Production Team Leader

Team Leader

Cambridgeshire

Rotating Shifts | FMCG Manufacturing

Let's be clear from the start. This isn't a "keep-the-lights-on" Team Leader role. This is for someone who leads from the front, drives standards, and knows how to turn a group of operators into a high-performing shift.

At The Collective Network, we're partnering with a large, fast-paced FMCG manufacturing operation in Cambridgeshire that's serious about performance, people, and continuous improvement. They're looking for a Team Leader who thrives under pressure, understands food manufacturing, and isn't afraid to challenge the status quo.

If you like ownership, accountability, and seeing your decisions translate directly into results - you'll feel at home here.

Reporting into the Shift Manager, you'll be responsible for leading production teams across a 3-shift rotating pattern:

• 06:00 - 14:00
• 14:00 - 22:00
• 22:00 - 06:00

This is a hands-on leadership role in a highly automated environment, where delivery, safety, quality, and people development all matter - every single shift.

• Delivering the production plan through your shift teams
• Ensuring full compliance with food safety, quality, and GMP standards
• Embedding lean manufacturing principles into day-to-day operations
• Managing performance in line with site business plans and customer demand
• Optimising labour, materials, waste, and equipment efficiency
• Creating an environment where people feel confident to challenge, improve, and innovate
• Developing and communicating KPIs that actually drive behaviour
• Working cross-functionally to hit customer delivery requirements

• Making sure health & safety is understood, owned, and lived on shift
• Acting quickly on safety concerns raised by the team
• Driving Prosafe activity and achieving monthly targets
• Ensuring training and competency standards are met
• Investigating accidents, near misses, and incidents - and making sure lessons are learned, not repeated

• Experience in a relevant manufacturing or production discipline
• Confident using Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint)
• Strong coaching ability with a situational leadership style
• Values-led leadership aligned with a strong site culture

• Continuous Improvement qualification
• IOSH or equivalent Health & Safety qualification
• HACCP Level 2
• Experience with SAP or Infor M3

• You've led teams in a production engineering or FMCG environment
• You're comfortable managing automated process lines
• You coach, develop, and challenge people - not micromanage them
• You use data to improve quality, OEE, and performance
• You understand lean and know how to apply it practically, not theoretically

• You don't avoid challenging work - you lean into it
• You're accountable and comfortable owning tough decisions
• You can multitask without losing attention to detail
• You enjoy variety and managing competing priorities
• You're flexible, resilient, and bring a genuine "can-do" attitude
• Interested?
• If you're ready to step into a leadership role where expectations are high - but so is support - then this is worth a conversation.

Apply via The Collective Network, and one of our consultants will be in touch for a confidential, straight-talking chat.

No buzzwords. No nonsense. Just a proper leadership role for someone who wants to make things better, shift by shift