Production Manager

Elevation are delighted to be exclusively partnered with La Boulangère on the appointment of a Production Manager for their brand new UK manufacturing site in Bardney, Lincolnshire. This is not a Production Manager role where you inherit a team and follow an existing playbook. La Boulangère is opening its first UK site, taking over the former Ryvita plant and building it into a multi line bakery operation. The first line goes into testing in October 2026 with product to market in 2027, and the Production Manager taking this on will have a genuine hand in shaping how the site runs. La Boulangère is a French bakery business with a long history of pairing artisanal standards with serious industrial capability, supplying retailers across Europe. Bardney marks their first UK manufacturing footprint, and this Production Manager will be one of the founding leadership team building it from the ground up. Reporting to the Site General Manager, the Production Manager will take ownership of the BLB1 process line and site warehouse from day one, starting with three teams across pain au chocolat and brioche production. Responsibilities include: • Full accountability for performance across your area against manufacturing KPIs, covering health and safety, food safety and quality, waste, OEE and budgets • Building and developing a motivated, high performing team through coaching, training and recruitment • Owning process improvement and leading capital projects from proposal through to delivery • Keeping the department audit ready for internal and external third party audits at all times • Leading HSE and food safety culture across your teams • Managing the labour model in line with planning requirements As the site grows from a standing start to a large scale operation over the coming years, the scope of this Production Manager role will grow with it. The person • FMCG manufacturing background essential, bakery experience highly desirable • Proven track record as a Production Manager or senior operational leader in a fast paced manufacturing environment • Strong working knowledge of BRC and HACCP, with the credibility to drive a genuine food safety culture • Experienced people leader, ideally through a period of growth or change • Commercially minded and comfortable owning budgets, labour models and production plans • Hands on and adaptable, equally comfortable in detail and in strategic thinking About Elevation Elevation Recruitment Group is a specialist recruitment consultancy that helps people build long-term, successful careers. We work across a wide range of industries and disciplines with a focus on making recruitment feel more human, more honest and more effective. We are specialists in every function and experts in every hire. Check out our website to find out more. Elevation Recruitment Group is managing this vacancy exclusively on behalf of La Boulangère. Any direct applications or agency CVs received in relation to this role will be forwarded to Elevation Recruitment Group, and no agency fees will be applicable.