Machine Operative
Salary: Starting £32,950, raising to £35,683 once trained
Hours: Working a 3-shift pattern (6am to 2pm, 10pm to 6am, 2pm to 10pm)
About the role
We are looking for Machine Operatives to join the team at our Belper site and play a vital role in achieving the business goals of our Packaging division, which produces corrugated packaging solutions for a range of customers in the FMCG, Pharmaceutical, Electronics and Industrial sectors.
Health & Safety is our number one priority and therefore you will be accountable for your own health and the health and safety of others, operating in line with safe systems of work (SSOW) and company procedures, immediately raising any unsafe acts with those concerned and reporting health and safety incidents to management, to ultimately help create a safe working environment for all.
You will be responsible for the safe operation of machinery, ensuring efficiencies are maximised and downtime is minimised. You will have set productivity and performance targets to achieve, ensuring that consistent quality standards are met, and you will need to ensure that maintenance and cleaning tasks are carried out correctly, in line with the planned maintenance schedule. We’d also like for you to support and assist with improvement initiatives, as and when they arise.
Key responsibilities include
- To be accountable for own and others health and safety whilst at work, operating in line with SSOW (safe systems of work) and company procedures to enable a safe working environment.
- To raise any unsafe acts seen immediately with individual(s) concerned and immediate reporting of health and safety incidents to management.
- To be responsible for the operation of machinery to ensure efficiencies are maximised and downtime is minimised.
- Achieve set productivity and performance targets ensuring consistent quality standards are met.
- Ensure that maintenance and cleaning tasks are carried out correctly and in line with the planned maintenance schedule. Support and assist with improvement initiatives.
About you
Minimum requirements:
- Puts safety first
- Self-motivated, positive, enthusiastic
- Good communication skills, both verbal and written
- Good Team Player
- Quality conscious
- Positive approach to multi-skilled working
- To be open minded, flexible to challenge and the ability to challenge and be challenged
Preferred requirements:
- Experience working in a production/machine operating environment
Benefits
- DS Smith pension scheme
- Death in service life assurance
- Company sick pay scheme
- Income protection
- Employee assistance programme
- Occupational Health including physiotherapy, and virtual GP service
- Cycle to work scheme via salary sacrifice
- Shopping discounts
- Electric car scheme via salary sacrifice
- Free eye test and flu vaccines
- Employee recognition scheme
- Opportunities to progress within the business
- 25 days’ holiday plus bank holidays
- Discretionary bonus
- Free on-site car park parking
- On site canteen
Skills Required
- Puts safety first
- Self-motivated, positive, enthusiastic
- Good communication skills, both verbal and written
- Good team player
- Quality conscious
- Positive approach to multi-skilled working
- Open minded, flexible to challenge and ability to challenge and be challenged
- Experience working in a production/machine operating environment
DS Smith Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about DS Smith and has not been reviewed or approved by DS Smith.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is considered okay to good across many roles, with some plants indicating competitive or above‑market hourly rates for operators and similar positions. This supports a broadly fair perception of base pay even as experiences vary by site.
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Healthcare Strength — U.S. offerings include day‑one medical/vision and dental, employer HSA contributions, and 100% company‑paid life and short/long‑term disability, alongside an EAP. Some role descriptions also highlight mental‑health and fertility options.
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Retirement Support — Packages commonly reference a 401(k) with company match and, in some locations, pension eligibility or company‑funded retirement contributions. This positions retirement benefits as a meaningful component of total rewards.
DS Smith Insights
What We Do
DS Smith provides innovative packaging solutions, paper products and recycling services with a commitment to sustainability and a circular economy. Our core purpose is to Redefine Packaging for a Changing World, and our expert teams work closely with like-minded partners to incorporate renewable resources for products that minimize our environmental impact, reduce complexity and increase profitability through supply chain optimization
