Production Manager
Location: Great Leighs, Essex
Hours: Monday–Friday. 9am – 5:30pm
Salary: £30,000–£33,000 depending on experience, with scope to increase, for the right candidate, following successful progression into the full Production Manager role
About the Role:
We are looking for an experienced Production Supervisor, Production Team Leader, Senior Operative or similar who is ready to take the next step into a Production Manager position.
This is a hands-on management role within a small manufacturing and warehouse operation. You will take responsibility for the day-to-day running of production, warehouse operations, goods in, dispatch, returns and stock organisation.
You will need previous experience of working at a level where you have already had responsibility for coordinating people, organising workloads, maintaining standards and solving day-to-day operational problems.
The successful candidate will be expected to be hands-on when required, while developing the planning, organisation and management of the department.
Key Responsibilities:
Production Planning & Management
- Plan and prioritise production in line with monthly targets, stock levels and customer requirements.
- Organise daily and weekly production activity and ensure the right products are being made at the right time.
- Identify potential material or production shortages before they affect orders.
- Monitor progress against production targets and act where performance is falling behind.
- Prioritise back orders and products with low stock cover.
- Maintain an organised workflow and prevent jobs from being left part-finished or unnecessarily delayed.
- Escalate issues requiring additional expenditure, resources or management decisions.
Production Operations
- Oversee the remanufacturing and filling of ink and toner cartridges.
- Ensure production is carried out accurately and to the required standard.
- Maintain batch sheets, production records and quantity/fill sign-offs.
- Ensure production areas remain clean, organised and safe.
- Work alongside the production team and be prepared to carry out production tasks when required.
Warehouse & Stock Control
- Maintain an organised warehouse with clearly defined storage locations and labelling.
- Ensure stock is correctly received, checked and put away.
- Monitor stock organisation and identify issues with availability or storage.
- Ensure materials and finished goods can be located quickly and efficiently.
- Maintain good housekeeping throughout the warehouse and production areas.
Goods Out & Dispatch
- Oversee picking, packing and dispatch of customer orders.
- Ensure goods are accurately picked and correctly prepared for dispatch.
- Ensure the required paperwork and records are completed.
Returns & Waste
- Maintain an organised process for customer returns, supplier returns and empty cartridges awaiting reuse.
- Ensure returned goods are clearly identified and have a defined next action.
- Manage waste ink storage and arrange collections when required.
- Maintain organised areas for pallets, scrap and other external storage.
Equipment & Maintenance
- Ensure production equipment is cleaned and maintained at the required intervals.
- Maintain reusable filling equipment and ensure it is cleaned and ready for use.
- Identify equipment issues and arrange servicing or repairs where required.
Records & Reporting
- Maintain accurate production, stock and batch records.
- Use the company's production planning system and monthly target information.
- Provide regular updates on production progress and any issues affecting performance.
- Ensure important operational knowledge and processes are documented rather than relying solely on personal knowledge.
What We Are Looking For
Essential Experience
- Previous experience in a supervisory or team-leading role within a production, manufacturing, warehouse or workshop environment.
- Experience at a level immediately below Production Manager, such as Production Supervisor, Production Team Leader, Senior/Lead Operative, Chargehand or similar.
- Experience coordinating workloads and ensuring work is completed to deadlines.
- Experience taking responsibility for standards, organisation and day-to-day operational issues.
- Experience working to production targets or planned workloads.
- A hands-on approach and willingness to work alongside the production team.
- Good organisational skills and the ability to plan work several weeks ahead.
- Strong attention to detail and accurate record keeping.
- Basic computer skills, including email, spreadsheets and the ability to learn new systems.
- The ability to identify problems early, take appropriate action and escalate matters when necessary.
- Warehouse and stock control experience.
Desirable Experience
- Experience with dispatch and goods-in operations.
- Experience managing returns and waste processes.
- Experience introducing or improving operational processes.
- Forklift or pallet truck experience.
The Person
You should be:
Proactive — able to anticipate problems rather than simply react to them.
Organised — able to keep both people and physical areas organised.
Hands-on — comfortable getting involved in production and warehouse work when required.
Accountable — willing to take ownership of the department and its results.
Practical — able to make sensible decisions in a busy working environment.
A good communicator — able to work effectively with colleagues, management and suppliers.
Process-minded — interested in improving how things are done and documenting processes properly.
If you think you would be suitable for this role, please apply and send your CV via Indeed for us to review.
Pay: £30,000.00-£33,000.00 per year
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
