Group Production Manager

Founded in 2003 by Dong Hyun Kim, his mission was simple, to make fresh and flavorsome sushi and bento available to everyone.

Almost 20 years later Wasabi have 39 successful branches across London, other UK major cities and 4 in New York.

The journey continued in 2019 with the launch of Wasabi Home Bento exclusively into Sainsburys. After several years of great success there, the grocery business expanded launching into Tesco in September 2022. Wasabi has now firmly established itself as the No2 chilled ready meal brand and a driver of significant market growth. And we’re just getting started. The leadership team have set out their 5 year strategy which encompasses company growth, franchise and international expansion.

Our menu is renowned for its distinctiveness, freshness and flavour. The cold food range of sushi, pokes and salads are made fresh daily in our branch kitchens and our hot bento, noodle bowls and soups offer an indulgent and comforting alternative to our broad and democratic demographic.

As we prepare for our next phase of growth and innovation, we have an incredibly exciting opportunity for a Group Production Manager to join our Production Team based in Park Royal.

The Role:

To lead the team in achieving their business KPIs for the area, with a key focus on team member safety, product quality, customer service, environmental impact and process optimisation, providing daily support and coaching to all team members

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage daily production activities, ensuring operations run efficiently and production targets are achieved.
• Plan and oversee production start-ups, changeovers and shift handovers, ensuring effective communication and minimal disruption.
• Optimise labour utilisation, minimise waste and maximise overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
• Maintain high standards of product quality, ensuring any issues are identified and resolved before products move to the next stage of production.
• Investigate quality issues, customer complaints and non-conformances, identifying root causes and implementing corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
• Ensure all operational, quality, safety, environmental and equipment-related documentation is completed accurately and on time.
• Work closely with the Engineering team to ensure preventative maintenance is completed and equipment is maintained effectively.
• Promote a strong health and safety culture, ensuring risk assessments are in place and corrective actions are addressed promptly.
• Lead by example, promoting safe working practices, investigating near misses and coaching team members on positive safety behaviours.
• Lead and support continuous improvement initiatives to reduce waste, minimise costs and maximise operational performance.
• Ensure all team members receive the appropriate training to carry out their roles safely and effectively.
• Carry out regular safety checks and maintain a safe working environment for everyone.
• Support the site's Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) objectives, ensuring relevant commitments are delivered within the production area.

Our Requirements:

• Proven experience in a FMCG manufacturing/production environment (ideally ready meals).
• Shift leadership experience (incl. coaching teams and managing agency labour).
• Excellent leadership and communication skills
• The ability to build a strong sense of team ownership and maintain a high level of morale within the team.
• Evidence of delivering against KPIs (service/output, labour, waste/yield, safety, quality/GMP).
• Confident running daily routines (start-up, hourly boards, handovers, escalation) and RCA (5 Whys/fishbone) to close actions.
• Good knowledge in Health & Safety, Food Safety, Food Quality and Environment requirements within a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• BRC/audit exposure is highly desirable
• Lean/CI (5S/standard work/visual management) trained would be advantageous
• Familiarity with shopfloor systems/ERP is desirable

In return we provide:

• A great working environment
• Pension scheme
• Target Bonus
• Refer A Friend Scheme
• Free Sushi or hot food (vegan options available)
• 50% discount in our Branches
• Employee Assistant Programme
• Long Service Awards
• Stream - a financial wellbeing benefit that lets you access your pay as you earn it in real time and manage savings
• Life Assurance
• Cycle To Work
• Free on-site parking
• A variety of discounts (shopping, food & drink, entertainment and health & fitness) through Perkbox
• Online GP service via Perkbox and
• The opportunity to develop your skills within a growing company.

Our people make us who we are. If you're looking for an exciting challenge and this sounds like the job for you please apply today as we can't wait to hear from you.

COME ROLL WITH US!