Head of Manufacturing

Interaction Recruitment; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK manufacturing firm is seeking a Senior Operations Manager to lead production and manufacturing functions. The role requires strong leadership in driving operations strategy, ensuring efficiency, and managing teams in a fast-paced environment. Candidates should have a robust background in manufacturing, with proven experience in senior management and operational delivery.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a senior management role.
• Experience managing teams in a fast-paced environment.
• 5+ years in manufacturing operations with budgetary responsibility.

Responsibilities

• Lead all aspects of Operations and Manufacturing functions.
• Develop and drive operations strategy.
• Oversee Production and Repack operations to ensure efficiency.

Skills

Senior management experience

Team management

Operational strategy development

Data-driven operational evaluation

Change management

Education

LEAN / SixSigma Green Belt

IOSH or equivalent

Engineering degree or equivalent

Job description

Overview

As part of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) you will be responsible for the management and leadership of the production and manufacturing functions of the business to effectively deliver against the business KPIs and strategy, thus ensuring long term sustainability and supporting growth by providing strong commercial execution of the companys strategic plan from an operational perspective.

Responsible for the direct management of the Manufacturing Team, including Repack operations, you will provide guidance and leadership to ensure effective operations and service are maintained.

Working closely with other heads of department looking to ensure effective communication and working relationships are established and maintained to drive the business to deliver against key business requirements.

Responsibilities

Specific Role Responsibilities

• Overall responsibility for all aspects of the Operations and Manufacturing functions:
• Develop and drive the company s operations strategy to support 98% OTIF target and budget
• Look to improve productivity, efficiency, environmental impact and reduce costs while ensuring that high quality products are produced that meet required standards
• Review and implement processes, procedures and tools which add value by reducing costs, mitigating risk and improving service through effective management
• Drive automation and quality improvement initiatives
• Responsible for overseeing the leadership and management of the day-to-day Production and Repack operations of the business, ensuring the functions are running efficiently
• Developing, implementing, monitoring, and reporting on operations KPIs to evaluate and achieve efficiency and performance (including real time metrics data collection and updating throughout shifts), and analysing data to inform future strategy and approaches
• Support the implementation of new systems, processes and infrastructure change to increase efficiency and maximise performance
• Managing resource; labour & overheads, to ensure maximum output and efficiency whilst controlling costs
• Ensure and maintain a safe working environment by adherence to HSE requirements
• Complete Hazard Tags where required
• To monitor and develop own skills and those of team members in line with business needs
• Performance measurement and management including absence management and individual development
• Continuous team and individual learning and development, including training, supporting, and coaching individuals in line with company People Strategy
• Look to support a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration and innovation, with an emphasis on embracing technology to maximise efficiency
• To assist in the delivery of the site and wider company objectives
• To carry out or assist with any duties as deemed necessary in connection with the business

Key Relationships

• Head of Supply Chain & Logistics
• HR
• Commercial & Sales Teams
• Additional Support Functions

Knowledge/ Skills/ Experience

Essential

Desirable

• Proven experience in a senior management role
• Experience of managing teams within a fast paced and complex environment
• Manufacturing Operational background with at least 5 years in a senior role with experience of strategy development, hands-on operational delivery and budgetary responsibility
• Proven record of automation that creates higher consistency and quality, reduction of lead times and improved work flow
• Engineering and production machinery experience
• Change management - experience of innovating to improve performance and implementing and embedding change in line with continuous improvement
• Ability to successfully evaluate operational performance and take an analytical and data driven approach to operational processes to further scale the business
• Ability to be agile and work within a faced paced environment
• Strong people management & leadership skills
• Customer focused to ensure an efficient and optimised operations function and embedding a customer-centric team culture

• LEAN / SixSigma Green Belt
• IOSH or equivalent
• Engineering degree or equivalent