods, FOCO, Ajinomoto and Samai among others as part of our World Foods range.