Operations Manager (Brighter Foods) - THG Manufacturing

About THG

We are THG, a global ecommerce group on a mission to be the global online leader in beauty and sports nutrition.

Our portfolio of leading retailers and brands such as LOOKFANTASTIC, Myprotein, ESPA, Perricone MD, and Cult Beauty form our two core businesses: THG Beauty and THG Nutrition.

From Manchester to New York, we’re powered by a team of over 2500 people who work together, lead by example, and think BIG.

With us, you’ll go further, faster. What are you waiting for?

Location: Brighter Foods, Pendre Industrial Estate, Tywyn, LL36 9LW

About THG Nutrition Manufacturing

THG Manufacturing is the dedicated, high-growth contract manufacturing and co-manufacturing division of THG PLC. Operating from state-of-the-art, BRCGS-accredited manufacturing facilities globally, we partner with prestigious household names and global powerhouse brands who trust us to formulate, produce, and scale their product ranges.

Our specialised manufacturing capabilities include:

Powder Blending (sports nutrition, lifestyle powders, functional health formulations)

Tablets & Capsules (vitamins, minerals, and dietary supplements)

Protein Bar Manufacturing (extruded, layered, and premium enrobed formats)

Fruit Preparations & Concentrates (aseptic processing and clean-label infusions)

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Operations Manager to lead the day-to-day performance and continuous improvement of production operations at our food manufacturing site in Tywyn, Gwynedd.

Reporting directly to the Site Manager, you will be responsible for translating site strategy into operational execution, ensuring production performance is delivered consistently across all shifts. You will provide leadership and direction to the Manufacturing Shift Managers, driving improvements in Safety, Quality, Service, Cost and People performance while embedding a culture of accountability, operational discipline and continuous improvement.

As a key member of the site leadership team, you will play a critical role in stabilising performance, reducing variability between shifts, improving labour utilisation, increasing equipment effectiveness and supporting the site's ongoing improvement journey.

This role offers the opportunity to lead a significant manufacturing operation, influence site-wide performance and develop the next generation of operational leaders within a growing food manufacturing business.

As the Operations Manager Brighter Foods you will:

Health, Safety & Compliance

Provide visible leadership for Health & Safety, driving a proactive culture focused on safety, accountability and hazard elimination.

Ensure compliance with Health & Safety, Food Safety, Environmental and regulatory requirements across all manufacturing operations.

Lead the investigation and closure of incidents, near misses and corrective actions, maintaining high standards of GMP, hygiene and housekeeping.

Support internal, customer and third-party audits whilst ensuring continuous audit readiness.

Leadership & People Management

Lead, coach and develop Shift Managers and Supervisors, building leadership capability and succession strength across manufacturing.

Drive accountability, performance standards, employee engagement, attendance, retention and workforce stability.

Manage performance, capability, disciplinary and employee relations processes as required.

Foster a culture of ownership, continuous improvement and operational excellence aligned to company values.

Operational Delivery

Own manufacturing performance across all shifts, ensuring the safe, efficient and consistent delivery of production plans.

Standardise processes and ways of working to reduce variation and improve operational consistency.

Optimise labour, equipment and material utilisation to meet business and customer requirements.

Lead operational reviews, manage risk and work cross-functionally with Planning, Warehouse, Engineering and Technical teams to deliver site objectives.

Quality & Food Safety

Act as the operational lead for Food Safety and Quality, driving a strong Right First Time culture across manufacturing.

Ensure compliance with HACCP, GMP, customer and site quality standards.

Lead investigations into quality incidents, complaints and non-conformances, implementing robust root cause analysis and corrective actions.

Partner with Technical teams to improve process control, product consistency and reduce waste, rework and customer risk.

Performance Management & Cost Control

Own performance against safety, quality, service, cost, labour and waste targets.

Drive improvements in OEE, productivity, yield and line efficiency through data-led decision making.

Ensure accurate KPI reporting and identify opportunities to reduce costs through waste elimination and operational improvement.

Support budgeting, labour planning and resource allocation to align manufacturing capacity with demand.

Continuous Improvement

Lead continuous improvement programmes across manufacturing, embedding Lean principles and structured problem-solving methodologies.

Drive cross-functional improvement initiatives to eliminate recurring losses, improve efficiency and reduce waste.

Standardise and sustain best practices while encouraging colleagues to contribute improvement ideas.

Deliver measurable gains in productivity, labour utilisation and operational performance.

Engineering & Asset Performance

Partner with Engineering to improve equipment reliability, performance and overall asset effectiveness.

Support the transition from reactive to preventative maintenance, promoting operational ownership of equipment standards.

Minimise downtime through proactive problem-solving and effective maintenance prioritisation.

Contribute to capital investment and operational improvement projects.

Communication & Stakeholder Management

Act as the key operational link between Site Leadership and manufacturing teams, ensuring priorities and objectives are clearly communicated.

Provide effective escalation, reporting and resolution of operational issues and risks.

Build strong relationships across Engineering, Technical, Planning, HR and Supply Chain functions.

Represent manufacturing performance in leadership reviews, providing clear insight into performance, risks and improvement opportunities.

Key Measures of Success

Outstanding safety performance and regulatory compliance.

Consistent achievement of production plans across all shifts.

Reduced variation in performance between days, nights and manufacturing areas.

Improved OEE, productivity and labour utilisation.

Reduced waste, rework and giveaway.

Improved employee engagement, retention and labour stability.

Strong development and progression of Manufacturing Shift Managers and Production Supervisors.

Improved equipment reliability and reduction in downtime.

Successful delivery of continuous improvement initiatives.

Positive customer, internal and third-party audit outcomes.

Sustainable improvements in manufacturing cost performance.

What skills and experience do I need for this role?

Essential

Proven experience as a Production Manager, Operations Manager, Manufacturing Manager or equivalent senior operational leadership role within FMCG, food manufacturing, beverage manufacturing or another high-volume manufacturing environment.

Experience leading multiple Shift Managers and large operational teams across a 24/7 manufacturing operation.

Strong track record of delivering improvements in safety, quality, service, cost and people performance.

Experience managing labour-intensive manufacturing environments.

Demonstrated success in improving operational consistency, efficiency and workforce engagement.

Strong understanding of Health & Safety, Food Safety, HACCP and GMP requirements.

Experience leading co