Production Line Leader

Who We Are

Science In Sport Group is a world leader in sports and performance nutrition.

We have two highly regarded brands; SiS which combines world-class science and innovation to provide optimal performance nutritional solutions for professional athletes, sports and fitness enthusiasts and the active lifestyle community. This includes over 320 professional teams worldwide across a broad range of sports including Football, Rugby, Cycling, Athletics, Basketball, Netball and Swimming. Brand ambassadors include former track cyclist Sir Chris Hoy, an eleven-time world champion and six-time Olympic champion, and Eilish McColgan, who won gold in the 2022 Commonwealth Games 10,000 metres.

PhD Nutrition is a premium, active-nutrition brand for the active lifestyle community wanting intelligent nutrition to help them achieve their goals. With over 20 years of research and development, our products are designed to maximise performance in and out of the gym. It’s an exciting time for PhD Nutrition as 2025 will kick off an entirely new line up of brand ambassadors, from hybrid athletes to qualified sports nutritionists.

The two brands sell through the phd.com and scienceinsport.com digital platforms, third-party online marketplaces including Amazon, as well as extensive domestic and international retail distribution.

In 2022 the company opened a state of the art 160,000 square foot manufacturing and logistics facility in Blackburn, Lancashire. Providing a significant advantage in product costs and customer response time and most importantly, allowing Science In Sport to lead the way for quality standards.

Science In Sport is a Performance Solutions partner to globally recognised elite teams, including Tottenham Hotspur, Saracens Rugby, British Triathlon, Aquatics GB, British Cycling, England Netball and Loughborough Sports. As well as being the Official Energy Gel Provider of RunThrough and the Official Nutrition Partner of Ultra X.

The Role

As a Production Line Leader in our world-class food manufacturing facility, you will be responsible for leading a team on a production line to deliver safe, high-quality, and efficient output. You will ensure quality standards are met, safety procedures are followed and lead your teams to exceed target output and changeover expectations.

Through coaching, training, and daily guidance and feedback, you will build the capability and confidence of production operatives. Working collaboratively with other teams, you will drive a culture of accountability, high performance, and operational excellence.

• Job Type: Permanent
• Salary: £14.75 per hour
• Working Hours: 4 days on, 4 days off (11 hours on each working day) 
• Location: Blackburn

Benefits

• • Onsite Gym
  • Cycle to work scheme
  • Product discount
  • Birthday day off
  • Pension scheme, employer contribution at 4%

The work - Your 4 most important responsibilities

1. People Safety

Promote a safety-first mindset by ensuring your team follows all health and safety procedures, reports hazards promptly, and actively participates in safety initiatives. Lead by example to maintain a safe and compliant work environment.

2. Product Quality

Ensure all products produced on your line meet required quality standards. This includes following SOPs, performing routine quality checks, completing paperwork, and addressing any issues quickly and effectively to avoid repeat problems.

3. Operational Efficiency

Lead the team on your line to deliver the daily production plan by managing changeovers effectively, reducing downtime, and meeting targets for output, waste, and cost control.

4. Team Leadership & Development

Coach, support, and motivate your team. Set clear expectations, provide regular feedback, and address performance concerns constructively to ensure fair and consistent development and engagement.

Accountability – what you are responsible for delivering

Production Performance Management

• Deliver the daily production plan, ensuring output and efficiency targets are achieved.
• Lead and coordinate changeovers, ensuring they are completed within target timeframes and right-first-time.
• Control the number of operators on your line according to Bills of Materials (BOMs).
• Accurately update production trackers and records, on time.
• Monitor line performance and take proactive steps to address issues.

Quality & Compliance

• Ensure the team remains compliant with SOPs and quality procedures.
• Complete all Critical Control Point (CCP) checks accurately and on time.
• Continuously communicate quality expectations clearly to the team to prevent NCRs.
• Support quality investigations and help implement corrective actions when needed.
• Act as a role model for quality standards and address any team deviations through coaching conversations.
• Maintain audit readiness by reinforcing the "Clean As You Go" (CAYG) standard.

