Area Manager Early Shift

Job reference 341673 Work Area Manager
- Gatwick
- Early Shift

Gatwick MC, Crawley, RH10 9AA

Permanent, Full time

From £37,528 - £40,528 (DOE)

• Up to 10% annual bonus potential
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays rising with service
• Pension: access to the UK’s only Collective Defined Contribution scheme with industry-leading Royal Mail contributions of over 12%, flexible options to boost your savings, and a guaranteed retirement lump sum*

We’re looking for an engaging and performance-focused Work Area Manager to lead colleagues within one of our busy processing operations. This is a key frontline leadership role where you’ll create a safe, inclusive and high-performing environment while ensuring operational plans and customer commitments are delivered.

Reporting to the Shift Manager, you’ll lead a defined work area and support colleagues to perform at their best. You’ll combine visible people leadership with data-led decision-making, effective performance management and a strong focus on continuous improvement.

As a Work Area Manager, you’ll be accountable for the day-to-day operation and performance of your work area. You’ll ensure plans and scorecard targets are delivered, Standard Operating Procedures are consistently followed and colleagues understand how their work contributes to the wider Plant and customer service.

You’ll coach and develop your team, manage first-line people processes and use operational data to identify performance trends and improvement opportunities. In automated areas, you’ll also work closely with Engineering colleagues to help maximise equipment performance, availability and productivity.

• Lead a safe and compliant work area, creating an environment where colleagues take responsibility for safety and wellbeing.
• Manage operational performance, ensuring workplans, scorecard targets and agreed standards are consistently delivered.
• Coach and develop colleagues, providing regular feedback and building individual and team capability.
• Use performance data, Information Centres and continuous improvement tools to identify issues and deliver practical improvements.
• Manage first-line people processes, including attendance and conduct, fairly and consistently.
• Maintain clear team communication through briefings, one-to-ones and visible leadership, ensuring colleagues understand priorities and performance.

You’re an approachable and resilient leader who enjoys developing people and delivering results in a fast-paced operational environment. You can set clear expectations, motivate colleagues and handle performance conversations constructively when required.

You’ll be confident using data to understand what is happening in your work area and turning that insight into effective action. You build positive relationships across different teams, communicate clearly and remain focused when priorities change or operational pressures increase.

• Experience leading or supervising a team within an operational, processing, manufacturing, logistics or similarly fast-paced environment.
• Strong coaching, communication and colleague engagement skills.
• Experience delivering operational targets and managing team performance.
• The ability to analyse performance information, identify trends and solve problems.
• Knowledge of health and safety responsibilities and continuous improvement principles.
• Good IT skills and confidence learning operational, people and performance systems.

Knowledge of automated processing equipment would be beneficial for roles within automated work areas, but a willingness and ability to learn will also be considered.

Your leadership will…