Production Lead / Manager - Strain Gauging

ChilliFrog Ltd; Havant; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading electronics company in Havant is seeking a Production Manager to oversee their load cell production facility. The ideal candidate should have strong strain gauging experience and a background in mechanical and electronic assembly. The role offers a competitive salary ranging from £40K to £47K, along with a comprehensive benefits package and opportunities for career development.

Benefits

Highly competitive financial rewards

Learning and development program

Collaborative working environment

Qualifications

• Experience leading a production team or readiness to step up.
• Comfortable with small batch and precision manufacturing.
• Familiarity with ISO9001 standards.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day operations in load cell production.
• Manage team activities for building and testing load sensors.
• Ensure production schedules and quality standards are met.

Skills

Strain gauging knowledge

Analog electronics

Calibration procedures

Mechanical and electronic assembly

Lean and Six Sigma methodologies

Engineering drawings interpretation

Job description

JOB OVERVIEW

Production Manager / Lead Production Engineer (strain gauging experience critical) sought by exciting market leading electronics & analytics systems business, focused on designing, building, installing and operating measurement systems for the marine sector.

Contract type: Permanent

Salary: Negotiable but as a guide £40K-£47K (depending on competency) basic plus excellent staff benefits package

Location: Havant, Hampshire area

Start date: asap

Working conditions: Normal office and light workshop environment

THE ROLE & OPPORTUNITY

As a result of expansion my client has an exciting new vacancy for a Production Manager for their R&D function who MUST have strong experience with strain gauging;

Reporting directly to the Head of Operations, duties will include:

• Run and oversee the day-to-day operation of our load cell production facility
• Manage the team building, calibrating, and testing load sensors
• Own production schedules, output targets, and quality standards
• Work with operations to optimise parts forecast

CANDIDATE PROFILE

• Firm knowledge of strain gauging & tenure within the industry
• Analog electronics
• Material impacts on strain gauge/adhesive choice
• Surface preparations
• Strain gauge suppliers
• Strong background in mechanical and electronic assembly, ideally with sensor style products
• Experience in leading a production team or be ready to step-up to lead a team - hands‑on manager, not just desk‑based
• 2-3 people in the team
• Has worked with calibration procedures and is comfortable with test equipment
• Can interpret engineering drawings
• Ideally from a low‑to‑medium volume, high‑precision production environment
• Understands capacity management
• Comfortable with small batch / precision manufacturing, not just mass production
• Experience with digital twin‑like systems, production data logging and quality control
• Experience with ISO9001
• Has worked with and applied lean, six‑sigma, kaizen methodologies
• Character: Calm, practical, and organised
• Leads by example — gets hands dirty when needed
• Can train up onboardings
• Can balance speed vs. care — knows when to slow down and when to push
• Wants to take ownership of a growing facility and help shape it long‑term

WHAT'S ON OFFER

• A highly competitive financial rewards package including benefits package
• The chance to join a highly established proven market leader who continually invest in their solutions to stay ahead of the competition
• A comprehensive learning and development program and genuine career prospects
• An excellent hard working but fun close “family” oriented collaborative working environment

If you are a good match then please send a CV immediately to learn more about this excellent rare and diverse permanent career opportunity!

Keywords: Production Manager, strain guaging, Supervisor, Lead, Leader, Senior Mechanical Design Engineer, Engineering, Electro-Mechanical, aerospace, electronics, defence