Operations Manager

Harris Geospatial Solutions; Brighton; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Half day finish on a Friday

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Private medical insurance

Pension scheme 8% employer contributed

Life Assurance 4x salary

Group income protection

Flexible opt-in extras

Employee Family Assistance Program

Professional membership reimbursement

Job summary

L3Harris UK is seeking an Operations Manager in Brighton to lead multiple departments including Manufacturing Engineering, Production, Supply Chain and Quality. You will drive delivery, quality, and cost objectives across product lifecycles, with a focus on continuous improvement and strong safety practices.

The role requires a track record in Lean Manufacturing, excellent leadership and communication, and a commitment to operational excellence and customer satisfaction.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership to develop and motivate teams while driving performance.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills with data-driven decision making.
• Experience and qualifications in Lean Manufacturing.
• Strong communication across all functions and collaboration skills.
• Commitment to operational excellence and customer satisfaction.

Responsibilities

• Own full accountability for all Operations departments including Manufacturing Engineering, Production/Planning Control, Supply Chain, Quality Control, Machine Shop, Assembly, Paveway IV, Test, Stores and Dispatch.
• Ensure compliance with Health & Safety, environmental and quality procedures; support audits and reviews.
• Coordinate New Product Introduction (NPI) including readiness reviews and capacity planning.
• Maintain ongoing operational performance for current product lines, ensuring delivery, cost and quality targets.
• Set and monitor challenging but achievable goals for production teams based on industry best practice.
• Represent the business in meetings and site tours with customers and external bodies as required.
• Lead monthly Operations management meetings and address critical issues promptly.
• Oversee overhead costs associated with Operations and manage strategic supplier development.
• Represent Operations at strategic customer review meetings and drive corrective actions as needed.
• Plan proactively to meet process objectives and implement corrective actions.

Skills

Leadership

Problem-solving

Lean Manufacturing

Communication

Operational excellence

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or Business Management

HNC or similar in Engineering/ Manufacturing

Six Sigma Green belt

Job description

Job Title – Operations Manager

Job Location – Brighton

Our Brighton business is moving to a new location in 2027. The new site is expected to be located in either Shoreham, Burgess Hill or Horsham and will be within a 15-minute drive of our current site.

Job ID – 40528

About this opportunity and L3Harris UK

Operating at 11 sites in the United Kingdom, L3Harris supports Britain's mission to secure and strengthen the country by delivering sovereign innovation across the space, air, land, sea and cyber domains.

L3Harris in Brighton are part of our Release Systems & Antennas division operating in the Aerospace domain. For over 70 years, L3Harris has designed and developed industry-leading carriage and release systems for fighter, rotary-wing and unmanned platforms and we design, manufacture and test a large portion of our release systems portfolio in our Brighton facility which offers 48,500 square feet of manufacturing space. Our mission-critical release systems equipment is on most major airborne fighter platforms worldwide, including the F-35, along with other aircraft like the Gripen and Typhoon.

Please note, our Brighton business is moving to a new location in 2027. The new site is expected to be located in either Shoreham, Burgess Hill or Horsham and will be within a 15-minute drive of our current site.

A few of our employee benefits are:

• Half day finish on a Friday
• 25 days holiday per year (plus bank holidays), increasing with long service and with the opportunity to buy/sell up to 5 days
• Private medical insurance with optional family cover
• Pension scheme of up to 8% employer contribution
• Life Assurance 4x salary (flexible up to 10x)
• Group income protection
• Flexible opt-in extras such as a health care cash plan, dental insurance, gym membership, critical illness cover, cycle to work scheme, travel insurance and electric car scheme
• Employee Family Assistance Program providing mental health and wellbeing support
• Professional membership reimbursement (discretionary)

What the role will involve

The responsibilities of your role will include the following:

• Full accountability & responsibility for all Operation’s departments including Manufacturing Engineering, Production/ Planning Control, Supply Chain, Quality Control, Machine Shop, Assembly, Paveway IV, Test, Stores and Dispatch ensuring delivery & quality conformance.
• Responsible for all Operations personnel comply with Health & Safety, environmental and quality procedures & instigate / support audits and reviews where necessary.
• Responsible for structured coordination of New Product Introduction (NPI), including readiness reviews (MRR/PRR), capacity planning, risk identification and cross functional alignment to achieve a smooth transition into production.
• Owns ongoing operational performance of current product lines, ensuring stability in delivery, cost, quality and continuous improvement throughout the product lifecycle.
• Monitor, benchmark and set challenging yet ultimately achievable goals and targets for the production teams, based on sound and proven industry best practice.
• Represent the business in meetings and site tours with customers and other external bodies as and when required.
• Facilitate & manage monthly Operations management meetings keeping the management team informed of critical issues and take action in solving problems.
• Assume full accountabilities for all overhead costs directly associated with Operations.
• Oversee key strategic supplier development.
• Represent Operations at strategic customer review meetings.
• Proactive planning and management so that process objectives are met and corrective actions are implemented when required.

What you’ll bring

The role requires the following experience and skills:

• Strong leadership capability, with the ability to develop and motivate teams while driving performance.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills are essential, along with the ability to make data-driven decisions.
• Experience & qualifications in Lean Manufacturing
• Demonstration of strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across all functions.
• A results-oriented mindset and a commitment to operational excellence and customer satisfaction are critical to success in this position.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering or Business Management or similar.
• HNC or similar in Engineering/ Manufacturing.
• Six Sigma Green belt or similar

Important to know

Applicants who accept a conditional offer of employment must meet the requirement of right to work in the UK and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information and will be subject to government security checks.

L3Harris Technologies is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to maintaining a workplace that is free from unlawful discrimination and offers equal opportunities for all. Applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, and marriage and civil partnerships.