Production Manager.

Hartley People Recruitment in partnership with our client are hiring for a Production Manager in Little Island, Cork.

About the Client

Our client is an established Irish chemical manufacturer producing cleaning, sanitising and related chemicals for the dairy and agri-food industry. The site operates to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and FSSC 22000 v6 standards. The client is looking for an experienced Production Manager to lead manufacturing operations and drive continuous improvement across quality, safety and output.

Role Overview

You will manage the day to day running of all production operations. You will make sure chemical liquids and powders are manufactured safely, to specification and in line with customer and regulatory requirements. The role carries direct line management responsibility for production supervisors and operators, and you will work closely with the Quality, EHS and R&D functions.

Key Responsibilities

• Plan, schedule and manage all production activities to meet output targets, delivery deadlines and batch manufacturing requirements, making the best use of people, materials and equipment.
• Line manage and lead the Production Supervisors and General Operators. Hold regular one to ones, performance reviews and skills gap assessments, and manage absence, training and team development.
• Make sure all production is carried out in line with batch manufacturing records, standard operating procedures, work instructions and GMP principles.
• Maintain full production traceability including batch records, yield reconciliation and raw material usage documentation. Keep all records accurate and audit ready.
• Take ownership of production related quality and food safety performance. Investigate non-conformances, customer complaints and process deviations, drive root cause analysis and put corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) in place.
• Lead health, safety and environmental compliance on the production floor. Carry out and review risk assessments, toolbox talks and safety inspections, and uphold COSHH controls, PPE compliance and permit to work systems.
• Manage production input to the HACCP and food safety management system (FSSC 22000 v6), including OPRP monitoring, food safety culture activities and readiness for third party audits.
• Work with the Maintenance function to schedule planned preventive maintenance (PPM), reduce unplanned downtime and prioritise equipment availability for the production schedule.
• Monitor and report on production KPIs (output, OEE, waste, rework, downtime, safety incidents) to the Technical Director. Identify trends and lead improvement projects.
• Manage raw material and packaging inventory levels alongside procurement. Raise purchase requests and deal with suppliers on material quality or delivery issues.
• Lead or support internal audits and external certification audits (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, FSSC 22000). Keep production documentation and processes audit ready.
• Build a positive food safety and quality culture on the production floor through communication, coaching and visible leadership.

Requirements

• Minimum 3 – 5 years’ experience in a production management or supervisory role within chemical manufacturing, food production, pharmaceuticals or a similarly regulated environment.
• Proven experience managing production teams, covering scheduling, performance management and team development.
• Strong working knowledge of GMP, HACCP, COSHH and relevant health and safety legislation.
• Familiarity with ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and FSSC 22000 or equivalent food safety management standards. Experience of third party certification audits is desirable.
• Confident with production planning and batch record management. Experience with quality management system (QMS) software is an advantage.
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills. Experience with root cause analysis tools (8D, fishbone, 5 Why) is desirable.
• Strong communication, organisational and people management skills, with the ability to lead and motivate a small production team.
• A third level qualification in Chemical Engineering, Process Technology, Food Science or a related discipline is desirable. Relevant equivalent experience will be considered.

For immediate consideration, please email your CV to [email protected] or call Darren O’Connor on 051 878813.

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