Production Manager

Location Nenagh Tipperary (Site Based)

About the Company

Our client is Ireland’s leading provider of freshly prepared school meals, operating from a modern 75,000 sq. ft. production facility in Tipperary. The company produces and delivers thousands of nutritious meals daily, supported by strong investment in automation, food safety systems, and a rapidly growing operations team.

The Opportunity

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Production Manager to take ownership of a large- scale, fast-paced food manufacturing operation. You’ll lead one of two core production shifts, overseeing all on-floor activities, driving performance, and ensuring quality and food safety standards are consistently achieved.

Reporting to the Production Lead, the role offers genuine scope to influence operations, develop teams, and contribute to the continued growth of a national-scale food business.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Management

• Manage day-to-day production operations for your assigned shift, delivering against volume, quality, and efficiency targets.

• Oversee labour planning, shift handovers, and resource allocation to meet daily production schedules.

• Ensure high standards of food safety, hygiene, and compliance in line with HACCP and internal policies.

• Maintain smooth operation of automated production lines, addressing issues quickly to minimise downtime.

People Leadership

• Lead and develop a team of approximately 60–100 production operators, including Supervisors, Team Leaders, and Line Leads.

o AM Shift: ~100 team members (3 Supervisors)

o PM Shift: ~60 team members (1 Supervisor + cleaning team)

• Provide hands-on leadership on the production floor, ensuring effective communication, motivation, and team engagement.

• Foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Performance & Reporting

• Monitor and report on daily performance, yields, and KPIs.
• Liaise with the Production Lead to review shift performance and identify opportunities for improvement.

• Drive efficiency through proactive problem-solving and structured performance management.

Quality & Safety Collaboration

• Partner closely with the Quality team (2 per shift) and external Safety Consultants to uphold food quality and safety standards.

• Ensure full compliance with all food safety documentation and internal reporting systems (including Kelsius and other in-house tools).

• Promote a strong safety-first culture across the production floor.

Experience & Skills

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in a food manufacturing, FMCG, or similar fast-paced production environment.

• Proven ability to lead large operational teams in a shift-based manufacturing setting.

• Strong working knowledge of food safety standards, HACCP, and quality systems .

• Experience with automation and production monitoring systems.

• Excellent communication and people management skills, with a hands -on, proactive leadership style.

• Comfortable working in a dynamic, continuously improving environment.

Why Apply

• Key leadership role in a rapidly growing, purpose-driven food manufacturing business.

• Opportunity to lead a large production team in a modern, automated facility.

• Hands-on role with clear progression opportunities and meaningful operational impact.

Next Steps

For further information on this Production Manager role in Tipperary please contact Caroline Kingston on +353 868395531 or email caroline@hero.ie Check out all our open jobs on our HERO Recruitment website – https://www.hero.ie/.

Please Note: Under its obligation under the Data Protection legislation, HERO Recruitment will not forward your details to any company without your prior approval.

Data can only be transferred outside of the EEA based on standards contractual clauses, to a country for whom an adequacy decision has been given by the European Commission or where the express permission of the data subject has been given. You have supplied us with your personal data in the process of applying for a position. Our client company may have personnel outside of the EEA who will review your data. We will apply the appropriate criteria in respect of the data transfer depending on the location of those personnel.