Team Leader - Formulation
| Company: | The Compleat Food Group |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £41,852 per annum |
| Hours: | Full-time |
| Location: | Market Drayton |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Posting date: | 4 Sept 2026 |
| Closing date: | 4 Oct 2026 |
Summary
Job Advert
Team Leader
We’re excited to offer an excellent opportunity for a Team Leader – Formulation to join our dedicated team at our site in Market
Rasen.
About The Compleat Food Group
At The Compleat Food Group, we’re proud to be a food business built on purpose and passion. Formed in 2021, we’re on a mission to
create Food to Feel Good - great quality, tasty and affordable food that people love to eat.
We’re home to some of the UK’s most exciting and loved food brands, including Wall’s Pastry, Pork Farms, Wrights, The Real
Yorkshire Pudding Co., unearthed, Vadasz, Squeaky Bean, Palace Culture, and Harvey & Brockless. Alongside our branded portfolio,
we’re a leading supplier of delicious own-label pastry, sweet bakery, party food, olives and antipasti, added-value egg products,
continental meats, dips and sauces and plant-based food to the UK’s major retailers, as well as across foodservice.
With over 6,000 talented colleagues across 17 sites, and an annual turnover of £1.3bn, we’re united by a shared ambition to shape
the future of food for the better.
We are backed by European private equity firm PAI Partners.
Working Hours: Monday - Thursday: 5pm - 5am (Fixed Nights)
Location: Market Drayton
Salary: £41,852 per annum
Job Purpose:
As Team Leader – Formulation, you will be responsible for leading and supporting the formulation team and production area to
ensure the successful delivery of Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost and People (SQDCP) targets. You will provide effective
day-to-day leadership to the team, ensuring high standards of performance, safety and quality are maintained while meeting
production requirements. The role will have a strong focus on hourly and daily performance, working closely with the Shift Manager
and wider production team to identify and resolve issues, drive continuous improvement and ensure operational targets are
achieved.
Key Duties & Responsibilities:
Safety, Health & Environment
* Ensures all team members are supplied with adequate PPE and that they wear it at all times. (E.g. Hearing protection, gloves,
masks)
* Can effectively deal with accidents. Knows how to access first aiders and first aid facilities.
* Investigates accidents and near misses. Follows reporting procedures. Identifies probable cause. Ensures actions are
implemented to prevent a recurrence.
* Ensures pre start checks completed and any issues followed up. Ensure that plant, machinery and equipment in use is safe,
dangerous parts are guarded and properly fitted.
* Ensures team are familiar with and follow site evacuation procedures. Ensures fire doors and equipment are not blocked.
* Ensures clean as you go is in place consistently to reduce the risk of slips and trips
Food Safety & Quality
* Ensures team comply with factory dress code standards at all times. Immediately deals with non-conformances. (E.g. correct hair
nets, jewellery removed, jackets buttoned correctly)
* Ensures prohibited items not being taken into factory (e.g. sweets, chewing gum, phones). Initiates pocket searches if
required.
* Ensures product produced is made to the SOP and meets customer specification.
* Works in partnership with Quality team to improve quality standards and close out non-conformances within timeframe given.
* Ensures area constantly at audit standard and CAYG in place. Ensures successful audits of own area, deals promptly with any
non-conformances
* Knows what HACCP is, implications in own area and ensures all appropriate controls and paperwork is in place.
* Ensures paperwork is accurate, fully completed, delivered on time and enables full traceability. Understands the legal
implications of not doing this properly.
* Ensures compliance with allergen and speciation control on changeovers. Clearly understands the health risks to consumers and
the recall implications. (e.g. product crossovers)
Leading People
* Able to effectively train, coach and mentor team members. Ensures training matrixes are up to date and all required training
and refresher training completed.
* Knows how to best motivate and retain each member of the team. Keeps team members informed of what is going on in the team.
Delivers huddle in absence of manager.
* Effectively manages time off requests balancing employee requests and business needs
* Instigates investigations when required. Able to conduct a fair and balanced investigation. Keeps report factual.
