Operations Manager - Assembly

SAV Systems Ltd; Woking; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

SAV Systems Ltd in the United Kingdom is seeking an experienced Operations Manager - Assembly to lead the Assembly team and drive the accurate, efficient assembly of HIUs. Reporting to the Finance and Operations Director, you will own end-to-end assembly, apply lean processes, mentor the team and foster a culture of quality and safety.

This role offers autonomy to optimise workflows, enhance quality, and support customer commitments through proactive planning and cross-functional collaboration.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 GCSEs including Maths and English.
• Previous Assembly/Production management experience essential.
• Strong knowledge of quality management and lean methods.
• Experience applying lean principles (6S) and eliminating waste.
• Excellent problem solving and decision making.
• Autonomous, proactive with good time management.

Responsibilities

• Own assembly planning and resource allocation.
• Ensure products are assembled to specs on time with quality standards.
• Drive continuous improvement using lean principles.
• Promote 6S and reduce waste.
• Collaborate across functions to remove bottlenecks.
• Update assembly documentation and BOMs.
• Be first point of contact for assembly queries.
• Implement pre-dispatch inspection process and root-cause analysis for non-conformances.
• Emphasize health and safety and incident reporting.
• Manage Assembly team recruitment and training.

Skills

Assembly management

Quality management

Lean principles

Change management

6S methodology

Problem solving

Time management

Interpersonal skills

Health & Safety

Education

GCSEs including Maths/English

Tools

Sage

Job description

Are you a hands on operations leader who thrives on quality, efficiency and continuous improvement? We're looking for an Operations Manager - Assembly to lead our Assembly team and drive the accurate, efficient assembly of our Heat Interface Units (HIUs).

You'll own the assembly process end to end, from planning and quality standards through to leading and developing a motivated, high performing team, while having real autonomy to evaluate and enhance how we work. If you've got strong assembly or production management experience, a lean and continuous improvement mindset, and know how to get the best out of a team, we'd love to hear from you.

Main Purpose of the Job

Reporting to the Finance and Operations Director, the Operations Manager - Assembly is responsible for ensuring the accurate, efficient and effective assembly of a range of standard and bespoke Heat and Cooling Interface Units. The successful candidate will also be responsible for managing the start to end customer journey, as well as the assembly process, for our Commissioning Modules.

With an ambition to get things 'right first time' the Operations Manager - Assembly will have the opportunity to evaluate our existing Assembly quality processes and the autonomy to enhance them. Utilising their interpersonal and people management skills, the Operations Manager - Assembly will also be responsible for motivating and engaging their team - understanding their aspirations, ensuring they achieve the desired level of output, taking them with us on our continuous improvement journey and getting the best out of each and every team member.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Responsible for assembly planning and resource allocation.
• Ensuring products are assembled correctly, in a timely manner, according to customer specifications and aligned with the required quality standards.
• Looking for opportunities to continuously improve the process, including applying and embedding lean principles and methodologies (including integrating ergonomic principles) and ensuring all team members are actively engaged with the concept / methodology.
• Promoting a culture of safety and efficiency by sustaining 6S practices and identifying opportunities to eliminate workplace clutter and waste.
• Building strong, collaborative relationships across the business to align process improvements with broader organisational objectives.
• Collaborating cross functionally to identify operational bottlenecks and develop solutions that optimise shared workflows.
• Working with our Assembler / Technical Advisor (for Heat and Cooling Interface Units only) to ensure all assembly related documentation (procedures, BOMs etc.) is updated and maintained, as required.
• Being the point of escalation for any assembly related enquiries.
• Implementing a pre-dispatch inspection (PDI) process and establishing a reliable investigative / root cause analysis process for any non-conformances.
• Promoting the importance of Health & Safety, ensuring safe working practices are adhered to at all times and all near misses and / or accidents are reported.

Assuming people management responsibilities for the Assembly team including, but not limited to:

• Recruitment and onboarding new employees.
• Conducting 1:1s, performance reviews, return to work meetings etc.
• Managing time, attendance, conduct and capability.
• Identifying training requirements and ensuring the appropriate training is delivered in a timely manner.
• Escalating any people-related queries to HR, as required.
• Being the first point of contact for the customer, working alongside our Product Manager - Hydronics, to resolve technical queries.
• Receiving and processing customer orders in Sage.
• Checking and maintaining stock levels to avoid shortages.

The above list of duties is not exhaustive and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks as may reasonably be expected within the scope of the post.

Skills and Experience

• Previous Assembly / Production management experience is essential.
• An understanding of the principles of quality management / quality assurance is essential.
• Experience of applying and embedding lean principles is essential.
• Experience of change management would be desirable.
• Experience in implementing lean principles (6S methodology) and eliminating operational waste.
• Meticulous, with outstanding attention to detail.
• Effective problem solving and decision-making skills.
• The ability to use initiative and work autonomously.
• Effective time management and prioritisation skills.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and team working skills.
• Health and Safety ambassador.

Education and Qualifications

A minimum of 5 GCSEs (or equivalent), achieving grades A-C (or numerical equivalent) in Maths and English.