Location: Stoke Mandeville, Aylesbury, HP22 5BL
Salary: £60,000 – £65,000 + KPI Bonus (OTE £66,000 – £75,000)
About Us:
Gibbs Gears is an innovative, state-of-the-art precision engineering company specialising in the design and manufacture of high-quality gears, shafts, transmission, and complex CNC machined parts for industries like aerospace, motorsport, and advanced technologies. We are pushing the boundaries of world-class manufacturing standards and are looking for skilled CNC professionals to join our team.
Role Overview:
The CNC Machine Shop Production Supervisor is a hands-on technical leader responsible for driving performance, discipline, and continuous improvement across CNC turning and milling operations.
This role combines advanced CNC capability with shopfloor leadership. The successful candidate will actively support programming and setting, lead a team of CNC setters and operators, improve OEE, takt time, spindle uptime, and deliver consistent OTIF-to-stock performance.
The role is designed for a high-calibre individual with the ambition and capability to progress into a Head of Manufacturing position as the business grows.
Key Responsibilities:
1. CNC Technical Leadership (Hands-On)
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Act as the senior technical authority on the shopfloor for CNC turning and milling.
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Hands-on support with Fanuc programming (G-codes, M-codes, probing, offsets).
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Support and optimise setting and changeovers on CNC lathes and mills.
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Develop, refine, and troubleshoot offline CAM programs (SolidCAM preferred).
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Optimise tooling, feeds/speeds, and cutting strategies to improve cycle times and tool life.
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Knowledge of CNC grinding and EDM is beneficial but not essential.
2. Production Execution & Performance
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Drive daily execution of the production plan across CNC assets.
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Improve OEE, reduce takt time, and increase spindle uptime.
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Identify and eliminate downtime caused by tooling, programming, material, or inspection delays.
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Maintain strong shopfloor discipline, job progress visibility, and ERP accuracy (MieTrak / Seiki AIR).
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Ensure machines are consistently loaded, set, and productive.
3. Continuous Improvement Leadership
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Lead and deliver structured CI initiatives using:
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Lean Manufacturing
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Six Sigma / DMAIC
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5S
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SMED (setup reduction)
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Poka-Yoke (error proofing)
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Own root cause analysis and corrective actions for performance losses.
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Deliver measurable improvements in efficiency, uptime, scrap reduction, and throughput.
4. Team Leadership & Development
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Lead, coach, and mentor CNC setters and operators.
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Run daily huddles, shift handovers, and regular one-to-ones.
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Build a strong, engaged, and accountable team culture.
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Identify skills gaps and support training and cross-skilling plans.
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Be an integral part of the recruitment and interview process for CNC roles, assessing technical competence and cultural fit.
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Support onboarding and early performance of new starters.
5. Quality, Safety & Process Control
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Ensure machining processes meet drawing, GD&T, and quality requirements.
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Support NCR investigations with technical input and corrective actions.
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Promote right-first-time machining and strong setup discipline.
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Maintain high standards of 5S, housekeeping, and safe working practices.
Key KPIs (Bonus-Linked)
- OEE improvement across CNC assets.
- Takt time and cycle time reduction.
- Spindle uptime improvement.
- OTIF-to-stock performance.
- Scrap and rework reduction.
- Delivery of CI projects.
- Team capability, retention, and quality of hires.
Candidate Profile
Essential Experience
- Minimum 10 years’ CNC machining experience (turning and milling).
- Strong Fanuc programming capability.
- Hands-on experience in programming, setting, and troubleshooting CNC machines.
- Offline CAM programming experience (SolidCAM preferred).
- Proven experience improving machine performance (OEE, cycle time, uptime).
- Previous leadership, mentoring, or supervisory experience in a CNC environment.
Qualifications
- Time-served apprenticeship or NVQ Level 3 / HNC / HND in Engineering or Manufacturing.
- Lean Manufacturing training.
- Six Sigma Yellow or Green Belt (preferred).
- IOSH Managing Safely (desirable).
Personal Attributes
- Technically credible, calm, and respected on the shopfloor.
- Structured problem-solver with a data-driven mindset.
- Strong communicator and coach.
- Passionate about continuous improvement and modern manufacturing practices.
- Ambitious, with clear potential to progress into Head of Manufacturing.
Career Progression
This role provides a clear pathway to:
- Head of Manufacturing
- Production / Continuous Improvement Leadership roles
Salary & Bonus Package
The role offers a base salary of £60,000 – £65,000 per annum, dependent on experience and capability. This reflects the senior technical, leadership, and continuous improvement responsibilities of the position.
In addition, the role is eligible for a performance-related bonus of up to 10–15% of base salary, linked to clearly defined KPIs including OEE improvement, OTIF-to-stock performance, takt time reduction, spindle uptime improvement, and scrap/rework reduction.
Total on-target earnings are £66,000 – £75,000 per annum, depending on performance.
Development Opportunity (Progression Candidates)
For candidates with strong CNC technical capability who are earlier in their leadership journey, we are open to considering a development appointment.
In this case, the role may be offered at a lower starting salary in the range of £50,000 – £55,000 per annum, with a structured development plan, mentoring, and clearly defined progression milestones. As leadership capability, CI ownership, and delivery against KPIs are demonstrated, salary and responsibility will be reviewed accordingly, with progression toward the full Production Supervisor remit.
Benefits & Perks
The role includes a competitive benefits package comprising a company pension contribution of 3–5%, company mobile phone, and travel allowance/mileage reimbursement. Additional benefits include 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, funded training and professional development, and a clear progression pathway into senior manufacturing leadership roles.
The business offers a supportive, technically strong environment with exposure to advanced CNC machining, continuous improvement initiatives, and long-term career development.
Interested?
Join us and be a part of a dynamic team that’s shaping the future of precision engineering