About Us
We’re Gusbourne – an award-winning English fine wine producer based in the heart of Kent. Our vision is simple: to craft the finest wines in the world.
As a luxury brand, excellence is at the core of everything we do. We create vintage-only wines that reflect the character of each growing season, and we take pride in our meticulous attention to detail across the vineyard, winery and beyond.
Role Purpose
The Production Manager plays a key role in delivering Gusbourne’s vision to craft the finest wine in the world. Overseeing storage, riddling, disgorging, finishing and dispatch, the role is responsible for developing and delivering robust daily, weekly, monthly and annual production schedules that support the business in achieving its ambitious growth and sales targets.
We are looking for a Production Manager who has proven experience balancing the demands of efficient, sustained production flow with the delivery of exceptional, luxury-quality output. The successful candidate will be able to drive operational efficiency without compromising on attention to detail, ensuring every product meets the highest expectations of craftsmanship and presentation. You will attend regular weekly production meetings, collaborating closely with key internal stakeholders to align on priorities and ensure product volumes are delivered in a realistic and effective way. You will be confident managing competing demands, optimising processes, and maintaining rigorous quality control, all while upholding the premium reputation and values of Gusbourne.
This is an opportunity for an exceptional production leader to shape the future at England’s most ambitious luxury wine producer. The role offers real scope to influence standards, capability and operational performance at the heart of a brand defined by quality and an opportunity for personal and professional development as Gusbourne's ambitions continue to expand.
Key Accountabilities
- Lead the manufacturing and production process to improve productivity and control costs.
- Lead the production and warehousing teams to ensure schedules are delivered on time.
- Ensure finished products meet Gusbourne’s premium quality standards.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives from concept through to implementation.
- Support effective management reporting by tracking KPIs that reflect site performance.
- Communicate clearly and effectively with staff, stakeholders and suppliers.
- Manage safety and quality control across production, always maintaining the highest housekeeping standards.
- Identify, assess and resolve manufacturing, production and staffing issues.
- Act as a senior site manager within the production site.
- Accountable for the stock control and ordering of all production consumables.
- Responsible for the auditor management of wine stocks.
- Support the Head Winemaker and Lab Manager with trials and testing of ageing and finished wines.
- Liaise with the Marketing team to ensure label development and bottle presentation meet Gusbourne’s standards.
Key Relationships and Inputs
- The Executive Team.
- Head of Operations.
- Head Winemaker.
- Facilities and Production Engineer.
- Laboratory Manager.
- Administration and Dispatch Team.
- Head of Direct-to-Consumer Sales.
- Head of Corporate Sales and Partnership.
- Head of Exports & Travel Retail.
Role Requirements
- Excellent project management and planning skills.
- Strong leadership capability within a production environment.
- Proven ability to perform effectively in complex, fast-paced and changing environments.
- Highly adaptable, responding positively to shifting priorities and challenges.
- Confident managing internal stakeholder expectations while maintaining delivery against sales demand.
- Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to make effective and timely decisions.
- Ability to coach, mentor and role-model the behaviours and values of high-quality production management.
- Sound working knowledge of Health & Safety and environmental regulations.
- Forklift licence essential.
- Full driving licence and own transport essential.
- Knowledge of inventory management systems (Vintrace and NetSuite desirable).
- Practical understanding of disgorging and labelling machinery.
Behaviours and Competencies
Ethical Practice – Acts with integrity, applies company policies consistently, and makes sound decisions that protect colleagues, product quality, compliance, and the reputation of Gusbourne.
Values-Led Leadership – Leads by example on quality, safety, behaviour and performance standards, creating a culture of accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement across the production operation.
Collaborative Partner – Builds strong working relationships with winemaking, sales, marketing, warehousing and other stakeholders to align priorities, resolve issues quickly, and deliver production plans effectively.
Strategic Thinking – Translates business priorities into practical production plans, balancing long-term objectives with day-to-day delivery, resource requirements, and operational constraints.
Communication Excellence – Communicates clearly and confidently with teams, suppliers and stakeholders, setting expectations, sharing priorities, and ensuring actions are understood and delivered.
Resilience and Adaptability – Remains calm and effective under pressure, responds positively to changing production demands, and adapts plans quickly to maintain output, quality and service.
Continuous Improvement – Uses operational data, KPIs and team insight to identify improvement opportunities, solve problems, and implement sustainable changes that improve efficiency, quality and performance.
Commercial Awareness – Balances quality, service and cost considerations when making decisions on labour, materials, stock, waste and production efficiency, ensuring business targets are met.
Inclusive Mindset – Creates a respectful and supportive environment where people are listened to, treated fairly, and able to contribute fully to team and site objectives.
Coaching and Development – Builds team capability through clear objectives, regular feedback, and structured development conversations. Provides ongoing coaching to empower individuals to make confident, autonomous decisions that are fully aligned with Gusbourne standards.
Rewards & Benefits
- A fulfilling and influential role in a premium, growing industry
- 25 days holiday + bank holidays
- Additional holiday for long service
- 5% employer pension contribution
- Healthcare
- Staff wine allowance and birthday gift
- Training and development support
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- Invitations to staff events, including summer socials and Christmas celebrations
Working Pattern & Salary
- Full-time, 35 hours per week
- Monday to Friday
- Competitive salary, dependent on experience
How to Apply
Please send your CV and covering letter to [email protected]. Whilst there is no specific closing date, we will be actively recruiting throughout the posting timeframe and will close the position when a suitable candidate has been identified
(No agencies, please.)
At Gusbourne, we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and will provide reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.
Work Location: In person
