Shift Manager

Benefits

• Holiday included within the shift pattern
• Pension scheme which offers an employer contribution of up to 9% of salary
• Life assurance of four times your basic salary
• 24/7 Employee assistance programme, TELUS EAP, financial and legal advice, a number of additional perks with discount codes for stores, gyms and experiences
• Doctor Care Anywhere
• Training and development costs associated to role paid for
• £500 Refer a friend scheme
• Cycle to work scheme

Job Type

Permanent

Lead operations at a site with over 300 years of manufacturing excellence

Portals is a global leader in the production of high‑security paper, supplying trusted products to governments and institutions around the world. Based at our historic Bathford Paper Mill, we combine centuries of tradition with modern innovation — and we’re looking for a Shift Manager who can lead our manufacturing teams into the future.

As the Duty Shift Manager, you’ll be the most senior representative on site outside of office hours, overseeing safety, performance, quality, and incident response across all areas of production. You’ll be central to delivering daily results while driving continuous improvement, coaching high‑performing teams, and maintaining our core values and operational standards.

What You'll Be Doing

• Leading a High‑Performing Team (HPT) on shift to meet production and performance targets
• Acting as the first point of escalation for any operational, quality, HSE, or HR issues during your shift
• Ensuring adherence to Health, Safety, Environment, Quality and Security standards
• Leading emergency response as the Incident Commander when necessary (e.g. fire, flood, etc.)
• Championing and applying Lean Manufacturing tools (Kaizen, PDCA, root cause analysis, etc.)
• Supporting daily operations processes including WIP, over‑makes, job planning, and production reviews
• Participating in and leading key shift meetings (3C's, Shift Safety, Operations reviews)
• Acting as a customer advocate, ensuring quality standards are upheld and issues are escalated/resolved
• Coaching, mentoring and developing your direct reports (6 per shift) through performance reviews and SMART objectives
• Supporting safe systems of work: FMEAs, Risk Assessments, Control Plans, and SSOW
• Collaborating with cross‑functional departments (Planning, Quality, Engineering, etc.)
• Driving OTIF (On‑Time In‑Full) production performance and accurate order cut‑offs

What We're Looking For

• Proven experience in a production or operations leadership role within a manufacturing environment
• Strong knowledge of safety, quality, output and housekeeping procedures
• Practical experience with Lean Manufacturing techniques
• Clear understanding of HR processes including performance management
• Excellent communication, coaching, and problem‑solving skills
• Confidence to lead during out‑of‑hours as the senior person on site
• Computer literacy with experience in reporting, data tracking and shift management tools
• Logical, results‑driven, and able to positively influence team performance

Desirable (training can be provided)

• First Aid at Work certificate
• Boiler Operation Certificate
• Experience working with secure or high‑compliance environments
• Familiarity with structured continuous improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma, etc.)

What You'll Get in Return

• Pension scheme with up to 9% employer contribution
• Life assurance (4x salary)
• Private medical insurance
• Access to a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
• Digital GP access through Aviva
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Free/on‑site parking
• Long service awards and recognition platform
• Numerous perks through our EAP
• Sick pay scheme and "Give as You Earn" charity donation scheme
• Full training and development support

At Portals, we deliver exceptional performance by combining innovation with heritage. Our people are at the heart of everything we do, and we invest in their development to drive the future of our business. If you’re a motivated and capable Shift Leader who thrives in a fast‑paced environment and enjoys empowering teams to succeed — we want to hear from you.

Ready to take the next step in your leadership career? Apply to be considered for this exciting opportunity.