Manufacturing Capacity Lead

Matchtech; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Matchtech is seeking a commercially aware Network Capacity Lead to ensure our manufacturing network has the capacity and technical capability to meet current demand and scale for growth.

This hands-on, cross-network role connects demand, quoting, factory operations, production planning, and supply chain to translate insights into practical allocation decisions across multiple sites.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of capacity planning, manufacturing operations planning, industrial engineering, or multi-site production planning experience.
• Demonstrated ability to translate demand into realistic capacity models and decisions across multiple sites, work centers, or suppliers.
• Strong understanding of discrete manufacturing constraints, preferably CNC machining, including machine capability, routings, setups, cycle times, and inspection.
• Ability to distinguish technical manufacturing capability from available production capacity and identify meaningful gaps in each.
• Experience with scenario planning, bottleneck analysis, load balancing, and capacity risk mitigation.
• Advanced spreadsheet and analytical skills; experience with ERP/MRP, planning systems, and reliable operational data management.
• Ability to influence site leaders and cross-functional stakeholders through clear analysis, practical recommendations, and sound judgment.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain a network-wide view of manufacturing capacity across facilities.
• Translate pipeline, forecast, and confirmed customer demand into capacity requirements by process, machine group, geography, and time horizon.
• Assess network manufacturing capability and match part requirements to equipment, tolerances, materials, inspection resources, and processes.
• Support Quoting and Order Management with realistic lead-time and capacity inputs.
• Recommend facility allocation and load balancing based on capability, capacity, and delivery risk.
• Identify bottlenecks, single points of failure, and gaps; propose mitigation and escalation paths.
• Coordinate with site Production Planners and Supply Chain Leads to validate schedules and execution readiness.
• Maintain reliable capacity data in MasonOS and planning tools; update definitions and cadences.
• Track capacity utilization, forecast vs actual load, and lead times; monitor constraint trends.
• Develop capacity scenarios for growth, shifts, equipment, automation, or supplier-base expansion.
• Use actual setup, programming, machining, and inspection performance to improve planning assumptions.
• Coordinate capacity reviews with factory leadership and cross-functional teams.

Skills

Capacity planning

Manufacturing operations

Cross-functional collaboration

ERP/MRP

Analytical skills

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

MS Excel

Job description

We are looking for a commercially aware, analytically strong Network Capacity Lead to ensure our manufacturing network has the capacity and technical capability to meet current demand, support credible customer commitments, and scale with future growth.

This is a hands-on, cross-network role connecting demand, quoting, factory operations, production planning, and supply chain. You will develop a clear view of available and constrained capacity across company and franchise facilities, identify capability gaps, and translate those insights into practical allocation and expansion decisions.

What You’ll Do

• Build and maintain a network-wide view of manufacturing capacity: machine types, work envelopes, operating hours, available shifts, skills, utilization, and confirmed constraints by facility.
• Translate pipeline, forecast, and confirmed customer demand into capacity requirements by process, machine group, geography, and time horizon.
• Assess network manufacturing capability: match part requirements to equipment, tolerances, materials, inspection resources, finishing processes, and technical expertise.
• Support Quoting and Order Management with realistic lead-time and capacity inputs, distinguishing technical execution time from capacity-driven scheduling offsets.
• Recommend appropriate facility allocation and load balancing based on capability, available capacity, customer requirements, logistics, quality approval, and delivery risk.
• Identify network bottlenecks, single points of failure, capability gaps, and overloaded work centers; propose mitigation and escalation paths.
• Partner with site Production Planners and Supply Chain Leads to validate local schedules, supplier-base coverage, outsourced processes, and execution readiness.
• Maintain reliable capacity, capability, forecast, and constraint data in MasonOS and associated planning tools; establish consistent definitions and update cadences.
• Track network utilization, available-to-promise capacity, forecast versus actual load, schedule adherence, quoted versus achieved lead times, and constraint trends.
• Develop capacity scenarios for growth, demand shifts, additional shifts, new equipment, automation, supplier-base expansion, and new facility onboarding.
• Use actual setup, programming, machining, inspection, and external process performance to improve network planning assumptions and allocation decisions.
• Coordinate regular capacity reviews with factory leadership, Quoting, Operations, and Supply Chain; communicate decisions, risks, and actions clearly.

What We’re Looking For

Essential experience and skills

• 5+ years of capacity planning, manufacturing operations planning, industrial engineering, or multi-site production planning experience.
• Demonstrated ability to translate demand into realistic capacity models and decisions across multiple sites, work centers, or suppliers.
• Strong understanding of discrete manufacturing constraints, preferably CNC machining, including machine capability, routings, setups, cycle times, and inspection.
• Ability to distinguish technical manufacturing capability from available production capacity and identify meaningful gaps in each.
• Experience with scenario planning, bottleneck analysis, load balancing, and capacity risk mitigation.
• Advanced spreadsheet and analytical skills; experience with ERP/MRP, planning systems, and reliable operational data management.
• Ability to influence site leaders and cross-functional stakeholders through clear analysis, practical recommendations, and sound judgment.

Nice to have

• Experience in aerospace, defense, precision machining, or high-mix, low-volume manufacturing networks.
• Experience coordinating capacity across owned facilities, contract manufacturers, or franchise/partner networks.
• Knowledge of CNC machine capability, CAM programming, CMM/inspection constraints, and outsourced special processes.
• Exposure to AS9100 / EN9100, customer-specific sourcing requirements, and controlled manufacturing environments.
• Experience building capacity models, allocation rules, and investment cases for shifts, equipment, automation, or supplier-base development.
• APICS/ASCM, industrial engineering, operations research, or comparable manufacturing planning qualifications.

What Will Make You Successful

• You see the whole network: you connect demand to actual capacity and technical capability rather than relying on headline machine counts.
• You anticipate constraints: you identify overloads and capability gaps before they become customer delivery failures.
• You are practical: you validate models against factory realities, local plans, supplier constraints, and actual execution data.
• You protect customer and quality requirements: allocation decisions respect approvals, technical suitability, and required controls.
• You align teams: you create clear, shared priorities across factory operations, Quoting, Planning, Supply Chain, and leadership.
• You build for scale: you improve data quality, planning standards, and decision-making as the manufacturing network expands.