The Role
As a Production Engineering Team Leader, you will create and shape a new capability that bridges design and manufacture, enabling products to be industrialised, scaled, and delivered with confidence while raising the organisation’s manufacturing maturity and impact on major programmes.
Day‑to‑day, you’ll be at the centre of building and scaling a new Production Engineering capability — leading a mixed team of Production Engineers and Build Technicians, working hands‑on with programmes, and influencing how products are designed, industrialised, and delivered.
You’ll collaborate closely with design, supply chain, and procurement to embed manufacturability and scalability from the earliest stages, while defining and standardising the processes that turn complex designs into repeatable, high‑quality builds. Alongside resolving real production challenges and supporting live build activity, you’ll act as an advocate for the Production Engineering skillset, building strong networks, shaping ways of working, and positioning the function as a critical enabler of programme success.
This is a rare opportunity to balance operational delivery with strategic influence, making a visible and lasting impact as the capability matures.
Your responsibilities will include:
1. Leading and developing a mixed team of Production Engineers and Build Technicians
2. Defining, capturing, and standardising production engineering processes and ways of working
3. Providing design for manufacture and scalability advice to programmes and IDT leads
4. Supporting build and production activities to improve quality, efficiency, and repeatability
5. Acting as the primary interface with supply chain and procurement on manufacturability and sourcing
6. Promoting and embedding the Production Engineering capability across the organisation
Essential experience of the Production Engineering Team Lead:
7. Proven experience leading and developing engineering or manufacturing teams
8. Strong background in Production Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or build environments
9. Experience providing design for manufacture and scalability advice within product delivery programmes
10. Ability to define, standardise, and embed processes in evolving or ambiguous environments
11. Confident stakeholder engagement with engineering, supply chain, procurement, and delivery teams
12. Strong communication and influencing skills, with the credibility to operate at both operational and strategic levels
Essential qualifications for the Production Engineering Team Lead:
13. HNC, HND, or Degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Electronic, Manufacturing, Production, or Aeronautical Engineering or Engineering apprenticeship with significant post‑apprenticeship industry experience in a production or manufacturing environment
14. Equivalent professional engineering experience demonstrating strong production or manufacturing engineering capability
We value difference and we don’t have a fixed idea when it comes to background or education, provided you can show the required level of experience and willingness to learn then we would like to hear from you.
This role is 37 hours per week based at our Farnborough site with a minimum average site attendance of three days per week.
Farnborough
At our Farnborough site exciting work takes place at our state-of-the-art facility, with high-energy laser technologies, our 5m pressurised wind tunnel which has a simulation capability that is unique in the UK and our large research and development projects is a real hub of creativity, research and innovation. Join our talented teams of Engineers, IT & Cyber Specialists, Project Managers, Group Functions Teams and many more to provide future defences in the UK.
Why Join QinetiQ?
As we continue to grow into new markets around the world, there’s never been a more exciting time to join QinetiQ. The formula for success is our appetite for innovation and having the courage to take on a wide variety of complex challenges.
As a QinetiQ employee, you’ll experience a unique working environment where teams from different backgrounds, disciplines and experiences enjoy collaborating widely and openly as we undertake this exciting and rewarding journey. Through effective teamwork, and pulling together, you’ll get to experience what happens when we all share different perspectives, blend disciplines, and link technologies; constantly discovering new ways of solving complex problems in a diverse and inclusive environment where you can be authentic, feel valued and realise your full potential. Visit our website to read more about our diverse and inclusive workplace culture.
Our Benefits
15. Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance
16. Generous holiday allowance, with the option to purchase additional days
17. Options to join Health Cash Plan, Private Medical Insurance and Dental Insurance
18. Employee discount portal: Personal Accident Insurance, Travel Insurance, Restaurants, Cinema Tickets and much more
19. We are proud to support the Armed Forces community by honouring the Armed Forces Covenant and maintaining our Gold Award standard in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme
20. Volunteering Opportunities - helping charities and local community
Our Recruitment Process:
We want to make sure that our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible and we aspire to bring out the best in our candidates by creating an environment where everyone feels valued, heard and supported. If you have a disability or health condition that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your Recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.
Many roles in QinetiQ are subject to national security vetting being completed, applicants who already hold the appropriate level of vetting may be able to transfer it upon appointment. A number of roles are also subject to additional restrictions, which means factors such as nationality or previous nationalities may affect the roles that you can be employed in.