Lead Production Manager – Lean Manufacturing & Safety

Theo James Recruitment; Pickering; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Theo James Recruitment is helping a Pickering-based manufacturing business recruit a Production Manager to own day-to-day performance. You will lead production teams to meet schedules safely, efficiently and to quality standards, while collaborating across functions to resolve operational challenges.

You will drive Lean initiatives, develop Supervisors and Team Leaders, and monitor KPIs such as OEE, RFT and cost per unit to deliver continuous improvement and operational excellence.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a Production Manager or similar leadership role within manufacturing.
• Strong leadership skills with experience developing Supervisors and Team Leaders.
• Hands-on approach with a focus on health and safety.
• Experience delivering against production plans and customer requirements.
• Good understanding of KPIs including OEE, RFT, scrap, yield and downtime.
• Experience implementing Lean and continuous improvement principles.
• Track record of reducing waste and driving efficiency improvements.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day production activities and keep the plan on track.
• Promote a zero-harm safety culture and ensure safe systems of work.
• Manage customer schedules and shifting production priorities.
• Drive improvements in RFT, scrap, rework and process discipline.
• Improve OEE, downtime, labour efficiency and productivity.
• Coach Supervisors and Team Leaders to meet performance targets.
• Lead Lean, Kaizen and continuous improvement activities.
• Review KPIs in Tier meetings and resolve issues quickly.
• Oversee labour, overtime, agency usage and costs.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Maintenance and Quality to solve issues.

Skills

Production leadership

Lean manufacturing

Health & safety

KPI management

OEE improvement

Team development

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Theo James Recruitment is helping a Pickering-based manufacturing business recruit a Production Manager to own day-to-day performance. You will lead production teams to meet schedules safely, efficiently and to quality standards, while collaborating across functions to resolve operational challenges.

You will drive Lean initiatives, develop Supervisors and Team Leaders, and monitor KPIs such as OEE, RFT and cost per unit to deliver continuous improvement and operational excellence.