Area Lead

At Warburtons, family is at the heart of our business. Five generations'​ worth of expertise that goes into making our bakery products allows us to continue a tradition of baking inherited over the past 150 years.

Warburtons is the largest bakery brand in the UK, but that doesn't allow us to rest on our laurels. We are pioneers of the industry and ambitious market leaders, always seeking to challenge ourselves and convention. It is part of our philosophy to provide honest good sense on issues of health and well-being, helping the whole family to enjoy our products as part of a healthy, balanced diet, through a range of products to suit all meal occasions, lifestyles and tastes.

Job Title: Area Lead

Function: Food Manufacturing

Location: Eastwood NG16 3SA

Contract: Full Time, Permanent 

Shift Pattern: 12-hour Days & Nights, rotating over 3 weeks.

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About the Area Lead Role

Are you an experienced people manager from a fast-paced manufacturing environment, ready to take the next step in your leadership career?

We’re looking for a proactive Area Lead to join our Eastwood Bakery, where you’ll lead your team, equipment and processes to deliver safe, high-quality performance on shift.

At Warburtons, we’re looking for Line Managers who inspire their teams, develop capability, and continuously improve the way we work.

Key Responsibilities
Lead and develop your team to deliver against safety, quality, plant, and service target
Drive a high-performance culture, ensuring accountability and ownership across your area
Champion continuous improvement, using Lean and CI methodologies
Deliver operational excellence, consistently achieving or exceeding KPIs
Ensure compliance with all safety, food safety, and equipment standards
Identify and resolve issues quickly, minimising downtime and loss What We're Looking For
Experience in a manufacturing or production environment
Strong people leadership and coaching skills
Knowledge of Lean Principles and Continuous Improvement
Experience in monitoring equipment performance and driving quick resolution
Understanding of production planning and site operations
SAP knowledge (desirable) About Eastwood Bakery Our Eastwood site operates 24/7, 363 days a year, producing fresh bakery products for customers across the Country.

Over 300 colleagues on site
Producing ~30,000 rolls and 24,000 crumpets per hour
A fast-paced, highly automated manufacturing environment Why Join Warburtons?
Profit share bonus
Option to buy additional annual leave
7% pension contribution
Life assurance
Discounts via “Extra Dough” platform
Ongoing personal development
Free products on site (daily essentials covered!)
Health & wellbeing support, including physio and 24/7 helpline We respect and value difference. We look to create an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Companies that are diverse in age, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, or any other aspect which makes them unique, are proven to be better companies. More importantly, creating an environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best work, is the right thing to do