Factory Manager

Factory Manager – Kitchen Range Business Unit

📍 Huntington / Peterborough ¦ 🏭 Operations ¦ 💼 Full-Time

Lead Performance. Drive Profit. Deliver Excellence.

We have an exciting opportunity for a highly experienced Factory Manager to join our Kitchen Range Business Unit based in Huntington/Peterborough.

Reporting to the Site Director, you will take full responsibility for leading factory operations, delivering against profit, performance, and customer expectations. This is a senior leadership role where you will drive operational excellence, lead high-performing teams, and ensure the factory consistently achieves its strategic goals.

As part of the Pilgrim’s Europe way of working, this is a site-based leadership role, requiring visible, hands-on engagement with teams and stakeholders across the factory.

What You’ll Be Responsible For

• Own factory budget, cost control, and variance management
• Deliver profit improvement plans (PIP) and strategic cost-saving initiatives
• Manage capital expenditure and drive operational efficiencies
• Lead all factory operations to deliver output, yield, quality, and service targets
• Ensure effective planning for peak and off-peak production periods
• Maintain strong customer service levels—internal and external
• Work closely with Engineering to maximise plant uptime and reliability
• Champion a strong Health & Safety culture, ensuring full compliance and continuous improvement
• Drive safety performance across the factory, embedding accountability at all levels
• Ensure the site is fully compliant with audit, legal, and internal standards
• Deliver against all technical KPIs, ensuring product quality and food safety standards are met
• Build strong relationships with key customers and support business development
• Lead and participate in customer and internal audits
• Lead and develop a team of Production Managers and operational leaders
• Build a high-performance, engaged culture across the factory
• Drive capability through coaching, training, and succession planning
• Partner with HR to ensure effective workforce and talent strategies
• Embed a structured Operational Excellence (OPEX) approach across the factory
• Drive lean initiatives and continuous improvement programmes
• Deliver improvement plans to enhance performance and efficiency
• Lead initiatives to reduce energy consumption and environmental impact
• Ensure compliance with environmental standards and internal policies

What We’re Looking For

• Senior leadership experience within FMCG manufacturing
• Proven track record of delivering operational and financial performance
• Strong people leadership and team development experience
• Experience driving continuous improvement and change
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills
• Strong commercial acumen and problem-solving ability

Desirable:

• HACCP and/or IOSH qualifications
• Degree-level education or equivalent
• Experience in high-risk manufacturing environments

What Success Looks Like

• Achievement of factory financial targets and profit improvement plans
• Strong performance across safety, quality, and audits
• Improved production efficiency and customer service levels
• Engaged and high-performing workforce
• Sustainable improvements driven through continuous improvement

Why Join Pilgrim’s Europe?

At Pilgrim’s Europe, we offer more than just a role—we offer the opportunity to lead within a global, high-performing business:

• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package
• Career progression across a leading international organisation
• Ongoing leadership development and training
• Performance-driven culture that recognises and rewards success
• Collaborative, supportive senior leadership environment
• Employee wellbeing initiatives and support programmes
• Access to employee benefits platform and discount schemes
• Strong commitment to sustainability and responsible operations

Our Values

Our values shape everything we do:
Availability ¦ Humility ¦ Discipline ¦ Sincerity ¦ Ownership ¦ Determination ¦ Simplicity

Ready to Lead at Scale?

If you’re a results-driven manufacturing leader ready to take ownership of a complex operation and drive real impact, we’d love to hear from you.

Apply now and take the next step in your career with Pilgrim’s Europe