Back to searchOperations Manager
Zest
Posted a day ago, valid for 11 days
Reading, Berkshire RG17LT, England
£60,000 - £65,000 per year
Full Time
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Sonic Summary
- The Operations Manager position is with a high-growth start-up in the chilled food manufacturing sector, looking for a candidate with experience in food manufacturing, ideally in a supervisory or management role.
- The role involves overseeing daily manufacturing operations, managing production schedules, and ensuring compliance with food safety standards such as BRCGS and HACCP.
- Candidates should possess strong leadership skills, a proactive mindset, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
- The position offers a competitive salary of £50,000 and opportunities for genuine progression as the company continues to expand.
- This is an exciting chance to work closely with the Founders and influence key operational decisions within a supportive team culture.
Chilled Food Manufacturing | High-Growth Start-Up
We're exclusively partnering with an exciting and fast-growing food manufacturer who, over just a few short years, have built a fantastic reputation and loyal customer base. With strong momentum behind them and ambitious growth plans ahead, they're now looking to welcome an Operations Manager to work closely with the Founders and help take the business to the next stage.
This is a rare opportunity to step into a broad, influential role within a young, entrepreneurial business. You'll be at the heart of the operation - supporting day-to-day manufacturing, building robust processes, and helping shape how the business scales. For the right person, this role offers genuine progression as the company continues to grow.
The Role
As Operations Manager, you'll take ownership of the day-to-day manufacturing operation, ensuring everything runs smoothly, safely and efficiently. You'll be hands-on, highly organised, and comfortable wearing multiple hats in a fast-paced start-up environment.
Working side-by-side with the Founders, you'll play a key role in translating growth plans into operational reality - building strong teams, maintaining high food safety and quality standards, and continuously improving how things are done.
Key Responsibilities
Production & Scheduling
* Plan and manage daily and weekly production schedules
* Balance efficiency with allergen management and customer delivery deadlines
* Support scale-up activities as volumes increase
People & Team Leadership
* Lead, motivate and develop the production team
* Maintain strong performance, productivity and morale
* Support shift planning and day-to-day people management
Stock, Goods In & Dispatch
* Oversee ordering, intake and stock control of raw materials
* Maintain accurate stock records
* Ensure finished goods are dispatched on time and in full
Quality, Food Safety & Compliance
* Maintain controlled documents, procedures and records
* Manage supplier approvals and raw material specifications
* Ensure ongoing compliance with BRCGS, HACCP and customer standards
* Support internal audits, customer visits and BRC audits
Health & Safety
* Champion a strong health & safety culture across site
* Ensure legal and internal H&S standards are met
Communication & Collaboration
* Act as the link between production, transport and the office
* Work closely with commercial and logistics teams
* Partner directly with the Founders on operational decisions
What We're Looking For
* Experience within food manufacturing, ideally chilled, in a supervisory, management or operational role
* Strong understanding of food safety and quality systems (BRCGS, HACCP)
* A confident people manager with a hands-on, sleeves-rolled-up approach
* Organised, proactive and comfortable in a fast-moving environment
* Practical mindset, including basic machinery troubleshooting
* Good IT skills and openness to learning new systems
* Ambition to grow with the business and take on more responsibility over time
Why Join?
* Join a genuinely exciting start-up with big growth plans
* Work directly with passionate Founders and influence key decisions
* Clear progression opportunities as the business scales
* A close-knit, supportive team where your contribution truly matters
* Modern factory environment with a friendly, positive culture
If you're looking for a role where you can make a real impact, grow alongside a business, and help shape the future of a rising food brand, this could be a fantastic next step.
As you know over here at Zest we like to do things properly and always want to keep you, the candidate in the loop. Applying to this 'one of a kind' role you give Zest permission to hold your information. If you want to know more about how Zest look after your personal information please visit our privacy policy on the website (url removed)
