Welcome to Hovis. We are the proud guardians of over 130 years of baking experience that make up our iconic and much-loved brand. We produce bread and bakery products created with Hovis goodness at the heart of each. We deliver around 1.3million loaves, every day of the week throughout the UK and Ireland, where we also make Mothers Pride and Ormo products. 

We are 2,800 people working within 8 bakeries, 1 flour mill, and 2 regional distribution centres across the UK. Our success is a result of the hard work of our people;  they are experts in their field whether it’s baking, manufacturing, logistics, engineering, or the many departments within the central functions team based in our head office in High Wycombe. We are a values-led business and expect our colleagues to live, breathe, and embed Quality, Accountability, and Trust into their ways of working.

A fantastic opportunity has arisen for an experienced Production Team Leader to join the team at Hovis Erith, to enable Hovis to deliver on its vision of being the best quality brand in bakery. 

Key Accountibilities: 

• To provide inspirational leadership
• Ability to effectively lead and engage teams through change management programmes.
• To manage, develop and lead the site Operations team.
• To develop an efficient & effective production in line with the site plan and key business performance indicators.
• To ensure the site complies with company and legal standards (safety, hygiene, environment, security).
• Creates and delivers the production strategy and area plan and uses their team to ensure continuous improvement activity is in place to drive year on year improvements.
• HQC+ documentation

People

• Demonstrate visible leadership for the site teams.
• Create an empowering culture and develop a plan to improve employee engagement for their team and the total site.
• Work with the team to ensure a culture of continuous improvement becomes commonplace.
• Ability to build effective and high performing teams across the site.
• Encourage teamwork and an inclusive environment so that all employees on site are treated fairly and consistently.
• Owns and reviews department organisation structure and headcount standards, ensuring appropriate succession plans, recruitment and development plans are in place.

Functional  Operational Excellence

• Ensures total site compliance with all applicable corporate and legal standards (personal safety, food safety, quality, hygiene, environment and security).
• To lead product quality delivery for the site in line with the product improvement strategy.
• Ensure the team delivery of the KPIs to achieve the business plan (financial, quality, customer service).
• Ensure a commitment to continuous improvement across the site to make year on year improvements versus plans and targets.
• Ensures accurate performance reporting across the site for all measures required (site targets, KPI’s, team performance, etc).

Team

• Ability to communicate a compelling and inspired vision for the sites teams.
• Ensure regular communications with the team & site trade union representatives to encourage a collaborative and positive working relationship.

Ideal Experiences / Qualifications / Capabilities:

Essential

• Previous team leader experience in a manufacturing / production environment
• IT literate
• Good verbal and numerate skills
• Financial acumen
• Excellent communication skills
• Action oriented and energetic
• Ability to build effective teams
• Drive for results – can push self and others to deliver outstanding results

Desirable

• Bakery production experience
• BRC & third party audit exposure
• Food hygiene level 2
• IOSH managing safely

This role has a continental shift pattern

Candidate MUST have the right to work in the UK without the need for Visa Sponsorship now or in the future.

The starting salary for this role is £43,322.00 per annum

Why work for us and our benefits:

At Hovis, we understand the importance of looking after our colleagues, so we provide a variety of benefits in addition to their salaries. The benefits we provide at Hovis are as varied as the people who receive them but they are offered with the intention of creating value to them personally over and above their salaries

• There is a range of colleague benefits available, which individuals can select based on their needs.

• Our benefits scheme is called Hovis Choice, which offers a variety of savings and cashback offers on day to day living and much more including eyecare vouchers, and a healthcare scheme to suit everyone.  It also includes our Cycle to Work scheme where you can obtain a brand new bike at a significant saving

• We offer competitive annual leave entitlement and flexibility where possible in order to create a healthy work-life balance

• We celebrate loyalty with our generous long service and colleague recognition schemes

• We offer three levels of pensions

Hovis values diversity and is committed to promoting equal opportunities in the workplace. Every job applicant, employee or worker will be treated fairly and equally with dignity and respect regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, social class, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religious belief, union membership, political opinion, sex, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic.