Operations Manager - Automotive

Aphise; Adelaide; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Aphise is seeking an Operations Manager – Automotive Project Delivery in Holden Hill, Adelaide, onsite. You will lead high-volume automotive projects from requirements to launch, coordinating engineering, quality, procurement, manufacturing and customers to ensure on-time, on-budget delivery with required quality.

You will manage a team of up to 15 people and work closely with OEMs, Tier 1/2 suppliers and international customers to drive production readiness and risk mitigation in a fast-paced

Qualifications

• Experience in high-volume automotive production programs and NPI launches.
• Strong ability to translate customer demand into production-readiness plans.
• Proven ability to manage budgets, schedules, risks and engineering changes.
• Hands-on leadership with clear accountability.

Responsibilities

• Lead automotive projects from customer requirements through development, validation, production readiness, launch and delivery.
• Deliver projects on budget, on schedule and to agreed quality and technical requirements.
• Coordinate tooling, equipment, supplier readiness, process validation and engineering release.
• Work with manufacturing teams to ensure production capacity, cycle times and resources support customer volume requirements.
• Manage launch and ramp-up risks, resolving constraints before they affect output, quality or delivery.
• Lead and develop a team of up to 15 people, setting clear priorities and accountability.
• Manage relationships with automotive OEMs, Tier 1/Tier 2 suppliers and international customers.
• Coordinate mechanical, electrical, controls and software teams where relevant.
• Control engineering changes and their impact on tooling, cost, quality, production and timing.
• Use delivery and production-performance data to identify bottlenecks and drive corrective action.
• Establish practical reporting and processes that improve execution across concurrent projects.

Skills

Automotive project delivery

High-volume automotive production

Team leadership

Cross-functional coordination

Customer relationship management

Job description

About Our Client

Our client is an Australian advanced engineering and manufacturing business developing suspension, motion-control and automated handling technologies for automotive and other demanding technical applications.

Based in Holden Hill, Adelaide, the business combines engineering expertise with precision manufacturing to deliver complex products for Australian and international customers.

About the Role

We are seeking an Operations Manager – Automotive Project Delivery with a strong background in high-volume automotive manufacturing and technical program delivery.

You will understand what it takes to move an engineered product from development and validation into repeatable, reliable production—meeting customer launch dates, required volumes, quality standards and cost targets.

Reporting to business leadership, you will manage multiple technical projects and a team of up to 15 people, coordinating engineering, quality, procurement, manufacturing and customers.

A separate Operations Manager oversees manufacturing operations. Your responsibility is to ensure projects are ready for production and delivered successfully, with the right technical decisions, resources, processes and customer communication in place.

Key Responsibilities

Lead automotive projects from customer requirements through development, validation, production readiness, launch and delivery.

Deliver projects on budget, on schedule and to agreed quality and technical requirements.

Coordinate production-readiness activities, including tooling, equipment, supplier readiness, process validation and engineering release.

Work with manufacturing teams to ensure production capacity, cycle times and resources support customer volume requirements.

Manage launch and ramp-up risks, resolving constraints before they affect output, quality or delivery.

Lead and develop a team of up to 15 people, setting clear priorities and accountability.

Manage relationships with automotive OEMs, Tier 1/Tier 2 suppliers and international customers.

Coordinate mechanical, electrical, controls and software teams where relevant.

Control engineering changes and their impact on tooling, cost, quality, production and timing.

Use delivery and production-performance data to identify bottlenecks and drive corrective action.

Challenge technically or commercially inappropriate customer requests constructively.

Establish practical reporting and processes that improve execution across concurrent projects.

About You

You have worked in high-volume automotive production, where repeatability, throughput, quality and delivery discipline are essential.

Your experience should extend beyond one-off prototypes, workshop operations or low-volume builds. You will understand the demands of supplying consistent products at scale and the consequences of missed launch milestones, unstable processes or supply interruptions.

You will bring:

Automotive OEM or Tier 1/Tier 2 manufacturing experience, ideally involving vehicle components, assemblies or integrated systems.

Demonstrated involvement in high-volume production programs, including new-product introduction, production launches or ramp-up to required output.

Experience translating customer demand into achievable engineering, supplier and production-readiness plans.

Understanding of cycle time, takt time, line balancing, capacity planning, bottleneck management and production throughput.

Experience improving first-pass yield, scrap, rework, downtime or on-time delivery using data and structured problem-solving.

Familiarity with automotive quality planning and launch requirements, including APQP, PPAP, PFMEA and control plans.

Proven technical project-delivery experience, with responsibility for budgets, schedules, risks and engineering changes.

Strong people leadership and the ability to coordinate multidisciplinary teams.

Confident customer management, commercial judgement and clear communication.

A hands‑on approach, high ownership and the ability to make decisions in a fast‑paced business.

Experience with international OEM customers, electric or autonomous vehicle programs, Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement will be highly regarded.

Relevant overseas automotive manufacturing experience is welcome.

Working Location and Eligibility

This is an onsite role in Holden Hill, Adelaide. Interstate applicants willing to relocate are welcome.

Australian permanent residents/citizens are welcome to apply.

Why Join?

Apply high-volume automotive experience to advanced engineering programs.

Lead a team of up to 15 and work directly with business leadership.

Manage technically demanding projects and international customer relationships.

Influence production readiness, delivery performance and continuous improvement.