Drying Team Leader

Great manufacturing businesses don’t simply achieve production targets – they build environments where safety, quality, teamwork, and continuous improvement shape every shift, every process, and every product. By creating a culture where people are empowered, standards are consistently upheld, and operations run efficiently, they deliver exceptional products while developing high-performing teams.

As our Leather Drying Team Leader, you’ll play a pivotal role at the heart of our manufacturing operation, leading the day-to-day performance of the Drying area to ensure hides move safely, efficiently, and to the highest quality standards. Combining strong operational leadership, technical knowledge, and a passion for developing people, you’ll create an environment where your team can perform at their best while delivering outstanding results for our customers.

• Provide visible leadership across the Drying area, creating a safe, organised, and high-performing environment where standards are consistently achieved
• Champion a culture of health and safety, ensuring safe machine operation, pre-shift safety checks, hazard reporting, and workplace organisation are fully embedded within the team
• Schedule and coordinate material flow through the drying lines, working closely with the Dye House to maintain efficient production and on-time delivery performance
• Monitor quality throughout the drying process, ensuring product specifications are consistently achieved, responding to non-conformances, and maintaining accurate production and WIP records
• Organise, motivate, coach, and develop your team to deliver daily production targets while identifying training needs and building capability
• Coordinate routine and operator-led maintenance activities, working closely with Engineering to maximise equipment reliability and performance
• Support audits, implement corrective actions, and drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance safety, quality, productivity, and operational performance
• Build strong relationships across Operations and support functions, encouraging collaboration, accountability, and a culture where people take pride in delivering operational excellence.

You will have experience in a manufacturing or industrial leadership role, ideally within leather, textiles, automotive, or other process-driven production environments; you demonstrate a strong understanding of production operations, material flow, quality standards, and workplace organisation; you have experience leading, motivating, and developing teams to achieve operational targets while maintaining high standards of safety and quality; you possess excellent communication and coaching skills, with the ability to build strong relationships across production, maintenance, quality, and support teams;

you are confident making operational decisions, responding effectively to changing priorities, and maintaining performance under pressure; you bring strong organisational and planning skills, balancing production schedules, resources, and team priorities effectively; you have a proactive approach to problem solving, identifying root causes and driving practical, sustainable improvements; you are numerate, detail-focused, IT competent, and passionate about delivering operational excellence through continuous improvement.

You will be instrumental in ensuring the Drying operation consistently delivers safe, efficient, and high-quality…