Head of Metallic Production

McLaren Racing Ltd; Woking; On-site; GBP 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

McLaren Racing is seeking a Head of Metallic Production to lead our metallic manufacturing engineering and production operations, ensuring the function meets safety, capability, capacity, quality, cost and delivery demands of Formula 1.

You will define the future direction of the function, build an empowered leadership team and bring together people, technology and investment to support current and future car programmes.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience in a complex, high-precision production environment (motorsport, aerospace or similar).
• Proven track record of leading leaders and multidisciplinary teams across production and manufacturing engineering.
• Strong knowledge of metallic manufacturing, including turning, milling, multi-axis machining, industrialisation, tooling, metrology and design-for-manufacture.
• Experience turning priorities into practical organisation, workforce, technology, footprint and investment plans.
• Strong commercial and operational judgement with budget ownership and transformation programmes.

Responsibilities

• Translate priorities into clear operational plans and measurable outcomes.
• Strengthen collaboration across design, manufacturing engineering and production to improve readiness.
• Improve manufacturing flow, lead times, right-first-time delivery and asset effectiveness.
• Own the functional budget and manufacturing roadmap across labour, tooling, maintenance, automation and CAPEX.
• Establish robust safety, risk, process control standards and drive continuous improvement.

Skills

Senior leadership

Leading leaders

Manufacturing engineering

Budget ownership

Strategic planning

Job description

At McLaren Racing, we believe only by chasing performance in everything we do can we give ourselves the best chance of success. Performance on track and in the factory. Performance for our people, our business and our partners. It’s about more than winning. It’s about hitting the highest standards, and then raising the bar again.

Job Description

As Head of Metallic Production, you will lead our metallic manufacturing engineering and production operations, ensuring the function meets the safety, capability, capacity, quality, cost and delivery demands of Formula 1.

You will define the future direction of the function, develop an empowered leadership team and bring together the people, technology and investment needed to support current and future car programmes. This is an opportunity to shape a critical manufacturing capability and create a lasting competitive advantage for McLaren Racing.

What You'll Do

• Translate car build, development, wind tunnel and race support priorities into clear operational plans and measurable performance outcomes.
• Strengthen collaboration between design, manufacturing engineering and production to improve industrialisation, design-for-manufacture, process capability and production readiness.
• Improve manufacturing flow, lead times, right-first-time delivery, asset effectiveness and predictability through effective governance and data-led decision-making.
• Own the functional budget and manufacturing roadmap, making informed decisions across labour, tooling, maintenance, subcontracting, automation, digital systems and capital expenditure.
• Establish robust standards for safety, technical risk, process control and business continuity, while sponsoring improvement and technology initiatives that enhance competitiveness and resilience.

Qualifications

What You'll Bring

• Senior leadership experience within a complex, high-precision production environment such as motorsport, aerospace or another similarly demanding sector.
• Proven experience of leading leaders and multidisciplinary teams across production and manufacturing engineering.
• Strong knowledge of metallic manufacturing, including turning, milling, multi-axis machining, industrialisation, process engineering, tooling, metrology and design-for-manufacture.
• A track record of converting business and product priorities into practical organisation, workforce, technology, manufacturing footprint and investment plans.
• Strong commercial and operational judgement, with experience of budget ownership, capital investment, make-or-buy decisions, cost optimisation and transformation programmes.

Personal Attributes

• A strategic and inclusive leader who creates clarity, builds alignment and enables others to succeed.
• Visible, authentic and credible, with the ability to engage colleagues and influence senior stakeholders across engineering, production and business functions.
• Comfortable making complex trade-offs and taking ownership in a fast-moving, high-pressure environment.
• Curious and adaptable, combining high standards and pace with sound judgement, constructive challenge and a willingness to listen.
• A systems thinker who addresses root causes, encourages shared ownership and builds sustainable improvements.

Additional Information

Success in racing comes from bringing together talented people with different skills, perspectives and experiences. We're committed to building an inclusive environment where everyone feels supported and empowered to deliver their best work.

Every role has the potential to drive high performance. You'll be part of a team united by a shared ambition to push boundaries and embody our racing mindset. We invest in our people through opportunities to develop and grow, creating an environment where individuals and teams can thrive.
Alongside a range of wellbeing initiatives and development opportunities, we're committed to helping you build a rewarding career and make your mark at McLaren Racing.