Operations - Front Line Manager

Join to apply for the Operations - Front Line Manager role at Finsbury Food Group
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Location:

Nicholas and Harris Ltd, Salisbury

Shift: Day Shift – 6am to 6pm, 4 on 4 off

Salary:
Competitive with opportunity for growth

We have an exciting opportunity to join our operations team at Nicholas & Harris, a leading speciality bakery manufacturer with over 180 years of heritage. As part of the Finsbury Food Group, we are committed to raising standards, investing in our people, and driving a culture of continuous improvement across all areas of the site.

As a Front‑Line Manager, reporting to the Manufacturing Shift Lead, you will provide visible, hands‑on leadership to operational teams, ensuring the delivery of hourly and shift‑based KPIs across safety, quality, service, cost and people performance. You will take full ownership of your designated production line or area, managing operational standards, output and team effectiveness.

• Lead and manage direct operator teams to deliver hourly and shift KPIs, including safety, quality, output, waste, labour and attendance
• Take full area ownership, ensuring conformance to daily and weekly production plans
• Put safety first, maintaining excellent housekeeping, SOP compliance, accident and near‑miss investigation, and risk assessment involvement
• Ensure food safety and quality compliance, including HACCP, GMP, PPE, process controls, and deviation management with QA support
• Deliver production schedules by running to budgeted output rates and changeover times
• Control costs through effective management of labour, waste, yield, giveaway and productivity
• Use Short Interval Control (SIC) to identify and address variances in real time
• Ensure accurate and timely shift reporting and operational administration
• Communicate proactively through team briefs, huddles, notices and MARA meetings
• Escalate operational, safety or quality risks to the Production Manager within agreed parameters
• Work closely with Engineering, Technical, Planning and other support functions to drive performance
• Contribute to continuous improvement and OEE effectiveness

• Proven experience managing and leading teams in a manufacturing environment
• FMCG experience with a solid understanding of manufacturing processes
• Strong people leadership, communication and decision‑making skills
• Numeracy skills to understand costs and performance improvement
• Clear written communication and reporting skills
• Strong problem‑solving and analytical capability
• Confident using basic PC systems for reporting and communication

• Experience in food manufacturing
• Familiarity with automation and plant/process engineering
• Experience using ERP systems such as M3 or SAP
• Leadership or management qualifications (e.g. ILM Level 2 or equivalent)
• Continuous Improvement certifications (e.g. coloured belts)

• Food Safety Level 2 or above
• IOSHH or equivalent Health & Safety qualification
• Experience managing safely in an operational environment

• Enhanced Maternity & Paternity Leave to allow quality time with your new arrival
• Enhanced Pension Scheme for our employees
• Death in Service Benefit
• Free Employee Assistance Programme (open to colleagues and their families)
• Retail discounts accessible via our Benefits Hub platform
• Company shop available at sites (heavily discounted, yummy products)
• Refer a Friend Scheme (up to £300 per referral – t&cs dependent)
• Employee Recognition Awards and extensive Learning & Development opportunities (including opportunities for sponsored professional memberships and our own in‑house development course)
• An opportunity to be part of a fantastic, growing organisation

Our vision is to be the leading specialty bakery group in the UK and we want the best people in place to achieve this. Our continued success is built entirely on the talented people who work here, so employee development is important to us because everyone is a valued member of the team, and we want every individual to have the skills and capabilities to achieve both their own personal goals and our business goals.

If this sounds like you, please get in contact to learn more!