Team Leader, Manufacturing ​/ Production

Production Team Leader

Location:

Ilkeston, Derbyshire

Hours:

Monday to Friday, 6:00am2:30pm

Contract:

Permanent, Full-Time Working Week: 40 hours, including a 30-minute unpaid lunch break The Opportunity An established and growing contract packing and manufacturing business is looking for an experienced Production Team Leader to join its operation in Ilkeston. This is a hands-on leadership position with responsibility for supervising production operatives and ensuring customer orders are completed safely, efficiently and to the required specification.

You will lead the daily operation of production lines while maintaining high standards of quality, hygiene, traceability and regulatory compliance. The successful candidate will be comfortable managing people, monitoring performance and assisting directly on the production floor when required.

Key Responsibilities Team Leadership Lead, motivate and support production operatives throughout the shift. Allocate work and ensure employees understand their responsibilities. Deliver daily briefings covering production requirements, targets and customer expectations. Ensure employees are trained, engaged and working safely. Support the induction and development of new and inexperienced team members. Provide coaching, training and constructive performance feedback. Promote teamwork, accountability and a positive working environment.

Production Management Supervise daily production activities to ensure output and efficiency targets are achieved. Prepare production lines, machinery and work areas for scheduled jobs. Review job bags, specifications, bills of materials and production paperwork before work begins. Ensure products are manufactured and packed according to customer requirements. Monitor workflow, productivity, downtime and line performance. Identify operational issues and escalate them promptly to minimise disruption.

Support the Production Manager with daily operational requirements. Work directly on production lines when additional support is needed. Quality and Compliance Complete hourly quality checks and production inspections. Verify that products meet the required quality and customer specifications. Encourage a right-first-time approach throughout the production team. Maintain accurate production, quality and traceability records. Ensure production documentation is completed correctly and remains audit-ready.

Investigate quality concerns and report non-conforming products or processes. Environmental Testing and BRCGS Compliance Conduct environmental swab testing, including allergen, organic-residue and cleaning-verification tests. Collect, store and record samples in accordance with established procedures. Maintain testing equipment and ensure materials remain available and suitable for use. Investigate and report results that fall outside the required specification. Complete BRCGS documentation accurately and within the required timescales.

Machinery and Equipment Set up machinery and equipment for production runs. Ensure equipment is operated safely, correctly and efficiently. Identify and resolve minor machinery issues where possible. Report equipment faults promptly to minimise production downtime. Work with the relevant departments to support effective fault resolution. Health, Safety and Housekeeping Promote and enforce health, safety, hygiene and housekeeping standards. Conduct regular checks to maintain a safe and compliant working environment.

Address hazards and unsafe working practices immediately. Ensure machinery, work areas, floors and surrounding surfaces are cleaned to the required standard. Confirm employees follow the relevant safe systems of work. Administration and Systems Maintain accurate production records and KPI information. Complete administrative duties and production documentation. Use production and business systems such as Nulogy, Link 50, Sage, Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets.

Communicate clearly with production employees, management and other stakeholders. About You To be considered for this Production Team Leader position, you should have:
Previous experience in a production, manufacturing or packing environment. Experience supervising, leading or coordinating a production team. A hands-on leadership style and willingness to support the production line. Strong organisational skills and attention to detail. The ability to work under pressure and achieve production targets. Good communication, coaching and problem-solving abilities.…