Factory General Manager - Ashford

Factory General Manager

Ashford

Established in 1957, our Ashford site is the home of some of our most iconic brands including Paxo, Batchelors, Angel Delight and Birds. 

The site consists of two highly automated manufacturing centres, with a complex mix of processing and packaging technologies, all supported by a highly skilled workforce of circa 420 colleagues. Expanded in 2006 to provide 21 production lines, making more than 300 different products.

As Factory General Manager, you will be responsible for leading all aspects of day-to-day site operations; and developing and implementing annual and 5 year strategic plans, in collaboration with all stakeholders.

What you'll be doing:

• Delivering a safe working environment and leading a culture that enhances behavioural awareness to reduce accidents and near misses
• Ensuring that food safety and quality objectives are established, monitored, documented, and reviewed
• Ensuring the site achieves and maintains required GMP standards
• Reducing customer complaints and wastage through effective maintenance and continuous improvement
• Championing the site HACCP programme (resource provision and review contribution)
• Ensuring that regular review mechanisms are in place to monitor and support delivery of performance objectives – at site, team and individual level - and ensuring that standards are continually being met/improved upon
• Owning the talent process on site and responsible for succession of own and site leadership team roles
• Actively encouraging a culture of engagement in which people can perform at their best in a safe and rewarding workplace.
• Delivering a strategic vision for the Factory with a 5-year time horizon. Ensuring that a tracking mechanism exists to monitor progress and that the team is in place to act upon it.
• Aligning functional structures, objectives and KPI’s to deliver against Business and Operations Strategies
• Delivering a Cost Reduction Plan that encompasses cross functional initiatives
• Delivering a Capital Investment Programme that enables the vision to be delivered. Dealing with Local Authorities, Regulatory bodies, etc.; delegating where necessary to site experts.
• Steering continuous improvement projects from ideas generation to completion
• Ensuring that a robust and transparent communications system is in place for the site
• Ensuring that the site Communications Plan is delivered in full via site briefings and extended management team briefs
• Taking responsibility for all key day-to-day decisions relative to the Site with respect to Site duty holder, Trade Union agreements, Safety policies, Quality policies, Capital and maintenance spend, Overhead spend allocation, Dismissal appeals and tribunals and the recruitment of senior team members

What we need from you:

• Demonstrable manufacturing/FMCG experience (or the equivalent of) in a senior operational leadership role
• Proven track record of successfully leading multi-functional teams to deliver strategic and operational objectives. 
• Ability to demonstrate a track record of success in a changing, fast moving and highly complex environment
• Proven ability to build robust, realistic but challenging operational budgets.
• A track record of success in identifying and implementing manufacturing improvements
• Demonstrable experience of managing and driving transitional and cultural change
• Demonstrable project management experience in delivering continuous improvement, operational efficiency and/or major capex projects
• Ability to coach and mentor others and act as an effective role model, championing required values and behaviours
• Ability to influence at all levels and to all stakeholders. 
• Well-practised negotiation skills and trade union experience

What we offer you in return:

• Highly competitive salary
• Car allowance
• On target bonus 
• Generous pension contribution
• Range of corporate benefits

A great British food company 

Premier Foods is one of Britain’s biggest listed food companies, employing over 4,000 colleagues at 15 manufacturing sites and offices up and down the country.

Many of our brands have been part of UK life for more than a century and you’ll find them in 94% of British households.

At Premier foods we believe in inclusion, authenticity and individuality. We aim to ensure all existing and future colleagues are given equitable opportunities and are respected, valued and encouraged to bring their true authentic selves to work no matter who they are, what they look like, who they love or what they believe in. Our culture is one where everyone is welcome.