Production Team Leader

AVI Ltd. is a leader in South Africa’s consumer goods sector, renowned for its iconic household brands across hot beverages, biscuits, snacks, frozen foods, personal care, footwear, and fashion. Our subsidiary, **National Brands Limited (NBL)**, operates five world-class manufacturing facilities in key locations including Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Durban, producing some of the country’s most beloved tea, coffee, and creamer brands, along with a delectable range of biscuits and snacks.

We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated **Production Team Leader** to join our **Rosslyn Snackworks Factory**. This role requires expertise in **safety management, people leadership, production planning**,**and** labour cost management** within a fast-paced FMCG environment. You will be responsible for ensuring production efficiency, safety compliance, and the overall quality of our output while leading your team to success.

**Key Responsibilities**:
**Safety, Health, and Environment**:

- Enforce correct PPE usage and compliance with safety protocols.
- Promote a strong safety culture, ensuring each shift has a designated SHE rep, first aider, and fire fighter.
- Conduct emergency evacuation drills and complete near-miss reports.
- Conduct weekly toolbox talks and ensure proper waste segregation and disposal.

**Production Management**:

- Lead production teams to meet daily shift targets as per SKU specifications.
- Ensure rapid response to equipment breakdowns and labour availability.
- Oversee pre-checks on machines and manage support departments to provide top service.
- Track hourly production output and monitor adherence to the production plan.
- Maintain high product quality standards and ensure first-time-right production.

**Cost Control**:

- Optimize labour management, including controlling overtime and absenteeism.
- Lead efforts to reduce waste, participate in troubleshooting, and manage start-up times.
- Plan for efficient changeovers, ensuring mínimal downtime and smooth production transitions.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance plant efficiency.

**Quality and Food Safety**:

- Ensure seamless maintenance handovers and proper storage of safety equipment and chemicals.
- Conduct daily equipment inspections and maintain high hygiene standards during production runs.
- Lead quality checks and empower operators to take ownership of their output.
- Ensure non-conforming products are addressed and corrected swiftly.

**People Management**:

- Lead and develop your team with a genuine concern for their growth and well-being.
- Provide ongoing training, coaching, and development using IDP and Skills Matrix frameworks.
- Ensure team members are multi-skilled and well-equipped to meet operational demands.
- Offer recognition, reward, and constructive feedback, while holding individuals accountable for their performance.
- Foster a culture of innovation by encouraging team suggestions and ideas.

**Minimum Requirements**:
**Experience**:

- 4+ years of experience in production within the Food manufacturing industry.
- 1-2 years of supervisory experience in a complex manufacturing structure.

**Qualifications**:

- Tertiary qualification in** Production Management**, **Operations Management**,**Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial or Chemical Engineering qualification.

**Additional requirements**:

- Proficiency in Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS), such as Shopware, SAP.
- Strong knowledge of the MS Office suite.
- Excellent analytical thinking and problem-solving skills.

**Take the Next Step with NBL