Senior Production Manager | Milton Keynes | up to £68,566 | Permanent
The Opportunity
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and driven Senior Production Manager to join the Operations department of a leading organisation in the heavy industrial engineering sector. Based in Wolverton (near Milton Keynes), you will take ownership of the Production Support Services areas, specifically Corrosion, Paint, Test, and core Operations production areas.
This is a critical, autonomous role reporting directly to the Head of Operations. You will be responsible for leading and developing multi-disciplined teams to ensure the safe, reliable, and high-quality delivery of demanding production plans and business targets. A key focus will be driving continuous improvement and business change, enhancing operational KPIs, and championing lean production principles to achieve cost-effective and efficient utilisation of resources across high-volume outputs. The role also requires you to support the Head of Operations' strategic vision and deputise for them during periods of absence.
Responsibilities:
Lead, manage, and drive business change within the Production Support Services to deliver business targets, production plans, and budget expectations.
Ensure the team's outputs consistently meet rigorous Safety, Delivery, Quality, and Cost standards.
Manage short to medium-term planning and implement long-term strategies to maximise resource utilisation and minimise waste.
Collaborate effectively with Project Managers, Planners, and other business areas to anticipate and meet yearly budget delivery targets, specifically working with the planning team to sequence work logically and avoid peaks and troughs across the production shops.
Take full responsibility for headcount planning and management to ensure cost-effective manning levels are maintained against the production plan.
Champion continuous improvement activities and extensively apply Lean Manufacturing techniques across processes.
Manage, develop, and motivate teams, fostering high standards of performance, productivity, and accountability, including disciplinary, grievance, and performance review processes.
Ensure professional and open communication with internal and external customers to resolve issues efficiently and act as an effective communicator across the wider business.
Manage and enforce Health, Safety, and Environmental matters to maintain a safe working environment and conduct incident investigations as required.
The Candidate:
We are looking for a proven Operations Management leader with a deep understanding of production environments, particularly those with high-volume outputs in a heavy industrial engineering background.
Essential Criteria:
Demonstrated experience in leading and managing production departments and teams within a heavy industrial setting.
Strong technical understanding of processes such as paint, weld, corrosion, and other related production support services.
Proven ability to lead, manage, and drive significant business change and improve operational KPIs.
Extensive experience and practical application of Lean Manufacturing principles to enhance production efficiency.
Financial acumen, including experience managing cost budgets and a strong awareness of Profit and Loss (P&L).
Analytically strong, proficient in using data, KPIs, and MRP systems to inform decisions.
Robust knowledge and adherence to safe systems of work.
An HNC or equivalent, or a Level 4/5 Certificate in Leadership Management, would be highly desirable.
Location: Wolverton, near Milton Keynes
Salary: Up to £68,566
About Ford & Stanley Group
Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group are in the business of people and performance. Our mission is to create one million better workdays through facilitating great recruitment, leadership and occupational mental fitness. We support our clients in their most challenging business areas – recruiting, developing and retaining the best talent from shop floor to boardroom.
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Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group Ltd is a Disability Confident employer that is committed to a policy of equal opportunities for all opportunity seekers. We shall adhere to such a policy at all times and will review on an on-going basis all aspects of recruitment to avoid unlawful or undesirable discrimination. We will treat everyone equally irrespective sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, age, disability, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief or political beliefs and we place an obligation upon all staff to respect and act in accordance with the policy