Production Manager
Location: Westbury
Hours: 08:00 – 17:00, Monday to Friday
Salary: £45,000
Job Purpose
To support the Mill Manager in the effective and profitable operation of Westbury Feed Mill. The Production Manager is responsible for managing production processes to ensure feed is manufactured safely, efficiently, and to the required nutritional and physical quality standards.
The role oversees people, processes, machinery, and materials to deliver consistent production output while maintaining strict compliance with health & safety, environmental, welfare, and food safety standards.
Main Responsibilities
Operational Management
- Oversee the safe and efficient manufacture of feed, ensuring consistent quality and strong internal/external customer relationships
- Act as Mill Manager during periods of absence
- Manage performance of production and hygiene teams, ensuring productivity and standards are met
- Challenge processes and behaviours to improve efficiency and cost control
- Schedule production to maximise uptime and resource utilisation
- Liaise with Raw Materials, Transport, and Engineering teams to balance supply, demand, and minimise downtime
People Leadership
- Lead, motivate, and support a self-managed team to achieve targets
- Identify skills gaps and address through coaching, mentoring, and training
- Promote a culture of accountability, learning, and continuous improvement
Compliance & Audit
- Maintain the mill in an audit-ready condition at all times
- Ensure full compliance with H&S, welfare, food safety, environmental and legal requirements
- Support budgeting, forecasting, and cost control
- Drive continuous improvement and cost-saving initiatives
Westbury-Specific Responsibilities
- Ensure feed formulations are accurately entered into production systems
- Monitor feed quality daily using PDI results and adjust production accordingly
- Carry out weekly hygiene inspections (internal and external)
- Complete monthly health & safety inspections with the compliance team
- Support production scheduling based on customer demand and logistics
- Work closely with Training, Compliance, and Safety teams to maintain standards
General Responsibilities
- Maintain confidentiality at all times
- Promote company values, policies, and procedures
- Ensure adherence to SOPs, biosecurity, and safety standards
- Support team training and development
- Participate in rota/on-call requirements where needed
- Undertake additional duties appropriate to the role
Person Specification
Essential:
- Minimum 5 years’ experience managing a team in a production environment
- Strong numeracy skills
- Effective communication and teamwork skills
Desirable:
- Experience in a feed mill or similar environment
- Manual Handling training
- Forklift/CAT licence
- Basic IT/computer literacy
Skills & Attributes
- Strong leadership and people management skills
- Effective problem-solving and decision-making ability
- Ability to work under pressure and manage priorities
- Strong organisational and planning skills
- Technical understanding of feed milling processes
- High attention to detail and quality standards
- Continuous improvement mindset
Attitude
- Positive, collaborative, and solution-focused
- Committed to safety, quality, and compliance
- Proactive in driving improvement and challenging the status quo
- Leads by example and builds trust within the team