CNC Manufacturing Team Lead
Ampthill, Bedfordshire
£42-47k p/a + BUPA, 4 Day Work Week, Annual Bonus
Lockheed Martin (UK) Ampthill is a rapidly changing, dynamic part of the Lockheed Martin Corporation with both domestic and international customers.
It consists of business areas focusing on Platform Integration, Ground Based Air Defence, Special Projects and Weapons, which provide a variety of products and services to the Ministry of Defence and other customers.
We are looking for talented individuals to join the company, in return we offer an exciting and challenging career path and excellent work/life balance with a 4 day week (Mon-Thurs) and flexible working arrangements.
The role:
The CNC Manufacturing Team Lead is a hybrid Leadership / Hands‑On role that commands daily operations of a low‑volume, high‑cost production environment focused on critical hardware and R&D components.
The position demands experience of multiple axis CNC milling machines and a proven ability to motivate and coach a team of up to ten skilled machinists.
The leadership aspect will be accountable for safety, quality, delivery, and cost performance while driving continuous improvement and cross‑functional collaboration. Working within a CNC precision machine shop environment.
The machinist aspect responsible for programming, setting and tool selection, proving out and operating multiple machine tools including multi axis machining centres with various programming language's (3 to 6 axis) to produce R&D, high value 1 off or low volume production component parts.
* Machine types to include Matsuura, Correa Nayak, Hurco,
* Programming languages Fanuc and Heidenhain
Required skills, qualifications and experience:
Team Leadership & Supervision (>50%)
* Lead, coach, and manage a team of up to 10 CNC machinists and technicians, overseeing day-to-day operations.
* Ensure adequate staffing, skills coverage, and shift handovers in line with production demands.
* Conduct regular performance reviews, provide feedback, and support professional development through mentoring and skills matrix assessments.
* Own and manage the assigned production cell/facility to ensure full operational readiness and compliance.
* Schedule and prioritise workloads to meet programme deliverables, internal milestones, and customer deadlines.
* Provide hands-on technical support for CNC programming, machine setup, tooling selection, and problem-solving
* Promote and maintain a strong safety culture, ensuring full compliance with HSE standards and best practices.
* Drive awareness and accountability across the team for safe operations and clean work environments (6S and FOD control).
* Vison and drive to support the delivery of a world class machining facility
* Track, manage and deliver key KPI metrics: Safety, Quality, Schedule Adherence, Cost, and On-Time Delivery.
* Lead root cause analysis and problem-solving initiatives to address machining or assembly issues.
* Champion continuous improvement activities, including lean manufacturing, cost reduction, and process optimisation.
* Work closely with Manufacturing Engineering, Design, Quality, Planning, and Materials teams to ensure seamless workflow and timely resolution of issues.
* Provide feedback to Engineering and Design teams to improve manufacturability and reduce production cycle times.
* Collaborate with other Team Leaders to support load balancing, shared resourcing, and best practice deployment across the wider manufacturing function.
CNC Operation (<50%)
* Support and input to the development of machining processes and tooling/fixture design.
* Ability of tool selection/optimisation and design liaising with tooling suppliers.
* Mentoring and training of others which may include apprentices.
* Working to specifications, procedures and engineering drawings.
* Develop and improve work procedures/processes with engineering team.
* Problem solve machine issues and facilitate corrective action plans.
* Ability to prioritise work load in order to meet deliverable commitments and support production schedule to optimise machine utilisation.
* Demonstrates high quality standards and drive / support improvement initiatives.
Lockheed Martin is committed to upholding principles of equal opportunity, fostering a work environment that is aligned with our core values of integrity, respect, and exceptional performance. We recognize the importance of leveraging the unique talents and experiences of all our employees to drive innovation, deliver superior solutions, and maximize value for our customers. Our focus is on identifying the most qualified candidate for each role, regardless of their background. If you are interested in a position, we invite you to share how your skills and perspectives could bolster our team and encourage you to apply, even if you feel your qualifications do not fully meet all the job criteria outlined in our advertisement. Furthermore, Lockheed Martin is dedicated to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive for all individuals. We are prepared to accommodate reasonable adjustments for applicants as needed. If you require assistance or adjustments to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact recruitment@global.lmco.com or call 02392 415270.