Cell Leader

Martin-Baker Aircraft Company Ltd; Denham; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 73,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Highly competitive pension scheme

Life Assurance

Lunchtime finish on a Friday

Personalised training and development

25-days annual leave plus bank hols

Opportunity to purchase additional PP

Occupational Health team

Cycle to work scheme

Job summary

The Cell Leader at Martin-Baker Aircraft Company Ltd will guide a high-performing assembly team at the Denham site near Uxbridge, responsible for delivering complex sub-assemblies that go into life-saving ejection seat systems.

You will set expectations, coach individuals, use data to drive improvements, and ensure health and safety standards are met, while maintaining SOPs and striving for KPI targets.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading teams in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong understanding of complex assembly operations.
• Effective communicator who can influence, engage and motivate teams at all levels.
• Experience using data and KPIs to monitor and improve performance.
• Ability to perform in a fast-paced environment, balancing priorities and decisions under pressure.
• Practical understanding of assembly tools and equipment.

Responsibilities

• Plan, prioritise and allocate work to meet production targets.
• Lead and develop assembly specialists to hit KPIs.
• Drive high standards of performance, behaviour and accountability.
• Manage resources, including people, skills, tools and equipment.
• Ensure adherence to health and safety standards.
• Identify and implement continuous improvement opportunities.
• Maintain SOPs and work instructions.

Skills

Leadership

Team leadership

Data-driven

KPIs

SOPs

Health & Safety

Tools

Torque tools

Gauges

Measurement equipment

Job description

The Cell Leader will support the Assembly team at our Denham site (near Uxbridge), leading a large group of colleagues responsible for manufacturing complex mechanical and electro-mechanical components.

In this role, you will play a key part in delivering the ejection seat systems that Martin-Baker is world-renowned for.

Direct Impact, Global Scale. Life-Saving Mission.

At Martin-Baker, the work we do matters. We design, manufacture and support life-saving equipment used by aircrew around the world. Our products operate in demanding environments, where quality, reliability and attention to detail are critical.

We’re proud of our long history in aerospace and defence, also focused on the future. Joining Martin-Baker means becoming part of a business with a clear purpose, strong engineering capability and a long-term commitment to its people, products and customers.

Whether you work in engineering, operations, commercial, finance, supply chain or support functions, your contribution helps deliver equipment that protects lives. It is challenging work, but it is also meaningful, and with over 7800 lives saved, it gives our people the opportunity to be part of something with real impact.

The Opportunity

This is a leadership role for someone who thrives on accountability, pace, and performance.

You will lead a high-performing team of assembly specialists responsible for a wide range of complex sub-assembly components. Your focus will be on delivering consistent output against production targets, while continuing to build on the team’s recent success in improving efficiency and KPI performance.

You will:

• Take full ownership of team performance and output.
• Set clear expectations and drive accountability.
• Coach and develop individuals to maximise capability and engagement.
• Use data to track performance, identify issues, and drive improvement.

This role is ideal for a hands-on leader who combines strong manufacturing knowledge with the ability to motivate teams and deliver results.

This is a site-based role at our Denham location.

What You’ll Do

• Plan, prioritise, and allocate work in line with production requirements.
• Lead, manage, and develop a team of assembly specialists to deliver against KPIs.
• Drive high standards of performance, behaviour, and accountability.
• Manage resources effectively, including people, skills, tools, and equipment.
• Ensure full compliance with health and safety standards.
• Identify and implement continuous improvement opportunities.
• Maintain adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs) and work instructions.

What We’re Looking For

• Proven experience leading teams in a manufacturing environment such as fitters, machinists, operators.
• Strong understanding of complex assembly operations.
• A confident and effective communicator who can influence, engage, and motivate teams at all levels.
• Experience using data and KPIs to monitor and improve performance.
• Ability to perform in a fast-paced environment, balancing priorities and making decisions under pressure.
• Practical understanding of assembly tools and equipment (e.g. torque tools, gauges, measurement and test equipment).
• A proactive, accountable mindset with the confidence to escape and resolve issues early.
• Share and demonstrate the Martin-Baker values.

Our Values

At Martin-Baker, we value professionalism, understanding, teamwork, humility, accountability and integrity. We look for people who take pride in their work, collaborate openly and act with care because the work we do matters.

What We Offer

• Highly competitive pension scheme, with additional company contributions. Martin-Baker will contribute 9% of your salary with further incremental payments the more you contribute
• Life Assurance
• Lunchtime finish on a Friday
• Personalised training and development plan
• 25-days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Opportunity to purchase additional annual leave
• Occupational Health team
• Cycle to work scheme

We believe in equal opportunity, committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone is respected. We want you to be able to do your best work.

Martin-Baker is a signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant, showing our support and commitment to our Armed Forces and their families, proudly supporting those who serve.

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). For more information and guidance please visit https://martin-baker.com/security-vetting.

The role also involves access to information governed by U.S. Export Control Laws (including ITAR); therefore, all applicants must satisfy ITAR eligibility requirements.