The Role
(Fixed-Term Contract) Location: Leeds or surrounding area We're looking for a hands on Production Line Team Leader to join us while we build and commission the line, and then take charge of running it.
You'll be with us through the build: as we turn an empty warehouse into a running packaging line — installing and calibrating equipment, running trials, setting the processes — you're part of that from day one, working alongside the team so you understand exactly how the line works before you take charge of it.
Once it's up and running, you're in charge: leading the crew and responsible for the product line day to day — output, quality, safety, logistics and reporting — as part of the daily workforce, working the line yourself alongside the team, not managing it from the office.
What you'll do
- Join the team through commissioning of the new packaging and production line — equipment installation, calibration, trials and ramp to full production — so you know how every part of it works
- Once live, work the line yourself day to day as part of the daily workforce — running machines, clearing jams, covering gaps in the crew — not just overseeing from the office
- Manage a production crew of 5 to 10, including shift planning and staffing
- Lead the team and own the product line end to end: daily throughput, quality pass rates, waste, downtime, supplies and scheduling, with numbers reported daily through our internal systems
- Manage inbound and outbound logistics between our warehouses and the production site
- Work alongside our AI team, who build the tracking, quality inspection and reporting software that runs the line
Who you are
- Previous experience working on a production line in FMCG or co packing, ideally drinks, and you've physically run a line, not managed one from an office
- You've been part of commissioning or relocating a production line before: new equipment, new site, new crew
- Comfortable with packaging line equipment: coders, labellers, conveyors, case packing, and you can clear a jam and reset a machine yourself
- You've built and managed production teams and know how to get quality work from them
- Extremely detail driven: dates, codes, counts and finish quality are exactly right or they don't ship
- Thrive in a fast moving founder led business where you own the outcome, not a job description