Production Manager - Newton Abbot

We are looking for a results‑driven Shift Manager to join our team at Yeo Valley in Newton Abbot, bringing a strong focus on labour optimisation and KPI performance. This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced manager who thrives in a fast‑paced production environment and comprehends how to balance people, process, and performance to deliver outstanding operational results.

As Shift Manager, you will play a key role in driving efficiency across the shift, ensuring labour is deployed effectively to meet production targets while maintaining the highest standards of safety, quality, and productivity. You will use data, performance metrics, and real‑time decision‑making to maximise output, reduce waste, and continuously improve operational performance.

Are you someone who is confident directing teams on the shop floor, skilled in performance management, and passionate about creating a culture of accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement? Your ability to analyse KPIs, plan resources smartly, and motivate your team will be essential to the success of the operation. This role can also be called Production Manager or Shift Manufacturing Manager.

Key Responsibilities

• Meeting operational plans (both production and hygiene)
• Ensuring satisfactory handover of information to the following shift, and escalating where appropriate
• Financial budget adherence
• Working with other shifts and stakeholders realizing improvement activities
• Site contact for external hygiene chemical supplier, ensuring maintenance of chemical stock levels are maintained

If you are an organised, proactive leader with a strong understanding of labour planning and performance management within a manufacturing or food production setting, we would love to hear from you.

This role may also be known as a Production Manager or an Operations Manager.

You will work a 4 on 4 off permanent day shift pattern, beginning work at 0600 and finishing at 1800.

The Important Things

• Exceptional people leadership qualities
• Excellent communication skills
• Experience of working in FMCG manufacturing environments
• Proven experience of working with Lean/root cause principles
• Food Safety Level 3 / HACCP level 2

Even Better If

• You have dairy experience
• Experience of hygiene processes in food manufacturing environments
• COSHH qualification

We’re independent, British and proud to be making the highest quality yogurts, desserts and ice cream under the Yeo Valley brand and for many of the UK’s major retailers. Operating from four dairies and two logistics centres in Somerset and Devon, we employ over 1700 staff and produce more than 25% of the UK’s packaged yogurt.

Benefits

• 22 days’ holiday including bank holidays
• non‑contributory pension scheme
• life cover
• healthcare cash back plan
• cycle to work scheme
• subsidised Yeo Valley products and services
• preferential rates with our partners
• annual bonus (as part of the Employee Benefit Trust, based on company performance for the year)
• learning and development opportunities; we’re committed to ensuring all of our employees have the chance to grow

Our closing dates are a guide for when the application window should close, although we may close the advert sooner if we can. So, we recommend you get your application in straight away - and don’t miss the opportunity to join us!

Unfortunately, we’re not able to provide employment sponsorship to candidates at this moment in time.

Please note that Yeo Valley do not accept speculative agency applications; we will only accept applications from preferred suppliers that have been submitted to us via our recruitment portal at the point of instruction.

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