We are seeking an experienced Night Shift Manager to lead production operations during the night shift at a busy food and drink manufacturing site in Dorset.

This is a key leadership position with responsibility for ensuring that production is delivered safely, efficiently and consistently throughout the shift.

You will lead through Team Leaders and work closely with Production, Engineering, Quality, Planning and other site functions to achieve output, quality, service and cost objectives.

The successful candidate will be a visible and credible manager who can motivate people, manage priorities and create a positive culture of accountability, teamwork and continuous improvement.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and support Team Leaders and production operators throughout the night shift.

• Plan and control workload, rotas, holidays, attendance, training and performance.

• Set clear priorities and ensure that production plans are delivered safely and effectively.

• Monitor output, yield, quality, labour, waste, downtime and schedule performance.

• Run shift meetings and communicate key information clearly across departments and handovers.

• Respond promptly to production issues, equipment breakdowns and product or quality concerns.

• Ensure that procedures, production records and shift documentation are completed accurately.

• Use site systems, including ERP tools, to maintain effective production control and reporting.

• Manage employee relations matters, investigations and corrective action fairly and consistently.

• Lead improvement activity focused on efficiency, waste reduction, quality, downtime and plant performance.

• Maintain high standards of food safety, personal safety, hygiene, environmental control and good manufacturing practice.

About you

You will have proven experience leading production or operations teams within food, dairy, FMCG or another high-care manufacturing environment.

You are likely to bring:

• Experience managing Team Leaders and production operators.

• A strong understanding of shift-based manufacturing operations.

• The ability to manage output, yield, quality, labour and service performance.

• Confidence handling employee relations, investigations and performance conversations.

• Good commercial awareness and the ability to balance customer requirements with cost and operational demands.

• A clear understanding of food safety, BRC standards, GMP and workplace safety.

• Strong organisational, communication and problem-solving skills.

• A fair, approachable and visible leadership style.

• The resilience to make sound decisions and maintain standards during a busy night operation.

Experience using Epicor or another manufacturing ERP system would be advantageous.

Why consider this opportunity?

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced production leader to make a genuine difference within a fast-paced food and drink manufacturing environment.

You will have the autonomy to lead your shift, develop your team and contribute to improvements that support safety, quality, efficiency and customer service.

If you are an engaging and accountable manufacturing leader who enjoys bringing out the best in people and delivering strong operational performance, we would like to hear from you.

Please get in touch to find out more about this exciting opportunity or apply with your CV today!