Manufacturing Manager

Matchtech; Filton; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment agency is seeking an experienced Manufacturing Manager to lead manufacturing operations in a critical production environment. This role involves overseeing production teams, driving efficiency, and supporting technical transfers within a regulated sector. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in manufacturing engineering and lean principles, along with proven leadership experience.

Benefits

Opportunity to grow with new projects

Collaborative team environment

Leadership development opportunities

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of manufacturing engineering.
• Experience in a regulated or defense environment is desirable.
• Confident in working with stakeholders and external partners.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage production team outputs.
• Oversee manufacturing engineering processes.
• Drive efficiency and lean manufacturing principles.
• Manage and collaborate with stakeholders.
• Support technical transfer from partners.
• Take ownership of budget management and team productivity.
• Provide operational leadership.

Skills

Proven leadership experience

Manufacturing engineering

Lean/continuous improvement

Cross-functional collaboration

Hands-on problem solving

Job description

Overview

Manufacturing Manager
Location: On-site (4-5 days per week) - UK Eyes Only
Clearance Required: SC Clearance - Sole UK Nationals Only
Employment Type: Full-time, Permanent

we're hiring an experienced Manufacturing Manager to join a high-performing team in a critical production environment. This is a unique opportunity to lead manufacturing operations within a highly regulated sector, supporting the efficient delivery of complex electronic assembly systems.

This is an urgent and business-critical role, ideal for a strong production leader with a background in continuous improvement who is now ready to take a step into broader operational management.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage production team outputs, adapting team size and resources as needed for new projects.
• Oversee manufacturing engineering processes with a focus on electronic system assembly rather than heavy manufacturing.
• Drive efficiency and lean manufacturing principles across all activities - streamline and improve existing processes rather than build from scratch.
• Manage and collaborate with stakeholders across technical and operational functions.
• Support technical transfer from partner organisations - including work instruction development, tooling and equipment setup, and process alignment.
• Take ownership of budget management, process efficiency, and team productivity.
• Provide hands-on problem solving and operational leadership; bring a clear vision of how processes should flow and evolve.

Your Background

• Proven leadership experience in a production or manufacturing environment.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing engineering and lean/continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience working in a regulated or defence environment is highly desirable.
• Confident in working cross-functionally with stakeholders and external partners.
• Comfortable operating in a hands-on, on-site role with a collaborative production team.
• SC-cleared or eligible for UK-only SC clearance (sole UK nationals only).

Why Join Us?

• Be part of a steady-state operation with the opportunity to grow as new projects evolve.
• Join a highly respected team, delivering critical products in a collaborative, engineering-led environment.
• This is a great step up for someone with a continuous improvement background looking to move into operational leadership.