Production Team Lead, Dublin

This is an exciting opportunity to be involved in the start‑up of Kilkenny Cheese Limited. Kilkenny Cheese is a joint venture between Tirlán and Dutch family business Royal A‑ware, a 130‑year‑old company with strong positions in EU and global markets. The facility is to be located at a greenfield site adjacent to Tirlán’s specialised nutrition facility at Belview, Co Kilkenny.

Rooted in our rich heritage of family farming and embedded in our communities, Tirlán has evolved to bring the passion of our farmers and their high‑quality ingredients to the international marketplace. Using modern‑day technology and applying the best processes to our milk pool of three billion litres, we now export innovative products and tailored ingredient solutions to beenjoyed in more than 100 countries.

Royal A‑ware is a traditional Dutch family business with a passion for food and a strong entrepreneurial attitude. Demand‑led, we offer our clients tailored products and services. In recent years investments have been made in the development and management of our own supply chains, resulting in independence, efficiency, and flexibility. We are specialised in producing, ripening, cutting, and packaging cheese, and also produce and package cream and fresh dairy products.

Based in Belview in South Kilkenny the role reports to the Site Manager. The Team Lead will have responsibility for managing and motivating a Shift Production Team within a 24/7 operation to achieve Plant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) including OEE, Quality, EHS, etc.

Responsibilities

Maintain productivity through tactical management of the production process and associated processes and systems. Responsible for the execution of and adherence to the production plan on a 24/7/365 basis

Key decision maker in relation to production‑impacting decisions within a shift. Escalate issues to appropriate support or management personnel where necessary

Act as a key point of authority for all team members, and resolve any group or individual issues that may arise within the team

Lead the Daily Operations meeting, ensure meeting objectives are met, actions are captured, and all participants are actively contributing

Maximise team understanding of Site KPIs. Drive team performance through metrics, feedback and training team members. Coordinating systems, policies, and procedures to optimise multi‑skilling across the team

Liaise with maintenance team, agree priorities to maximise plant performance against production needs

Ensure Standardised Operating Procedures (SOP’s) are complied with and adhered to. Address any areas of non‑conformance. Communicate corrective actions when needed

Promote a culture of excellence by ensuring all product is made to the highest quality standards and meets the manufacturing and customer specification

Support the development and implementation of Quality Culture, using the Quality Management System (QMS), and advocating quality, hygiene and cleaning standards within the team

Management of all hazards and associated risks on site, in line with plant policies and procedures. Champion the execution of risk containment practices in the context of the shift and team

Review production logbooks and ensure that all documentation is completed and signed by the appropriate person and is always up to date (GDP)

Contribute to the development of the site culture and act as role model for plant values and behaviours

Promote a culture of continuous improvement based on“World Class” Lean Manufacturing principles

Monitor effluent plant performance and review environmental compliance to ensure that the plant operates within its licensing parameters

As a member of the plant management team, promote our safety culture within the plant. Lead by example and ensure that all EHS procedures and regulatory compliance standards are met

Experience

2 years minimum manufacturing experience preferably in a food/drinks environment. Experience in managing and motivating a team an advantage

Ability to influence at all levels in the organisation.

Effective verbal and written communication skills.

Good prioritisation capability and comfortable adapting to meet production needs.

Organised and methodical, with excellent attention to detail.

Good interpersonal skills and acts with integrity.

Experience in operating within, and delivering on, the highest quality standards in the manufacturing sector

Results driven, customer focused with high performance capability in a fast moving challenging business environment

Excellent leadership and communication skills and the ability to nurture and develop employees

Track record in decision‑making and ability to work on own initiative

Ability to modify style to engage effectively with different people

Person Profile

Knowledge of Dairy or similar food processing industry

Excellent interpersonal and influencing skills

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