Cell Leader

Cell Leader (Manufacturing)
Location: Grantham
Salary: Up to £30,000 (dependent on experience) + bonus & flexible benefits package, 31 days holiday (including bank holidays)
Sector: Packaging solutions & distribution
Hours: 40 per week
Sector: Bespoke Design/manufacturing corrugated packaging

Protecting What Matters, Together
At Macfarlane Packaging, we are dedicated to protecting what matters most—our people, our customers, communities, and the environment. Our commitment to customer satisfaction, sustainability, and continual improvement creates a collaborative, supportive, and friendly workplace where you can build a rewarding career. With over 75 years of history, we offer stability, ongoing growth, and the opportunity for personal and professional development. Our fast-paced, results-driven environment will challenge you but also give you the satisfaction of directly contributing to our success. We offer competitive pay, personalised incentives, and adaptable benefits to make your rewards package go further. We also prioritise work-life balance and flexibility, empowering you to manage what’s most important. If you value commitment, teamwork, adaptability, and learning, join us to drive change and enable businesses to plan for a better future.

The Cell Leader Role
You will be responsible for managing/leading a team of production operatives within the manufacturing factory environment. The role involves overseeing day-to-day production activities to ensure that production schedules are met, quality standards are maintained, and health and safety policies are adhered to; and works closely with the Production Planners and Team operatives to coordinate work within the factory and ensure the attainment of an efficient production plan and executed OTIF.

Cell Leader Key Responsibilities

1. Team Management:
   • Manage and lead a team of around a dozen production operatives daily.
   • Ensure staffing levels meet production requirements, effectively monitor overtime to meet production schedules.
   • Multi-skill individual team members, maintaining a live training matrix.
   • Provide training, guidance, and support to team members.
2. Production Coordination:
   • Take ownership of production work-to-lists to meet production schedules.
   • Review future production schedules and liaise with the Production Manager to determine material and labour requirements.
   • Identify overdue orders, track materials, and highlight capacity constraints.
3. Quality Control:
   • Examine materials delivered to production departments and finished goods to verify conformance to specifications.
   • Take responsibility for the control of failed quality components.
   • Investigate defects and ensure issues are resolved.
4. Record Keeping:
   • Compile and maintain manual or computerised records such as material inventory, in-process production reports, status, and location of materials.
   • Responsible for stock reconciliation and subsequent stock adjustment.
   • Create and assist team members to maintain standard operating procedures and visual management boards.
5. Communication and Reporting:
   • Actively lead daily production meetings.
   • Liaise with Sales and Planning functions to ensure materials meet production demand.
   • Provide timely and concise reports to the Production Manager.
6. Health & Safety:
   • Ensure that all Health & Safety policies and practices are adhered to.
   • Monitor relevant KPIs, action poor performing areas, and provide feedback to the Production Manager with actions and timescales for improvement.
   • Support maintenance schedules.

What you will bring

The successful candidate will ideally meet with the following criteria…

Essential:

• Proven experience in a similar team leader/supervisory role within a manufacturing-led factory/production environment.
• Strong man-management/direct supervisory skills.
• Experience in managing change in a similar environment.
• Strong problem-solving skills and logical thinking.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality.

Desirable:

• Prior knowledge/experience of corrugate/board (not essential as full training will be provided).
• Familiarity with production planning and scheduling.
• Experience with maintaining standard operating procedures and visual management boards.
• Good IT skills, experience of CRM systems and production management software.

What you will get

We offer a competitive salary, with rewarding bonus/incentive schemes, and flexible benefits including:

• 23 days annual leave (rising to 27 days with service) plus all public/bank holidays.
• Contributory pension scheme.
• Free parking at most of our sites.
• Employee assistance program to support & advise with well-being & any issues.
• Extensive range of training/development & potential progression opportunities.
• Employee discount scheme (discounts on several major retail/leisure brands).
• Annual paid Volunteering Day.
• Simply Health/Dental Cover option or BUPA cover for qualifying roles.
• Enhanced HR policies relating to various employee rights & entitlements.
• Long service awards (5-40 years).
• Charitable giving options.
• Financial support with eye-tests/purchasing glasses (DSE users only).
• O2 Mobile discount scheme (up to 25% off).

Your Future with Us

Working at Macfarlane Packaging, you truly have the potential to shape your own future and set your own ambitions. We are a large group company where internal promotion and mobility is a key feature of our success. Through tailored career plans, we provide a wide range of structure training & development pathways, utilizing both inhouse expertise to share knowledge and the best-in-class external training partners. There is potential access to management & leadership development, and we work closely with recognized, accredited bodies including the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM); So there really are no limits to where your journey with our business may take you.

How to Apply

We are working swiftly to find the best applicants and hope to hold local interviews ASAP. Please click ‘apply’ to submit your up-to-date CV. All applications will be acknowledged. If you haven’t heard from us within 2-3 weeks, please assume your application was unsuccessful. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds irrespective of your age, gender, disability, race, nationality, ethnicity, gender expression, religion or sexual orientation. Should you require any specific support or adjustments during the recruitment process, please email our recruitment team directly. NO RECRUITMENT AGENCIES PLEASE