Team Leader at Unilever

Job Summary

The Team Lead is a management professional with a good technical understanding of manufacturing and general food technology. Team Leads should ideally have proficient mechanical skills and display excellent personal and leadership qualities.

The TL leads a shift consisting of several teams.  The TL is responsible for the safety of those on the shift, the quality of production and the quantity produced against business requirements.

Leading improvement projects for operational processes, TL have a strong understanding of the end to end manufacturing process. This includes the food and electro-mechanical processes and controls. She/he is able to interpret technical diagnostics, identify key issues and process risks. TL possess the leadership skills to act with speed and rigour.

She/he understands the factory’s financial situation and use their training in continuous improvement methodologies to drive the team’s work to counter losses and eradicate waste. They lead project work to support factory initiatives. Skills for problem solving, coaching and innovating are central to the role. The TL provides a common standard of communication and engagement across the factory. They liaise closely with the core factory functions, including Engineering, Planning, HR, Quality and Safety to achieve this.

Main Job Purpose

• Leadership. Promote the development of a highly effective team through the establishment of a positive team climate supported by authentic leadership and clear communication.
• Technical. Effective mechanical skills supported by detailed knowledge of the end to end manufacturing processes relevant to their operation and endorsed Good Manufacturing Practice. Knowledge of food and electro-mechanical processes and principal factory controls.
• Preventative maintenance schemes and condition monitoring (e.g. vibration analysis).
• Hazardous Area Equipment and Hazards specific to operation.
• Online/remote diagnostics to connect with category technical experts.
• Safety. Utilise appropriate safety and environmental procedures for people, processes, materials, products and equipment to ensure a safe working environment for the whole team. Full knowledge of hazards in the workplace.
• Environment. Reduce costs due to waste and minimise impact to health, safety and the environment through working to eliminate waste and through the correct management of waste and hazardous materials.
• Facilitation and Coaching. An ability to facilitate technical improvements using continuous improvement tools. Able to coach Operators to build team performance and responsible for administration of Unilever disciplinary matrix.
• Decision Making. Makes governance decisions for the team and adjudicates on unresolved team issues. Sets the strategy for Continuous Improvement and Preventative Maintenance in her/his area guided by loss trends and direction provided by the SUD and Engineering Managers.
• Continuous Improvement. Apply rigorous Cost Deployment and the Zero loss concept to eliminate losses. High skill level in Continuous Improvement that is aligned closely with World Class Manufacturing and LEAN methodologies.
• Problem Solving. Has the ability to identify, prioritise and address problems using appropriate tools and techniques that eliminate recurrence.
• Quality. Apply core knowledge of Quality skills; Quality Measurement, Prioritisation, Improvement, Assessment and Certification etc to sustain Quality standards in the factory operation.
• Management. Able to coordinate business resources and apply risk management processes. Keen sense of prioritisation and ability to influence change. Resolve conflicts where identified.
• Administration. Timely and accurate administration for a cluster of teams; shift rosters, time keeping, pay, performance, training and safety. Liaise with Sourcing Unit leads to ensure policy compliance.
• Planning and Organising. Prepare work plans within resource constraints and review implementation to drive improvement.
• Systems. Responsible for execution of stock counts and SAP material movements to support effective raw and packaging material control.
• Business Awareness. Understand the business needs for change and innovation.

Key Requirements

• National Diploma / Degree or Technical, Food and Engineering related.
• Over 3 years’ experience in a Team Lead Role
• Diploma level in a nationally registered management programme typically covering leadership and managing change, human resources management, organisations and behaviour, business strategy and decision making.

CLOSING DATE: 29th, July 2022