Night Shift Manager

Night Shift Manager

Location: Devon
Shift: Monday–Friday, 22:00–06:00
Salary: £17.50p/h
Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Dragonfly Foods is an award-winning UK manufacturer of 100% organic, plant-based products, hand-crafted in Devon using authentic Japanese tofu-making techniques.

Since 1984, we have grown from a small two-person operation into a respected producer supplying major retailers and wholesalers across the UK. We are proud of the quality of our products and the standards we maintain throughout our manufacturing operation.

As customer demand continues to grow, we are expanding our production capability and strengthening our management team. We are now looking for an experienced and hands-on Night Shift Manager to take responsibility for the smooth running of our overnight operation.

The Role

As Night Shift Manager, you will have overall responsibility for the night production operation, leading a team of up to 15 employees across production and packing.

You will be responsible for ensuring the shift operates safely, efficiently and to the required quality standards, while delivering the production plan and ensuring the factory is ready for the following day's operation.

This is a hands-on management role. You will be expected to lead from the front, support your team, make decisions, resolve issues quickly and maintain high standards throughout the shift.

You will work closely with the Production, Quality, Engineering and Operations teams to ensure effective communication between shifts and that any issues are identified, managed and communicated appropriately.

Key Responsibilities

People & Team Management

• Lead, manage and motivate a night-shift team of up to 12 employees.
• Allocate people effectively across production and packing areas to meet the production plan.
• Ensure team members understand their roles, responsibilities and shift priorities.
• Monitor attendance, timekeeping, performance and standards.
• Provide day-to-day coaching, support and feedback to team members.
• Train and support new employees and help develop existing team members.
• Maintain a positive, professional and accountable team culture.
• Deal with day-to-day employee issues and escalate more significant matters appropriately.
• Lead by example and promote the company's values, standards and expectations.

Production & Performance

• Take ownership of the night-shift production plan and ensure targets are achieved wherever possible.
• Monitor production output, efficiency, downtime and waste throughout the shift.
• Ensure production is completed safely, efficiently and to the required specification.
• Identify bottlenecks and production issues and take prompt action to minimise disruption.
• Work closely with Engineering to respond to machinery breakdowns and technical issues.
• Ensure production priorities are understood and managed effectively when capacity is constrained.
• Minimise unnecessary downtime and ensure equipment and production areas are ready for the next run.
• Complete a clear and accurate handover to the day shift, highlighting outstanding work, issues and priorities.

Food Safety, Quality & Hygiene

• Ensure all products are manufactured to the required food safety and quality standards.
• Maintain high standards of hygiene, housekeeping and GMP throughout the factory.
• Ensure cleaning and changeover procedures are completed correctly and on time.
• Ensure all production records, checks and paperwork are completed accurately.
• Monitor adherence to food safety, allergen, traceability and quality procedures.
• Escalate quality or food safety concerns immediately.
• Support internal and external audits and ensure agreed standards are maintained at all times.
• Ensure chemicals, PPE and cleaning equipment are used safely and correctly where applicable.

Health & Safety

• Take responsibility for maintaining a safe working environment throughout the night shift.
• Ensure employees follow company health & safety procedures and safe systems of work.
• Identify and address unsafe working practices or conditions.
• Ensure accidents, incidents and near misses are reported and dealt with appropriately.
• Promote a strong safety culture across the team.

Communication & Handover

• Act as the main point of contact for the business during the night shift.
• Communicate effectively with Operations, Production, Quality and Engineering.
• Provide clear and accurate shift reports.
• Escalate significant production, quality, staffing or engineering issues promptly.
• Ensure the day shift receives a full and accurate handover of production status, outstanding issues and priorities.

About You

We are looking for someone who is confident leading people, comfortable making decisions and able to take ownership of a busy production shift.

You will ideally have:

• Previous supervisory or management experience within a food manufacturing, FMCG or production environment.
• Experience managing a team of approximately 10–20 people.
• A strong understanding of production processes and factory operations.
• The ability to organise people and resources effectively.
• Good problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• The confidence to challenge poor standards and address issues when required.
• A practical, hands-on approach to management.
• Good attention to detail and a strong understanding of food safety and quality.
• The ability to remain calm and organised when production issues arise.
• A strong work ethic and reliable approach to attendance and timekeeping.
• The ability to work independently and take responsibility for the performance of the night shift.

Experience within a food manufacturing environment is preferred, but we will consider candidates with strong production management experience from other FMCG or manufacturing environments.

Qualifications & Training

The following would be advantageous:

• Food Safety Level 2 or Level 3
• HACCP awareness
• Allergen awareness
• Health & Safety training
• COSHH awareness
• Manual Handling
• Supervisory or Management training
• Experience working to BRCGS or similar food manufacturing standards

Shift & Benefits

• Shift: Monday–Friday, 22:00–06:00
• Hours: 37.5 hours per week
• Overtime: Paid at 1.5× basic hourly rate after 37.5 hours
• Holiday: 28 days including bank holidays

Why Join Dragonfly Foods?

This is an exciting opportunity to join Dragonfly Foods at a time of continued growth and increasing customer demand.

As Night Shift Manager, you will play an important role in increasing production capacity, improving operational performance and developing a strong and effective night-shift team.

You will have the opportunity to make a genuine difference to the way the night operation runs and will be a key part of our wider production and operations team.

If you are an experienced production supervisor or manager who enjoys working in a fast-paced manufacturing environment, takes pride in high standards and wants to be part of a growing business, we would like to hear from you.

Pay: £17.50 per hour

Benefits:

• On-site parking

Work Location: In person