Production Manager

Date: 29 Sept 2026

Location: Belfast, GB

Company: Hovis

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.

JOB TITLE : Production Manager

SHIFT PATTERN : Days Shift Monday to Friday

FUNCTION : Supply Chain

LOCATION : Belfast

REPORTS TO : Manufacturing Manager

PURPOSE:

To deliver health and safety, quality, service, cost and people performance targets by leading, directing, motivating, coaching and performance managing a shift based team. To drive and implement continuous improvement and sponsor change. This is a day shift role which also provides shift cover as required to cover shift managers absences.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Promoting Health and Safety, ensuring team wear appropriate PPE, conducting risk assessments, safety inspections/ Audits. Accident investigation (when appropriate) and ownership of any improvement issues that are identified in the investigation.
• Quality assurance to include compliance to quality standards, identifying and preparing action plans to reduce customer complaints, and timely completion of necessary audits.
• Support any NPD activity within the department with correct and timely management of recipes and trials.
• Delivery of the people plan for the team to include conducting performance reviews with direct reports which may include operators and shift managers.
• Communication to ensure a focus on a results driven and engaged team.
• Absence management and conducting disciplinary and grievance meetings and investigations.
• To effectively manage the overall production wages budget, constantly reviewing costs and identifying opportunities for savings.
• To identify and implement PDPs and cost saving measures.
• Responsibility for production area and output including performance targets and attainment

Essential Criteria

• Minimum of 2 years leadership experience preferably in a manufacturing organisation
• Good understanding of manufacturing systems and procedures with knowledge of safety standards and sustaining continuous improvement
• Analytical approach to problem solving
• The ability to take a logical approach to decision making
• Experience and evidence of improving line and team performance
• Experience and evidence of continuous improvement
• Competent communication skills

Desirable Criteria

• Knowledge of basic baking techniques
• Experience of Lean tools and techniques.
• Food Hygiene Qualifications
• NEBOSH or IOSH training
• Food manufacturing experience
• Train the trainer
• Experience working within a Trade Union environment

COMPETENCIES, SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS

• Ability to build effective relationships (internal & external) and to influence at all levels and across the wider business.
• A lateral thinker with good critical reasoning skills capable of identifying commercial and cost saving opportunities.
• Highly numerate with the ability to analyse and communicate clear, concise information.
• Strong Results Focus and a winning mentality.
• Self-motivated with the enthusiasm and resilience to drive performance and change.

KEY LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES

• Customer Focus

• Drive for results

• Inspirational Leadership

• Leading Change

• Building Capability

• KPI’s

• Quality, adherence to Site Standards, reduction in CPMU and audit completion.

• Health & Safety – delivery of the required reduction in accident levels, ensuring compliance with audits

• Wages budget – delivery of the wages budget for the Production department

• Cost : Delivery of Efficiency, Yield and damage targets

• Leadership & development of the Production team

Why work for us and our benefits:

At Hovis Bakeries, 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 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 enhanced annual leave and maternity/paternity leave, 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

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.

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.