Operations MANAGER

Kingdom People; Fareham; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment agency is seeking an Operations Manager for a respected aerospace company in Fareham, UK. The position involves strategic leadership over machining and assembly operations, with accountability for performance across two sites. Candidates should have a strong background in precision manufacturing, proven success in Lean initiatives, and experience in regulated environments. This role offers a salary of up to £85,000 plus attractive benefits such as additional holiday, a pension scheme, and gym access.

Benefits

Five weeks' holiday

11% pension scheme

Share-save scheme

Supermarket discounts

On-site gym

Progression opportunities

Qualifications

• Proven experience in senior leadership roles within precision manufacturing.
• Demonstrable success in implementing Lean practices.
• Confident in using ERP systems and data analytics.

Responsibilities

• Lead production in Advanced Machining and Final Assembly.
• Define and deliver strategic plans for operational performance.
• Drive Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and People objectives.

Skills

Senior leadership in precision manufacturing

Implementing Lean initiatives

ERP fluency

Data analytics for decision-making

Knowledge of regulated environments

Agile and influential communication

LEAN certification

Job description

Operations Manager

Location: Segensworth, near Portsmouth/Southampton, Hampshire

Salary: Up to £85,000, plus five weeks' holiday, 11% pension, share-save scheme, supermarket discounts, on‑site gym, progression.

Are you a strategic operations leader ready to prime and shape machining and final assembly performance at a market leading aerospace business? This is a high impact role on the Site Leadership Team, driving operational excellence, CI culture and data‑led decision‑making across the production value stream.

You'll lead production across Advanced Machining and Final Assembly, spread across two sites just a stone's throw from each other. You'll define and deliver the strategic plan for capacity, layout and continued capital investment – over £1.3m has recently been invested in new CNC machinery.

As Operations Manager you'll have two direct reports: the Production Manager for Assembly operations (circa 55 shop floor professionals) and the Machine Shop Production Manager (around 25 indirect professionals). You'll work closely with them as well as the Master Production Scheduler to ensure material flow is optimised, enabling your teams to improve efficiency and deliver consistently strong metrics as the site continues its growth journey.

This role carries full accountability for operational performance across both sites – driving Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost and People objectives. You'll be responsible for embedding lean practices, developing succession plans, and crucially ensuring production capability scales with customer demand. As a member of the Site Leadership Team, you'll also provide clear, data‑led reporting and play a key role in representing the business to customers, Group and PLC level.

What we're looking for

• Senior leadership in precision manufacturing; strong exposure to machining and assembly
• Proven and demonstrable success in implementing Lean initiatives.
• ERP fluency and confident data analytics to drive tactical and strategic decisions
• Strong knowledge and experience of working within highly regulated environments
• An agile and influential communicator who coaches, leads, manages change and challenges the status quo
• LEAN certification highly desirable

This is an excellent opportunity to join a respected aerospace company employing 180 people on site, with steady year‑on‑year growth. A cash‑rich business happy to invest and support the drive to their journey from 25M to 30M turnover in the next 5 years.

To find out more, contact Steph at Kingdom People on (phone number removed), or click Apply Now to send your CV — we'll review it promptly and be in touch.

Kingdom People is acting as a Recruitment Agency on behalf of its client