Operations Team Lead

Team Lead

As a Team Lead, you will play a pivotal role in bringing our vision to life by leading, engaging, and motivating a frontline team to deliver safe, efficient, and high-quality operations. You will act as the first line of leadership on shift, driving performance improvements across safety, quality, service, and cost, while fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and employee engagement.

Responsibilities

People & Leadership:

• Lead, engage, and motivate a team of FLEs to achieve performance targets across safety, quality, service, and productivity.
• Act as the first escalation point for team members, providing clear guidance and support during operational challenges.
• Conduct regular 1:1s, coaching sessions, and performance conversations to drive growth, accountability, and team development.
• Create a culture of inclusion, ownership, and recognition, ensuring high morale and strong collaboration across shifts.
• Manage absence, disciplinary, and grievance processes in line with company policies.

Operations & Performance Management:

• Drive continuous performance improvement through the effective use of Lean Manufacturing tools
• Monitor KPIs in real time and take proactive actions to minimize downtime, waste, and quality issues.
• Facilitate effective line balancing, material flow, planning, and risk management to deliver against daily production plans.
• Escalate and communicate service, performance, or behavioral concerns promptly to the relevant forums and stakeholders.
• Provide cover for fellow Team Leads during periods of absence.

Safety, Quality & Compliance:

• Ensure the safety of all employees, contractors, and visitors during shift operations, promoting a zero-incident culture.
• Respond swiftly and effectively to critical issues including breakdowns, unplanned stops, emergency evacuations, and safety incidents.
• Lead or support investigations into incidents related to safety, quality, environment, or people, ensuring effective root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Maintain compliance with company policies, legal regulations, and food safety standards

Problem-Solving & Decision-Making:

• Actively coach and develop team members in structured problem-solving and behavioral change.
• Lead on-shift problem-solving activities and make informed decisions to protect production continuity and product integrity.
• Champion a proactive approach to risk management and contingency planning.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a manufacturing or FMCG environment, ideally within food and beverage or similar high-speed production.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and develop teams, with strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret data, identify trends, and implement solutions.
• Working knowledge of Lean tools
• Computer literacy (MS Office, production systems, reporting tools).
• Flexible and resilient with the ability to perform effectively in a 24/7, fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Experience with continuous improvement projects and embedding a performance improvement culture.
• Familiarity with food safety, quality systems, or regulated environments (BRC, AIB standards).
• Technical awareness of manufacturing equipment and processes.

A Space to be You

We celebrate individuality and are committed to building an inclusive workplace. Our Employee Resource Groups help embed inclusion into our culture, ensuring everyone feels valued and heard.

Equal Opportunities

We're an equal opportunity employer, committed to the Equality Act 2010. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and will provide any necessary adjustments to support you through the recruitment process.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated nearly $92 billion in net revenue in 2024, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the centre of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.