Production Manager - Packhouse

Dyson Farming is a family-owned business, with a vision to benefit future generations through a commitment to commercially viable and environmentally sustainable food production  strive to be industry leaders in efficient, carbon-neutral, high-technology agriculture, employing highly skilled, pioneering people and supported by research and development in an ever-closer partnership with our sister company, Dyson. We see the future of agriculture as an exciting opportunity to improve the nation’s food security, health, and economic growth.

Dyson Farming is committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone is treated fairly and with respect. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation.

Dyson Farming is a family-owned business, with a vision to benefit future generations through a commitment to commercially viable and environmentally sustainable food production  strive to be industry leaders in efficient, carbon-neutral, high-technology agriculture, employing highly skilled, pioneering people and supported by research and development in an ever-closer partnership with our sister company, Dyson. We see the future of agriculture as an exciting opportunity to improve the nation’s food security, health, and economic growth.

The latest addition to Dyson Farming’s circular farming system is its glasshouse in Carrington, Lincolnshire. It supports the advancement of high-tech, sustainable farming in the UK, avoiding unnecessary food miles that come from imported strawberries at this time of year. The site is expanding significantly, adding a further glasshouse and polytunnel production alongside the existing facility.

We are seeking a Packhouse Manager to take full operational ownership of our strawberry packhouse. Responsible for running the pack lines, controlling the cost base, deliver customer specification in full and on time, and lead the automation of a process that is currently highly manual.

You will lead a team of supervisors pack line leaders, and through them a seasonal packing workforce that scales through a variable peak season. It suits someone who is comfortable with both people and numbers, and who wants to the opportunity to take a manual operation into a modern, measured one.

– Own the packhouse labour plan, team management and cost against budget

– Deliver dispatch to budgeted overtime limits, manage planning, shift control and workload with harvesting and commercial teams

– Manage throughput, weight giveaway and equipment performance

– Develop systems and lead the automation programme

– Own product quality and integrity from intake through to dispatch

– Deliver customer specification, punnet format and lead times in full, working closely with the technical team on standards, audits and complaints

– Responsible for product packaging, specification and intake quality, ordering, stock control, resilience planning and supplier performance

– Manage line uptime, changeover time and planned maintenance in with the site Maintenance Manager

– Own dispatch and transport, including haulage planning and loading, maintain communications and relationship with hauliers.

– Hold each pack line leader to a line-level scorecard, reviewed weekly

– Develop supervisors into autonomous shift managers, with named cover for every critical position on every shift

– Own packhouse health, safety and hygiene — machinery guarding, manual handling and safe systems of work

– Own the accuracy of packhouse data feeding all site systems, and use it to manage the shift performance real time as well as reporting

– Responsible for management of direct…