Production Manager

Are you an experienced manufacturing leader who enjoys being on the production floor, developing people and driving performance? VPK is looking for an experienced Shift/Production to join our manufacturing operation in Limerick. This is a key operational leadership role with responsibility for the overall performance of the site during your assigned shift ensuring production runs safely, efficiently and to the highest quality standards. You ll lead and develop your team, maximise machine performance, reduce waste and downtime, and create a culture where safety, quality and continuous improvement are at the heart of everything we do. The Role As Shift Manager, you ll take ownership of day-to-day manufacturing operations during your shift, coordinating Team Leaders and production teams to ensure customer requirements are delivered on time and to specification (working Mon to Fri 39 hours per week. 7am-3pm one week, 3pm - 11pm 2nd week) You ll be a visible presence on the production floor supporting your people, solving problems, challenging inefficiencies and working closely with Engineering and other departments to keep production running at its best. Key responsibilities will include: Leading, motivating and developing production teams across the shift Driving a strong safety-first culture, ensuring compliance with Health & Safety, hygiene and environmental standards Leading shift briefings and maintaining clear communication across production teams Managing attendance, performance and employee relations fairly and consistently Supporting recruitment, trial assessments and structured training and development Ensuring machinery operates at optimum speeds and performance levels Coaching operators to improve machine set-up and changeover times Monitoring and improving OEE, downtime, productivity and waste Ensuring products consistently meet customer specifications and quality standards Identifying root causes of production issues and implementing sustainable solutions Leading Lean Manufacturing, 5S and Continuous Improvement initiatives Working closely with Engineering on planned and preventative maintenance Ensuring machinery issues are identified and escalated quickly to minimise disruption Using operational data and Daily Operational Management systems to track performance and drive improvements What We re Looking For We re looking for an established manufacturing leader who combines strong people-management skills with a genuine understanding of production machinery and operational performance. You ll ideally have: At least 5 years experience managing and developing production teams within a high-volume manufacturing environment Strong leadership, coaching and people-management skills Experience driving Lean Manufacturing, 5S and/or Continuous Improvement A good understanding of OEE, waste reduction, downtime and machine optimisation Strong problem-solving and root-cause analysis skills Good mechanical aptitude and confidence working within a machinery-led production environment Experience working alongside Engineering on preventative and planned maintenance The ability to manage performance, attendance and employee relations professionally and consistently Strong communication and organisational skills A flexible and resilient approach in a fast-moving manufacturing environment Previous experience within packaging manufacturing would be a distinct advantage, as would technical knowledge of case making, MPG and Bobst equipment, although we are also interested in candidates from other high-volume manufacturing environments with strong technical and operational experience