Packing and Despatch Supervisor - Bespoke Manufacturing

Pay: £14.00 – £14.50 per hour
Location: Whiteghyll Ltd, Bradford
Job type: Full-time
Department: Packing & Dispatch

About the role

Whiteghyll manufactures bespoke display, print, acrylic, joinery and spray-painted products for retail promotions and customer rollouts. Almost nothing we make is standard. Jobs change daily, deadlines move, priorities shift, and the packing and dispatch team are the last people in the chain before the goods leave the factory.

We are looking for a hands-on Packing & Dispatch Supervisor who can organise people, chase information, plan ahead and keep calm when the day does not go to plan.

This is not a desk role. You will be on the factory floor, working with production managers, sales/account handlers, packaging suppliers, transport companies and your own packing team to make sure customer promotions are packed correctly, protected properly and dispatched on time and in full.

The right person will have experience in packing, dispatch, warehouse, manufacturing or distribution supervision, but more importantly they will have energy, common sense, good communication skills and the drive to get things finished properly.

What the job involves

You will supervise the packing and dispatch team and take responsibility for organising the final stage of the manufacturing process.

Your work will include:

• Planning daily packing and dispatch priorities around changing production schedules.
• Supervising a flexible team of packing staff and making sure everyone knows what they are doing.
• Breaking large rollouts and promotions into manageable sections so the team can work in an organised way.
• Checking what is being manufactured and making sure the correct packaging is ordered in good time.
• Working with production managers to understand what will be ready, what is delayed, and what needs chasing.
• Communicating clearly with sales/account handlers when information, priorities or customer requirements need confirming.
• Making sure goods are packed safely and correctly so they arrive with the customer in good condition.
• Checking counts, labels, drawings, picking lists and sales orders to reduce missing parts and dispatch errors.
• Helping design practical packing methods for bespoke items, fragile finishes, acrylic displays, printed panels, joinery and spray-painted products.
• Organising pallets, cartons, protection, labels, delivery notes and courier/freight collections.
• Keeping packaging materials under control, including boxes, pallets, foam, wrap, tape and protective materials.
• Making sure the packing area is kept safe, organised and workable.
• Supporting the team directly when needed, including packing, moving goods, problem-solving and helping clear urgent jobs.

What we are looking for

We are looking for someone who:

• Has experience in a packing, dispatch, warehouse, production or manufacturing supervisory role.
• Is comfortable working in a fast-moving bespoke manufacturing environment.
• Can communicate firmly but professionally with other departments.
• Can tell production managers what is needed and when it is needed.
• Can organise people and stay calm when priorities change.
• Can think ahead and spot problems before they become dispatch failures.
• Has a good eye for detail and takes pride in quality.
• Is willing to be hands-on and help the team, not just stand back and issue instructions.
• Can pick themselves up when the day goes wrong and can keep the team focused.
• Understands that getting goods out on time and in full is just as important as making them.

What this role is not

This is not a repetitive warehouse job where every day follows the same routine.

This is not a role for someone who wants to sit at a desk all day.

This is not a role built around corporate distribution theory, stock jargon or textbook logistics language.

We are looking for a practical organiser who can work with people, materials, packaging, production delays and last-minute customer changes in the real world.

Useful experience

Experience in any of the following would be helpful:

• Bespoke manufacturing
• Point of sale / retail display
• Print, acrylic, joinery or painted products
• Packing fragile or high-quality finished goods
• Courier, pallet and transport collections
• Supervising permanent and temporary/agency staff
• Forklift truck operation, especially counterbalance

A forklift licence would be useful but is not essential.

Working conditions

This is an active factory-floor role. You will be standing, walking, lifting, checking, organising and moving between departments throughout the day.

There may be times when additional hours or weekend work are required for large customer rollouts or urgent deadlines.

The type of person who will do well

You will do well in this job if you are practical, organised, energetic and resilient.

You need to be able to start the day with a plan, then adapt that plan when production delays, missing information, packaging problems or transport changes get in the way.

The best person for this role will be someone who takes pride in getting difficult jobs over the line and enjoys being part of a busy manufacturing team.

Pay: £14.00-£14.50 per hour

Benefits:

• Free parking
• On-site parking

Application question(s):

• 1) This is a hands-on factory-floor role, not a desk-based logistics role. Are you comfortable actively working in the packing and dispatch area each day?
• 2) Do you have experience ordering or organising packaging materials for fragile, bespoke or customer-specific products?
• 3) This role involves chasing production managers, sales teams, packaging suppliers and transport companies. Are you confident communicating firmly and professionally with different departments?
• 4) Have you supervised a packing, dispatch or production team before? Please give details
• 5) Tellus about a time when a dispatch plan changed at short notice. What did you do?

Work Location: In person