We are looking for an experienced Manufacturing Engineering Manager to work in our long established precision subcontract machining business.
Do you have a solid background in machining of complex precision components? Experience of machining different materials and solving problems?
Do you enjoy taking on new challenges and working with the customer to understand their requirements? Do you enjoy delivering the goods to the highest level of quality, leading a team and managing projects to deliver on time?
If you enjoy all of the above, we would be delighted to discuss the opportunity further with you. A family business, with a passion for UK manufacturing, we are looking to add great talent to our team. We look to invest in our people and our facility to be a market leader in our field.
Below are a few key points form the job description.
The Manufacturing Manager is responsible for leading the development of efficient, quality-focused manufacturing processes, managing New Product Introduction (NPI), and ensuring that customer requirements are fully understood and met. This role supports problem-solving efforts on the machine shop floor, works closely with the Production Manager to ensure adherence to production schedules, and takes a commercially competitive approach in estimating and responding to RFQs. Close collaboration with the Production and Quality Managers is essential to align production, quality, and customer satisfaction goals across projects.
This role is ideal for a manufacturing professional with a strong technical background, a focus on commercial competitiveness, and a passion for embedding best practices. The Manufacturing Manager will be pivotal in developing efficient manufacturing processes, managing NPI projects, and collaborating closely with production and quality teams to drive the business’s technical capabilities and meet customer expectations.
Key Responsibilities
Manufacturing Process Development
- Lead and manage the team responsible for developing and optimising manufacturing processes that meet quality and efficiency standards.
- Support the Production Manager in ensuring schedule adherence and efficient resource utilisation, providing technical expertise to address production issues.
- Oversee the team in problem-solving on the shop floor, addressing production challenges and minimising downtime.
New Product Introduction (NPI) and Process Implementation
- Oversee the NPI process, ensuring a smooth transition of new products into production with robust, validated processes.
- Collaborate with quality and production teams to establish production readiness and address any technical challenges prior to launch.
- Conduct risk assessments and facilitate pre-production reviews to ensure all project requirements are met for NPI success.
Customer Collaboration and RFQ Management
- Act as the primary technical liaison for customers, understanding their component specifications, project goals, and timelines.
- Lead the team in responding to RFQ information in a timely manner, supporting commercial competitiveness by providing accurate cost estimates and process routing insights.
- Ensure a focus on the commercial viability of projects during quoting, balancing quality, cost-effectiveness, and schedule considerations.
Quality and Compliance Alignment
- Work closely with the Quality Manager to embed quality considerations in all manufacturing processes, ensuring compliance with AS9100D standards.
- Implement quality-focused best practices within manufacturing to proactively address potential risks and align with customer specifications.
- Support and collaborate with quality and inspection teams on measurement strategies and root cause analysis for any non-conformances.
External Supply Chain and Tooling Coordination
- Engage with the external supply chain to clearly communicate project and component requirements, ensuring timely and quality-aligned procurement of materials and tooling.
- Oversee tooling and work holding needs, collaborating with suppliers and the production team to maintain a well-prepared production environment.
- Ensure tooling, work holding, and material resources are optimised and aligned with best practice standards for production efficiency.
Continuous Improvement and Capability Development
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives that focus on enhancing process efficiency, reducing waste, and increasing the company’s technical capabilities.
- Collaborate with the Production Manager to embed Lean principles across the machine shop, improving workflow and fostering a best practice culture.
- Support customer-driven projects that highlight the business’s technical capabilities, contributing to process innovation and demonstrating our value to the market.
Team Leadership and Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Lead and develop the team responsible for supporting manufacturing process design, troubleshooting, and shop floor problem-solving.
- Foster a collaborative, solution-focused environment where team members are encouraged to innovate and improve existing processes.
- Work closely with the Production Manager and Quality Manager, ensuring alignment between production goals, quality standards, and customer requirements.
Qualifications and Experience
- Minimum of 5 years in a manufacturing management or process engineering role within a precision engineering or machining environment.
- Strong experience in NPI management, manufacturing process development, and customer-facing project management.
- Demonstrated understanding of AS9100D standards and quality-driven production; familiarity with ISO14001 is an asset.
Key Competencies
-Leadership & Team Development:Skilled in leading and developing a high-performing team focused on quality, problem-solving, and continuous improvement.
-Customer and Commercial Focus: Strong aptitude for understanding customer requirements, producing competitive quotes, and meeting RFQ timelines.
-Technical Proficiency:In-depth knowledge of manufacturing processes, tooling, work holding, and NPI, with a hands-on approach to shop floor problem-solving.
-Organisational Skills:Able to balance multiple priorities, adjusting to changing demands while aligning with production, quality, and customer requirements.
-Collaborative Communication:Strong interpersonal skills for cross-departmental collaboration, particularly with Production and Quality Managers.
#J-18808-Ljbffr