Head of Production

Overview

Sprout is expanding rapidly, with its Central Kitchen playing a vital role in this growth. The Head of Production will take full responsibility for the long-term vision, organisational design, and operational excellence of the Central Kitchen, ensuring it delivers food at scale that meets high standards of safety, consistency, and efficiency.

This senior role offers a significant leadership opportunity to influence how Sprout's food is produced, creating the systems, teams, and procedures that enable sustainable growth without compromising quality.

The position reports directly to the Operations Director and is based at Sprout Greenhouse's Central Kitchen in Dublin, Ireland. The salary range is €65,000 to €70,000 annually, depending on experience. Immediate start is possible, with applications reviewed continually.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement production systems, capacity planning, labour allocation models, and strategic frameworks that support scalable growth.
• Drive ongoing productivity improvements through automation, workflow redesign, and optimisation of kitchen layout to boost throughput and minimise costs.
• Ensure robust food safety and risk management systems are in place, maintaining retailer-grade quality standards and audit preparedness.
• Build and develop the production management team with thoughtful succession and organisational planning.
• Collaborate across functions including New Product Development (NPD), Procurement, Logistics, and Commercial teams to align production capabilities with sales forecasts and inventory requirements.
• Oversee the Central Kitchen's budget management, focusing on cost-per-unit targets, labour expenditure, and operational efficiency.
• Manage supplier relationships by establishing quality assurance frameworks, addressing escalations, and securing consistent input quality.
• Plan and lead capital projects for facility upgrades, equipment maintenance, and long-term infrastructure improvements.

Success Indicators

• Production capacity meets demand with minimized bottlenecks consistently.
• Unit costs decrease due to smarter process and labour planning.
• Audit results reflect excellent food safety compliance with proactive risk management.
• Production operations become increasingly predictable, efficient, and capable of scaling.
• Strategic plans for facilities and equipment are clear, budgeted, and executed.
• Supplier quality and performance show marked improvement with fewer defects.
• The management team advances in skills and confidence.
• Enhanced alignment and forecasting accuracy across teams.
• Reduction of waste, downtime, and rework rates.
• The Central Kitchen operates as a safe, efficient, and scalable facility under your leadership.

Why Join Sprout?

• Daily provision of quality food at work.
• Career growth opportunities with a culture of internal promotion.
• Employee discounts available across locations.
• Support for mental health and overall well-being.
• Frequent team social events and celebrations.
• A welcoming and supportive team environment.
• A performance-based bonus program.

Candidate Profile

• Minimum of five years’ senior experience in food production, manufacturing, or large-scale food operations.
• Proven success in managing or shaping food production operations with long-term planning for capacity and labour demands.
• Experienced in streamlining production processes, improving flow, and lowering per-unit costs by removing inefficiencies.
• Strong expertise in food safety management systems with experience leading audits to rigorous standards.
• Competence in budget oversight, including labour costs, waste management, and efficiency metrics, guiding data-informed decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to build and foster leadership teams beyond task management.
• Comfortable working cross-functionally to synchronize production with diverse business units.
• An adaptive mindset oriented to growth, embracing system development and continuous operational enhancement without impeding progress.