* Able to conduct an effective disciplinary hearing and grievance hearing - first stage
* Regularly reviews own performance in ensuring Ethical trading principles are embedded.
* Demonstrates honesty and transparency as to what's not working. Encourages team to do the same. Demonstrates ability to call
out any non conformance so it can be fixed
* Looks after the health and wellbeing of team members. Effectively monitors absence and follows absence processes. With the
support of HR completes return to work interviews, competent at absence reviews & OH referrals.
* Demonstrates ability to effectively reward and recognise strong performance. Effectively makes use of Hero Awards scheme. Can
also implement performance improvement plans with team members.
Driving High Performance
* Are we making money? Understands current performance targets (plan attainment, service and labour variance). Helps team
understand these requirements and regularly achieves them. Involves team through holding lineside SIC (Short interval control)
meetings
* Effectively mange teams around breakdowns, breaks and changeovers. Achieves throughput rates and drives staff utilisation
improvement
* Actively manages giveaway and rejects. Knows what parts of the process create waste, takes steps to ensure waste is accurately
recorded and disposed of. Continually looking to improve performance in this area
* Knows how to use Lawson and the implications of not keeping it up to date. Able to move material correctly systematically to
match the physical movements.
* Able to apply practical problem solving techniques (5 Why) to operational problems, identifies root cause and implements
action.
* Where problems arise brings together the appropriate cross functional team. Empowers team to generate the solution, only
escalates issues as per escalation process.
* Validates processes are being followed to the required standard. Takes appropriate action if they are not.
* Effectively managers labour across team/department to required standards
Knowledge, Skills & Experience:
* Experience of leading an operational team within the food industry and delving results through others
* Health & Safety / Food Safety & Quality knowledge
* Flexibility, positivity and resilience
* A practical approach to problem solving
* Good communication skills, English and maths
* PC skills
Why Join Us?
At The Compleat Food Group, we believe our people are the heart of our success. That’s why we offer a wide range of benefits
designed to support your lifestyle, wellbeing and career growth:
Financial & Lifestyle Benefits:
* Salary Sacrifice Schemes - including Electric Vehicles, Home & Tech, Cycle to Work, and SMART Pension
* Annual leave with the option to purchase extra
* Holiday Discounts via our online retail platform
* Access to enhanced retail discounts online and in-store
* Free product handouts across our sites, so you can sample and enjoy our delicious products first hand
* EV charging points - available at selected sites
Health & Wellbeing:
* 24/7 access to Grocery Aid for free financial, emotional, and practical support
* Physical Wellbeing Hub - free on-demand exercise classes, gym discounts
* Free diet & nutrition advice with access to thousands of healthy recipes
* Online wellbeing support - from mindfulness to lifestyle resources
* Financial wellbeing tools - including mortgage calculators, budgeting tools, and financial aid
Career Growth & Development:
* Access to a personalised online learning platform (LMS)
* Formal and informal training opportunities tailored to your role
* Performance Development Plans and regular Career Conversations
* Company Mentoring Scheme to add depth and really support your career journey
* Recognition through Club Compleat rewards
Community & Culture:
* 2 paid volunteering days per year to give back to causes that matter to you
* Charity initiatives and fundraising events
* Team socials to connect and celebrate together
* Employee networks & support groups - including Women @ Compleat
* New baby gift for new parents
What You Should Know About How We Recruit
At The Compleat Food Group, we believe great teams are built on difference. We create an inclusive, respectful environment where
everyone feels safe, supported, and are able to be themselves at work.
We’re proud to be an equal opportunities employer and are committed to Fairness, Equity, Inclusivity, and Respect. If you need a
reasonable adjustment at any stage of our recruitment process, just let us know, we’ll support you — confidentially and with care.
We hire the best people for our roles, not the same people. Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, we focus on what you do and the
impact you could make in our business. Our recruitment process is fair, accessible, and designed to give everyone an equal chance.
You’ll also find benefits that support people at every life stage, plus active internal networks — including Women @ Compleat,
LGBTQIA+, and Neurodiversity
Related jobs
Engineering Manager
£75-80k + Car Allowance + Bonus
The Compleat Food Group
Market Drayton
ContractFull time