Manufacturing Engineering Manager

Apex Recruitment; Woking; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Apex Recruitment is seeking an experienced Manufacturing Engineering Manager for a high-performance automotive manufacturing environment in the UK. You will lead a team of manufacturing engineers, drive continuous improvement, and support new product launches to ensure world-class processes and safety.

Reporting to senior leadership, you will shape manufacturing strategy and own engineering activities across production, new model programmes, and facility development projects.

Qualifications

• Degree in engineering, manufacturing, quality, or related discipline, or equivalent industry experience.
• Proven leadership experience in a manufacturing environment, ideally automotive.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, quality systems, and continuous improvement methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of Manufacturing Engineers, providing technical direction and mentoring.
• Drive improvements in manufacturing processes, production efficiency, quality performance, and waste reduction initiatives.
• Manage manufacturing engineering projects from concept through to implementation, ensuring delivery on time and within budget.
• Oversee resource planning including headcount, equipment, materials, and investment requirements.
• Maintain and promote Health & Safety standards throughout the manufacturing environment.
• Support quality assurance activities including PFMEA, Control Plans, ISO 9001, and IATF 16949 compliance.
• Collaborate with Product Development, Engineering, Quality, and Launch teams to ensure seamless introduction of new products into production.
• Champion Industry 4.0 and smart factory technologies to support future manufacturing capability.

Skills

Leadership

Team management

Manufacturing processes

Continuous improvement

Budget management

Project delivery

Data-driven decision making

Stakeholder management

Communication

Education

Engineering/Manufacturing degree

Job description

Manufacturing Engineering Manager

Location: Woking
Position Type: Permanent

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Manufacturing Engineering Manager to join a high-performance automotive manufacturing environment. This role is responsible for leading a team of manufacturing engineers, driving continuous improvement initiatives, supporting new product launches, and ensuring world-class manufacturing processes are delivered safely, efficiently, and to the highest quality standards.

The Role

As the Manufacturing Engineering Manager, you will report into senior leadership and take ownership of manufacturing engineering activities across production, new model programmes, and facility development projects. You will play a pivotal role in shaping manufacturing strategy while ensuring operational excellence and continuous improvement across the business.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of Manufacturing Engineers, providing technical direction and mentoring.
• Drive improvements in manufacturing processes, production efficiency, quality performance, and waste reduction initiatives.
• Manage manufacturing engineering projects from concept through to implementation, ensuring delivery on time and within budget.
• Oversee resource planning including headcount, equipment, materials, and investment requirements.
• Maintain and promote Health & Safety standards throughout the manufacturing environment.
• Support quality assurance activities including PFMEA, Control Plans, ISO 9001, and IATF 16949 compliance.
• Collaborate with Product Development, Engineering, Quality, and Launch teams to ensure seamless introduction of new products into production.
• Champion Industry 4.0 and smart factory technologies to support future manufacturing capability.

About You

To be successful as a Manufacturing Engineering Manager you will possess:

• Degree qualification in Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, or a related discipline, or equivalent industry experience.
• Proven leadership experience within a manufacturing environment, ideally automotive.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, quality systems, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Demonstrable experience managing budgets, resources, and project delivery.
• Strong technical and analytical skills with a data-driven approach to decision-making.
• Experience implementing operational improvements that deliver measurable business benefits.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to influence cross-functional teams and drive collaborative working relationships.

If you are an experienced Manufacturing Engineering Manager looking to make a significant impact within a technology-driven manufacturing environment, we would love to hear from you.