Manufacturing Site Leader

Overview

So, what will I be doing?

At Yeo Valley, we're about more than just making great food – we're here to Nurture & Nourish People & Planet by Making Great Food the Right Way. Forever. As a co-owned business, we invest in our people, encourage growth, and believe in doing things properly. The Newton Abbot site provides single serve dessert and ice cream under both Yeo Valley brand and own label offerings, with capabilities in dessert & ice cream manufacture.

The site is in a stable phase, developing new products and optimising manufacturing capabilities to build profitability.

You will be responsible for leading the site team in delivering the local vision, accountable for developing and executing the site strategy within an 18‑month horizon. As part of Manufacturing leadership, you will enhance and optimise operational performance, share best practice, and help fulfil our Supply strategy to provide the best product, service and cost proposition in our categories, aiming to be the best-in-class supplier.

• Passionate People
• Provide inspirational leadership and create a culture where the site operates as one team of co-owners driven by a common purpose.
• Enable co-owners to develop and grow as experts who are empowered to take ownership, influence change, and drive initiatives in a fair, accountable way.
• Encourage sharing of stories to motivate others, foster relationships, and consider the needs of others.
• Model leadership behaviours that commit to responsibility, fairness, and continuous personal improvement.

• Good Food for All
• Develop and maintain a positive, ambitious long-term view for the site.
• Foster an adaptable and resilient team, ready for change and comfortable with innovation.
• Provide imaginative solutions for a diverse portfolio of value-added products with affordable, future-ready implementation plans.
• Develop expertise in transitioning projects from initiation to delivery and business-as-usual operations.

• Most Sustainable Food
• Grow the brand in new product areas and categories.
• Sponsor activities that enhance operations while recognising the need for sustainable manufacturing.
• Embed sustainable practices to protect natural resources through efficient use and waste minimisation.

• Proudly Independent
• Provide pace-setting leadership to achieve ambitious goals.
• Maintain health and safety and food safety fundamentals in all activities.
• Ensure clarity of role responsibilities, performance expectations, and authority to act at all levels.
• Energise the site with continued improvement to deliver future profitability.

Passionate People

• Health & Safety of employees and visitors
• Employee engagement
• Labour productivity

Good Food for All

• Raw material yield
• Equipment OEE
• Manufactured cost of goods
• Compliance to plan
• Customer service

Most Sustainable Food

• Raw material waste
• Carbon intensity
• Right first-time manufacture

Production Independent

• Consumer complaint ratio CPMU
• Unit cost of manufacture

The important things:

• Proven experience of successful leadership within complex FMCG manufacturing operations
• Proven experience as a successful cultural change agent
• Short shelf life / high care / dairy category experience preferred
• Recognised qualification in Health & Safety
• Prior experience working closely with external customers, preferably in retail/food

We’re independent, British and proud to make the highest organic foods under the Yeo Valley brand and for many of the UK’s major retailers. We are a purposeful business, driven to make positive impacts on the world as we seek to Nurture and Nourish People and Planet. We have moved into a new era, expanding beyond dairy, and are committed to making great food, the right way forever.

Benefits include:

• 25 days’ holiday, plus bank holidays
• Non-contributory pension scheme
• Life cover
• Healthcare cash back plan
• Cycle to work scheme
• Subsidised Yeo Valley products and services
• Preferential rates with our partners
• Annual bonus (as part of the Employee Benefit Trust, based on company performance)
• Learning and development opportunities; we’re committed to enabling growth

Our closing dates are a guide for the application window; we may close the advert sooner if we can. We are not able to provide employment sponsorship to candidates at this time. Yeo Valley do not accept speculative agency applications; we will only accept applications via our recruitment portal at the point of instruction.