Shift Manager

Shift Manager – Food Manufacturing (Highly Automated Site)

Location: Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
Salary: £48,000 – £52,000
Shift Pattern: Panama shift – rotating days & nights (12-hour shifts)

DR Newitt are working with a leading food manufacturer to recruit a Shift Manager for a highly automated production site in Wisbech.

This is not a typical food manufacturing Shift Manager role. The site is highly automated with relatively small shift teams (around 25 people), meaning the business is looking for someone who can genuinely lead people, drive standards and operate confidently in a modern manufacturing environment.

The successful candidate will lead a multi-functional shift team across production, packaging and QA, taking ownership of safety, quality, performance and people KPIs across the shift.

This is a hands-on leadership role where visibility on the shop floor is important. The business is looking for someone who can motivate and challenge teams in the right way, build accountability, and keep standards high while creating a positive shift culture.

 

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage the shift team to deliver safety, quality and production targets
• Take ownership of shift KPIs including output, downtime, complaints and recovery
• Coach, develop and support team members while driving accountability
• Support root cause analysis and resolution of operational issues
• Ensure compliance with H&S, GMP and environmental standards
• Conduct risk assessments and support continuous improvement projects
• Manage labour performance and support HR-related processes where required
• Drive standards and behaviours through consistent leadership on shift
• Communicate performance expectations and KPIs across the team

 

What We’re Looking For:

• Experience within food manufacturing or FMCG
• Previous experience in a Shift Manager or similar leadership role
• Strong people management and leadership skills
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, automated manufacturing environment
• Confident problem solver with a practical, hands-on approach
• Able to make decisions under pressure and take ownership of outcomes
• SAP/SCADA experience desirable

 

What’s in it for you?

This is an opportunity to join a modern manufacturing site where the Shift Manager has real influence over performance, culture and continuous improvement. The environment will suit someone who enjoys responsibility, likes improving processes and wants to play a key role within a highly automated operation.

The business has a strong people-focused culture with a real emphasis on teamwork, ownership and driving standards.

 

The Hiring Process

Initial screening with DR Newitt followed by client interview and site visit.

DR Newitt is an equal opportunities recruiter and welcomes applications from all suitably experienced candidates.