Cell Leader (Machining Cell)

Terry Parris Associates; Wealden, Lower Dicker; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday

Pension

Life insurance

Private medical insurance

Occupational health checks

Flexible working hours

Eye care vouchers

Free onsite parking

Job summary

Terry Parris Associates is seeking a Machining Cell Leader in East Sussex to lead a precision machining cell and drive improvements in quality, delivery, and cost. You will manage the team on the shop floor, set daily priorities, and work with Planning and Purchasing to keep production on schedule.

The role requires hands-on leadership, experience in low-volume, high-tolerance manufacturing, and a strong focus on lean methods, 5S and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Strong practical knowledge of machining and supervising a shop floor.
• Hands-on leadership with visible shop-floor presence.
• Experience in low-volume, high-tolerance environments.
• Understanding of lean, 5S, and continuous improvement.
• Ability to plan workloads and communicate across teams.
• Accurate numeracy and strong organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day operation of the machining cell from raw material to finish.
• Set daily priorities, run team meetings, coordinate with Planning/Purchasing.
• Train, coach and motivate the team; manage attendance and performance.
• Assess workload and improve flow through tooling and setup.
• Monitor production, resolve issues and drive first-time-right manufacture.
• Maintain traceability, clocking, and visual management.
• Support KPI setting and reporting on quality, delivery and cost.
• Drive 5S, TPM, Kaizen and structured problem solving.
• Work with Quality on root-cause analysis and rework.

Skills

Leadership

Coaching

Lean manufacturing

5S

Problem solving

Planning workloads

Communication

Numeracy

Education

HNC/HND Mechanical Eng

ILM Level 3 leadership

Job description

Machining Cell Leader

Location: Hailsham , East Sussex

Salary: £competitive

Benefits:

• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
• Company Pension Life Insurance
• Private Medical Insurance
• Occupational Health Checks
• Flexible Working Hours
• Eye Care Vouchers
• A state of the art working environment
• Free onsite parking staff kitchen facilities, with free Tea & Coffee Workwear

Lead a precision machining cell producing high-tolerance components for advanced scientific and high-technology applications. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who can keep people, priorities and production moving while improving quality, delivery and cost performance.

The Role

• Lead the day-to-day operation of the machining cell, from raw material through machining and component finishing.
• Set clear daily priorities, run team meetings and work closely with Planning and Purchasing to keep production on schedule.
• Train, coach and motivate the team; manage attendance, work rate, performance and cross-training requirements.
• Assess workload technically and improve flow through batching, work-centre selection, tooling, set-up and programme readiness.
• Monitor production activity, resolve shop-floor issues and drive right-first-time manufacture.
• Maintain material and component traceability, accurate job clocking, current documentation and effective visual management.
• Support KPI setting and performance reporting across quality, delivery and cost.
• Drive 5S, TPM, Kaizen, continuous improvement and structured problem solving.
• Work with Quality on root-cause analysis, rework and remanufacture of non-conforming components.

What You Will Bring

• Strong practical knowledge of machining and experience managing or supervising a machine shop, machining cell or production department.
• Leadership and coaching experience, with a visible and hands-on approach on the shop floor.
• Experience in a low-volume, high-tolerance manufacturing environment.
• Good understanding of lean manufacturing, 5S, continuous improvement and problem-solving methods.
• Confidence planning workloads, interpreting production priorities and working across Planning, Purchasing, Quality and Engineering.
• Strong organisation, communication and numeracy, with the ability to work accurately under pressure.

Desirable

• HNC/HND in Mechanical Engineering or a relevant engineering apprenticeship.
• ILM Level 3 or above in leadership.
• Experience in high-technology, vacuum, scientific-instrument or similarly controlled manufacturing.

Package

• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays.
• Company pension, life insurance and private medical insurance.
• Occupational health checks, eye-care vouchers and workwear.
• Flexible working hours and a modern manufacturing environment.