Summary
Lead, inspire, and develop a high‑performing manufacturing team, adopting a culture of excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement. Managing and supporting Process Leaders to ensure day‑to‑day operational excellence across all production areas and managing performance and development across the team.
What you’ll do:
* Ensure compliance with Health, Safety and Environmental legislation and best practices.
* Deliver against production Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery & People (SQDCP) targets, ensuring alignment with business objectives and customer expectations.
* Oversee day‑to‑day leadership and coordination of all manufacturing operations, including metal fabrication (cut, bend, weld), machining, composite manufacturing, and assembly processes, ensuring effective use of people, equipment, and materials.
* Work closely with planning and logistics to ensure material availability and flow supports production efficiency and DIFOT.
* Ensure all components and assemblies are manufactured in strict accordance with defined processes, meeting all relevant quality, regulatory, and customer‑specific requirements.
* Define, embed, and manage lean manufacturing strategies to reduce waste, improve process flow, and optimise equipment utilisation across diverse production processes.
* Drive continuous improvement and operational efficiency through data‑driven decision making and structured problem solving.
* Own the deployment and monitoring of KPIs related to safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people.
* Lead the development, monitoring and control of manufacturing budgets, aligned with programme volumes and cost‑down initiatives.
* Collaborate with fellow Heads of Department to shape and deliver the long‑term strategic direction of the Manufacturing function.
* Develop workforce planning and training strategies to support growth, succession, and cross‑functional capability.
* Create and maintain manufacturing policies, procedures and standards to ensure consistent, scalable operations.
* Act as a key liaison across the business, working cross‑functionally with departments such as Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, HR and Commercial.
* Manage change effectively, ensuring new systems, processes or structures are embedded with minimal disruption.
* Support audit readiness and compliance with industry standards (e.g., IATF16949, ISO9001).
* Champion a culture of engagement, feedback and recognition within the manufacturing teams.
What you’ll bring:
* Degree / MBA / HNC Mechanical & Production Engineering or equivalent qualifications
* Proven leadership in a component manufacturing environment – e.g., fabricated assemblies, CNC machined parts, bonded or composite structures
* Specialist knowledge of automotive or aerospace‑grade component manufacture, ideally within low to medium volume production environments
* Experience of operating in a lean environment
* Experience of IATF:16949 would be advantageous
* Strong communication capabilities, both oral and written
* Formal continuous improvement training
* Clear understanding of Health & Safety requirements, ideally with a formal IOSH qualification
* A keen eye for detail and a willingness to be hands‑on when required.
* Have excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and persuade.
* Have a strong team ethos; be collaborative, influential across functions.
* Strong personal motivation and a desire to succeed.
* Driven and persistent with high energy levels – absorbs pressure and gets results.
* Flexible and adaptable – able to deal effectively with complexity, ambiguity and change.
* Extremely focused – able to zero in on key issues and make well thought out decisions based on available data.
* A natural leader who inspires passion and commitment.
* Commercially astute and results oriented.
* Sets high standards for themselves and others.
* Unquestionable personal and professional integrity.
* Excellent presentation skills and a good level of IT literacy (Office 365 products)
What we offer:
* We provide access to a Company Carscheme (ECOS)
* 25 Vacation Days + Bank Holidays
* Performance Bonus
* Future‑Proof Pension
* Private Healthcare: coverage tailored to keep you at your best.
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