Health & Safety

• Ensure team members, on your line consistently follow all health and safety procedures.
• Report all incidents, near misses, and hazards immediately.
• Reinforce safety behaviours through toolbox talks, routine checks, and daily conversations.
• Only assign tasks requiring specific training to fully trained team members.

Team Leadership & Development

• Set clear goals and expectations for all team members on your line, at the start of every shift.
• Recognise and celebrate strong performance and exceptional behaviour.
• Support underperformance through constructive and professional coaching conversations.
• Ensure job rotations are carried out as required on time, every time.
• Deputise for the Shift Manager when needed to maintain continuity of leadership and standards.

Communication & Collaboration

• Conduct clear, concise shift handovers to ensure a smooth transition between teams on your line.
• Maintain walkaway standards at the end of each shift.
• Escalate issues promptly and to the appropriate level using the site escalation process.
• Log all equipment breakdowns using the eMaint system.
• Share relevant information with engineers to support fault-finding and resolution.

Stock Accuracy & Waste Control

• Accurately complete stock returns and ensure correct usage of raw materials and packaging.
• Monitor, capture and report waste, escalating waste-causing issues early to the engineering team and your Shift Manager.
• Find and implement effective actions for waste reduction.

Capability - the skills and behaviours required to do this job well

• Leadership & Communication – Confident leading a team, providing guidance, and communicating with colleagues effectively and with respect.
• Health & Safety Awareness – Knowledgeable in workplace safety and proactive in promoting a safe environment.
• Production Knowledge – Skilled in managing line operations and changeovers in a fast-paced setting.
• Problem Solving & Decision Making – Able to address issues calmly and make informed decisions to maintain performance.
• Continuous Improvement – Experienced in applying tools like 5 Whys and Root Cause Analysis (RCA) to solve problems and drive improvements.
• Attention to Detail & Organisation – Accurate in completing records and able to forward plan to ensure the team remains prepared.
• English Language Proficiency (minimum of Level 2) – Able to understand and communicate clearly in spoken and written English to complete documentation, follow instructions, and participate in team communication.
• Proficient in utilising diverse IT systems – Including SAP, with an ability to quickly adapt to and learn new technologies. Skilled in Microsoft Office applications, demonstrating fluency and efficiency across the suite.

Performance – how you will know you are doing a great job

• Safety Performance – Your team works safely with strong engagement in safety practices, resulting in minimal incidents or accidents while under your supervision.
• Safety Engagement – Your team achieves or exceeds safety observation targets, raising useful observations that can positively impact the work environment.
• Production Performance – Production targets are consistently achieved, with efficiency improving and downtime reducing over time.
• Product Quality – Product quality is consistently high, with minimal non-conformances, HOLD stock or rework.
• Continuous Improvement – You actively contribute to improvements that enhance efficiency and product quality and reduce waste.
• Team Development – Your team feels engaged, supported, and is developing through regular feedback and development.
• Team Culture and Wellbeing – You maintain a positive working culture, reflected in high team morale and strong retention.

Specific metrics will be set when in role and will be reviewed and built upon regularly. Alongside this, you will be supported with a personal performance plan that will enable you to continue improving your own performance and impact.

Attributes – experience and mindset that will enable you to do well in this role.

• Experience – Proven experience in a frontline leadership role, ideally within food manufacturing and/or FMCG.
• Ownership – Takes full responsibility for team’s output, safety, and quality, avoids blame and looks for ways they can personally influence outcomes.
• Proactive – Acts early to resolve issues and improve team performance.
• Organised –Effectively manages time and priorities in a fast-paced production environment, ensuring tasks are completed efficiently to a high standard, while adhering to, and promoting, the 5S framework.
• Resilient – Remains focused and adaptable under pressure.
• Professional & Ethical – Acts with integrity and aligns with company values in all decisions and behaviours.

Science in Sport Group is an equal opportunity employer; we value diversity and strive to cultivate an inclusive workplace. We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind in regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We fully support reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process, to provide an inclusive and welcoming recruitment experience.