Job Description

Role: Production Team Leader
Location: Flimby, West Cumbria
Salary: £40,000 depending on experience
Employment Type: Permanent, Full-Time, 7am - 5pm Monday to Thursday.
Benefits: Bonus,Enhanced Pension contribution, Private Medical, Private Dental, 4X Life Assurance

Realise is delighted to be working with New Balance. New Balance is a known for its commitment to quality, craftsmanship, and innovation. Founded in 1906 in Boston, USA, the company has built a reputation for producing high-performance footwear and apparel that blends cutting-edge technology with timeless style.

The Flimby factory, established in 1982, is at the heart of New Balance’s Made in UK collection, producing iconic styles that celebrate the brand’s heritage while embracing modern advancements.

The role:

As a Team Leader at New Balance’s Flimby facility, you will play a key leadership role in ensuring world-class manufacturing operations. Reporting to the Operations Manager, you will oversee the Value Stream (team of circa 15 colleagues), driving productivity, efficiency, and customer service improvements while maintaining the highest standards of health & safety and product quality. This role is pivotal in identifying performance gaps, leading root cause analysis, and implementing solutions that contribute directly to the business’s bottom line.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate, and coach your team to foster a high-performance culture.

• Act as a champion for health, safety, and environmental standards, ensuring risks are minimised.

• Ensure top-tier product quality, working closely with teams to address and prevent defects.

• Drive effective communication within the Value Stream.

• Set clear expectations for direct reports, ensuring they have the resources, training, and development opportunities needed for success.

• Manage performance and resolve conflicts, working in partnership with HR when necessary.

• Oversee labour and resource allocation, ensuring production targets are met.

• Compile performance reports, attend key meetings, and escalate issues promptly.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to achieve efficiency, cost, and delivery targets.

• Ensure adherence to company policies, leadership competencies, and core values.

What We’re Looking For

• Proven leadership experience, with a track record of building high-performing teams within a manufacturing, production or engineering environment.

• Strong communication and coaching skills, with an inspiring leadership style.

• A customer and quality-focused mindset.

• A safety-first approach with a commitment to health & safety compliance.

• Proficiency in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

• Problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify root causes and implement solutions.

• Flexibility, adaptability, and strong time management skills.

Don't meet every single requirement? At Realise, we are dedicated to helping our clients build diverse, inclusive and authentic workplaces, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every requirement, we would encourage you to apply anyway! You might be just the candidate we're looking for!

Realise HR Ltd is operating as an employment agency on behalf of its clients. We may keep your CV on file for the purposes of providing recruitment services and in accordance with our privacy policy which can be found on our website www.realisehr.co.uk